With many games focused around user generated content, the role of the developer as an author is potentially diminished. One of the most satisfying aspects of playing console RPGs is being able to sit back and watch an epic cinematic after a boss battle and watch the story continue to unfold. These games all have a set story that immerses you for months, but is ultimately linear. So, to expand, developers are now moving one of two ways with their games. Either games take the “Choose your own path” format with set paths and choices, or developers take a backseat to users and market it as “user generated content.” These games have no set storyline and rely on the users to create stories for themselves. Although this is a more social take on game playing, it is a much more passive role for the developer. In this way, the game no longer serves as an escape from typical life, but rather another medium in which to act it out.
This ultimately leads to the question of whether developers should be in control of a game, writing a story for players to experience, or if developers should create a world which facilitates the creation of stories by the users. Personally, I am partial to the classic, story based game. I enjoy living through a well crafted story. Games like World of Warcraft don’t have the same sense of playing a hero as storyline games do. It’s not possible to create a world full of heroes, therefore the game must be filled with people who are all on the same level.
"User-generated content" somehow reminded me of Dungeons and Dragons. I don't see it as another medium; I think it's simply a different sort of escapism. For some, it's you in a different form, and for others, they make whole other identities online.
ReplyDeletePeople enjoy gradients of freedom. Unfortunately, in the real world, we're bound by those darn laws of Physics whether we like it or not.