glyphstrip FAQ button
Halo.bungie.org
glyphstrip
Frequently Asked Forum Questions
 Search the HBO News Archives

Any All Exact 
Search the Halo Updates DBs

Halo Halo2 
Search Older Posts on This Forum:
Posts on Current Forum | Archived Posts


Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment plea
Posted By: QuantumDate: 6/15/12 2:41 a.m.

In Response To: Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment plea (Hawaiian Pig)


: Do you realize that this flies in the face of your old "Video games can
: never tell a story" argument?

: You just successfully demonstrated that a medium need not only function in
: one fundamental way. Why can't video games be plot driven?

I really don't think it does. How does the capability of one particular medium to function in any given area have anything to do with what another does well? Different media are functionally different by definition. Film, as a more-or-less continuous sequence of images, can be a marvelous method for telling stories. That's what film is, essentially: a sequence of events perceived as progressing through time—one picture after another.

Cody's argument (as I read it—correct me if I misrepresent you) is that the thing that makes video games video games is the gameplay. Interactivity is the only thing that separates game from film. Therefore, if the story is not told or created through gameplay, it's not really the video game telling the story. It may give context to what you're playing, and in that sense be plot-driven, but if the plot drives gameplay it sacrifices the fundamental essence of the video game. Exceedingly rarely does a game come along where your interaction with the software actually is the plot.

I find this argument attractive (thought I'm not completely convinced) because it suggests that games can tell stories, stories that are radically new and different from what has come before, and that are unique to gaming and couldn't be presented properly in other media.

I remember reading a bit Narcogen posted on Rampancy.net about video games as a storytelling medium, and how most of the potential had still not been explored. It was part of a larger and still unresolved dialogue about video games as art, but expressed frustration about how much of the debate was framed around an idea of storytelling that did not cater to the unique interactive quality of games.

*20 minutes later* Ah, here it is.


Message Index




Replies:

