@Taril: I'm much the same. Cinematics are being represented as peak storytelling. In fact, they've been around since the 1980s, just not as well executed.

They have their place, naturally.

Originally Posted by Thunderbolt
I guess trying to find and keep good professional writers is as much of a unicorn these days, given that if they such great writers, they'd probably be paid better in other industries and perhaps more appreciated too.

Game writing is also inherently different to static medium writing. Which is why some of the best writers in gaming have actually been both designers and writers... think Tim Schafer, Peak Chris Avellone, maybe Ken Levine. That still seems rather a rarity. In particular when studios grew into blockbusting outlets, often times they would hire traditional writers. Even if those realize that games are different, somebody who's a designer as well as a writer usually still does better jobs. Somebody like that knows both design as well as writing inside out. And as such can fully explore both.

Torment doesn't have much in the way of interesting combat. But it marries D&D mechanics such as character classes and even death with the narrative. At times, it's even a deconstruction of D&D tropes. After all, you cannot die. And as your character has lived many a life already, he can switch classes as he sees fit. Which is the crown jewel as of game storytelling: To combine narrative and systems on a fundamental level. Looking Glass did this in the 1990s as well. Thief's "The Sword" mission has you sneaking into the strangest of mansions possible, telling it all abouts its owner simply via its design. There is no cutscene spelling it out. But by the time you do meet him, you already know that man's business... As you were allowed to figure it all out yourself. Via exploring the place. Experiencing it. And surviving it.

Last year I played Shadow Gambit, the last stealth tactics game by Mimimi. The game's writing is nothing too fancy. But they even incorporated the genre staple act of quicksaving and quickloading into the game's narrative... alongside to a twist. Stuff like this, when it works, isn't merely unique to gaming. It also hits harder than written words alone. Many hires still seem to have mainly a writer's background. To try to pull anything like that off though, expert knowledge of game design seems mandatory. You couldn't do a deconstruction of D&D tropes if you didn't know those tropes. And you wouldn't be able to know how to communicate narrative via gameplay a la Thief either. In essence: When to shut the pardon me fuck up and let the game do the talking.

Last edited by Sven_; 26/07/24 06:51 PM.