Prometheus *OT*Miguel Chavez 6/8/12 2:08 a.m.
     Re: Prometheus *OT*Chris101b 6/8/12 3:18 a.m.
     Re: Prometheus *OT*TDSpiral 6/8/12 5:16 a.m.
           Re: Prometheus *OT*Dagoonite 6/9/12 10:38 a.m.
                 Re: Prometheus *OT*Miguel Chavez 6/9/12 1:26 p.m.
     Re: Prometheus *OT*scarab 6/8/12 7:17 a.m.
     Just tell me one thing *Asking 4 Spoils*JDQuackers 6/8/12 7:18 a.m.
           Re: Just tell me one thing *Asking 4 Spoils*General Battuta 6/8/12 9:04 a.m.
           Re: Just tell me one thing *Asking 4 Spoils*scarab 6/8/12 9:31 a.m.
           *SPOILS*Miguel Chavez 6/8/12 10:37 a.m.
     What a dreadful disappointment *SP*General Battuta 6/8/12 9:06 a.m.
     Re: Prometheus *OT*Beckx 6/8/12 9:33 a.m.
           Re: Prometheus *OT* *SP*General Battuta 6/8/12 9:38 a.m.
                 Re: Prometheus *OT* *SP*Beckx 6/8/12 9:43 a.m.
                       Re: Prometheus *OT* *SP*bluerunner 6/8/12 10:16 a.m.
                 I took the day off for this sh*t?Kermit 6/8/12 10:18 a.m.
                 Re: Prometheus *OT* *SP*scarab 6/8/12 10:29 a.m.
                       Re: Prometheus *OT* *SP*Miguel Chavez 6/8/12 10:46 a.m.
                             Re: Prometheus *OT* *SP*scarab 6/8/12 10:55 a.m.
                                   Re: Prometheus *OT* *SP*Miguel Chavez 6/8/12 11:32 a.m.
                                         Re: Prometheus *OT* *SP*scarab 6/8/12 12:13 p.m.
                             Linkscarab 6/8/12 11:09 a.m.
                       Re: Prometheus *OT* *SP*Quirel 6/8/12 11:08 a.m.
                             Re: Prometheus *OT* *SP*scarab 6/8/12 11:11 a.m.
           LOL *NM*SonofMacPhisto 6/9/12 3:09 p.m.
     Well then...Mid7night 6/8/12 9:58 a.m.
           Same *NM*JDQuackers 6/8/12 10:00 a.m.
           Re: Yep. *NM* *NM*Beckx 6/8/12 10:12 a.m.
           The more trailers I saw the less I expectedscarab 6/8/12 10:42 a.m.
           This is a horrible mindset to take.Postmortem 6/9/12 7:44 p.m.
     Guess I'm waiting for $1 movie night...davidfuchs 6/8/12 10:21 a.m.
     Re: Prometheus *OT*Cody Miller 6/8/12 10:33 a.m.
           Re: Prometheus *OT*General Battuta 6/8/12 10:45 a.m.
           Re: Prometheus *OT* *SP*scarab 6/8/12 10:51 a.m.
                 Re: Prometheus *OT* *SP*Miguel Chavez 6/8/12 10:52 a.m.
           Re: Hideo Kojima says...Beckx 6/8/12 4:26 p.m.
           Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaseMetalingus627 6/8/12 6:05 p.m.
                 Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaCody Miller 6/14/12 11:40 a.m.
                       Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaBeckx 6/14/12 12:20 p.m.
                             Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleathebruce0 6/14/12 12:57 p.m.
                       Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleamunky-058 6/14/12 12:51 p.m.
                             Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaRC Master 6/14/12 4:01 p.m.
                             Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaCody Miller 6/14/12 7:12 p.m.
                       Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleahunt3r 6/14/12 6:45 p.m.
                       Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaHawaiian Pig 6/15/12 12:18 a.m.
                             Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleauberfoop 6/15/12 2:20 a.m.
                             Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaQuantum 6/15/12 2:41 a.m.
                                   Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaQuantum 6/15/12 4:03 a.m.
                             Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaCody Miller 6/15/12 11:50 a.m.
                                   Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaKermit 6/15/12 12:44 p.m.
                                         Only a Sith deals in absolutes. *NM*Leisandir 6/15/12 1:14 p.m.
                                   Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaHawaiian Pig 6/15/12 8:50 p.m.
                                         Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaCody Miller 6/18/12 12:32 p.m.
                                               Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaCody Miller 6/18/12 12:38 p.m.
                                                     Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleathebruce0 6/18/12 1:27 p.m.
                                                           Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaCody Miller 6/18/12 4:37 p.m.
                                                                 Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleamnemesis 6/18/12 5:33 p.m.
                                                                       Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaCody Miller 6/18/12 5:57 p.m.
                                                                             Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleathebruce0 6/18/12 11:01 p.m.
                                                                                   Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaCody Miller 6/19/12 12:03 a.m.
                                                                                         Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaLouis Wu 6/19/12 7:28 a.m.
                                                                                               Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaCody Miller 6/19/12 10:11 a.m.
                                                                                                     Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaLouis Wu 6/19/12 10:16 a.m.
                                                                                                           Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaCody Miller 6/19/12 1:22 p.m.
                                                                                                                 Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaStryfe Bringer 6/19/12 1:41 p.m.
                                                                                                                       Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaCody Miller 6/19/12 1:50 p.m.
                                                                                                                             Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaStryfe Bringer 6/19/12 2:18 p.m.
                                                                                                                 Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaKermit 6/20/12 8:47 a.m.
                                                                                                                       Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaCody Miller 6/20/12 10:59 a.m.
                                                                                                                             Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaKermit 6/20/12 11:55 a.m.
                                                                                                                                   Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaCody Miller 6/20/12 12:53 p.m.
                                                                                                                                         Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaKermit 6/20/12 2:10 p.m.
                                                                                                                                               Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaCody Miller 6/20/12 5:12 p.m.
                                                                                                                                                     Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaKermit 6/20/12 7:54 p.m.
                                                                                                                                                           Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaKermit 6/20/12 7:59 p.m.
                                                                                                                                                                 Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleauberfoop 6/20/12 8:14 p.m.
                                                                                                     Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaJillybean 6/19/12 1:39 p.m.
                                                                                                           HistoryCody Miller 6/19/12 1:49 p.m.
                                                                                                                 Re: HistoryJillybean 6/19/12 2:08 p.m.
                                                                                                                 Re: HistoryHawaiian Pig 6/21/12 4:18 a.m.
                                                                                                                       Re: HistoryHawaiian Pig 6/21/12 5:11 a.m.
                                                                                                                       Re: HistoryMiguel Chavez 6/21/12 7:22 a.m.
                                                                                                                             Re: HistoryCody Miller 6/21/12 10:56 a.m.
                                                                                                                                   Re: HistoryLeisandir 6/21/12 11:21 a.m.
                                                                                                                                         Thoughts CollectedCody Miller 6/21/12 1:17 p.m.
                                                                                                                                               Re: Thoughts Collectedthebruce0 6/21/12 2:28 p.m.
                                                                                                                                                     (correction)thebruce0 6/21/12 2:39 p.m.
                                                                                                                                                           Re: (correction)Cody Miller 6/21/12 3:53 p.m.
                                                                                                                                                                 Re: (correction)Kermit 6/21/12 5:06 p.m.
                                                                                                                                                                 Re: (correction)thebruce0 6/21/12 5:19 p.m.
                                                                                                                                               And then Mass Effect proved Cody wrong...munky-058 6/21/12 6:18 p.m.
                                                                                                                                                     Re: And then Mass Effect proved Cody wrong...General Battuta 6/22/12 9:30 a.m.
                                                                                                                                               Re: Thoughts CollectedLeisandir 6/22/12 8:08 a.m.
                                                                                                                       Yep. Very this. *NM*thebruce0 6/21/12 8:46 a.m.
                                                                                                                       Re: HistoryCody Miller 6/21/12 10:51 a.m.
                                                                                                                             I... just... *headdesk* *NM*thebruce0 6/21/12 12:07 p.m.
                                                                                                                             Re: HistoryDHalo 6/22/12 1:58 p.m.
                                                                                                                       A++++ Post Would Read AgainJillybean 6/21/12 2:03 p.m.
                                                                                                                             Agreed. *NM*Kermit 6/21/12 5:07 p.m.
                                                                                         What Wu said. I got nothin' else for ya... *NM*thebruce0 6/19/12 8:48 a.m.
                                   Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleathebruce0 6/18/12 9:38 a.m.
                                         Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaCody Miller 6/18/12 11:20 a.m.
                                               Cody Miller: Video Games CAN tell stories! *NM*thebruce0 6/18/12 1:23 p.m.
                       Re: Cody Miller: No story in my entertainment pleaagdtinman 6/18/12 7:46 p.m.
     Re: Prometheus *OT*Hedgemony 6/8/12 10:46 a.m.
     Man, I was excited to see this on my birthday *NM*CYBRFRK 6/8/12 10:56 a.m.
     I liked it.BlueNinja 6/8/12 2:15 p.m.
     Re: Prometheus *OT*Kermit 6/8/12 9:17 p.m.
           sorry for the rampart italic tag *NM*Kermit 6/8/12 9:19 p.m.
                 rampant ^ *NM*Kermit 6/8/12 9:20 p.m.
     Re: Prometheus *OT Concuryakaman 6/9/12 2:27 a.m.
     You knowTex 6/9/12 4:55 a.m.
           Re: You knowHedgemony 6/9/12 6:46 a.m.
                 Re: You knowKermit 6/9/12 8:20 a.m.
                       Re: You knowHawki 6/9/12 9:12 a.m.
                             Re: You knowTex 6/9/12 12:39 p.m.
                       Re: You knowMiguel Chavez 6/9/12 1:30 p.m.
           Re: You knowMiguel Chavez 6/9/12 1:33 p.m.
           Re: You knowSonofMacPhisto 6/9/12 3:09 p.m.
     :(Postmortem 6/9/12 1:21 p.m.
           Haters gonna hate.Postmortem 6/9/12 6:17 p.m.
                 Re: Haters gonna hate.Kermit 6/9/12 9:55 p.m.
     The theory that makes me love it:Jillybean 6/9/12 2:39 p.m.
           This is what the film needed...Miguel Chavez 6/9/12 3:25 p.m.
                 Re: This is what the film needed...Jillybean 6/9/12 4:11 p.m.
           Re: The theory that makes me love it:Tex 6/9/12 5:16 p.m.
                 Re: The theory that makes me love it:Jillybean 6/9/12 5:25 p.m.
                 Classic reply on redditscarab 6/10/12 4:19 a.m.
                 LOST in Space, rather. *NM*Ma1agate 6/10/12 1:14 p.m.
           Re: The theory that makes me love it:Hawki 6/9/12 5:39 p.m.
                 Re: The theory that makes me love it:scarab 6/10/12 4:57 a.m.
                       Re: The theory that makes me love it:Dagoonite 6/10/12 7:52 a.m.
                             Re: The theory that makes me love it:scarab 6/10/12 9:46 a.m.
                 Re: The theory that makes me love it:Jillybean 6/10/12 11:02 a.m.
           This will throw you through the wallCody Miller 6/14/12 11:44 a.m.
                 Re: This will throw you through the wallJillybean 6/14/12 5:10 p.m.
                       Re: This will throw you through the wallhunt3r 6/14/12 6:42 p.m.
                             Re: This will throw you through the wallCody Miller 6/14/12 7:19 p.m.
                                   Re: This will throw you through the wallhunt3r 6/14/12 8:12 p.m.
                             Re: This will throw you through the wallMiguel Chavez 6/15/12 3:19 p.m.
     My thoughtsPostmortem 6/9/12 7:00 p.m.
           Re: My thoughtsHawki 6/9/12 7:21 p.m.
                 Re: My thoughtsPostmortem 6/9/12 7:35 p.m.
                 Nailed it!Miguel Chavez 6/10/12 1:41 a.m.
                       Re: Nailed it! Agreed, again.yakaman 6/10/12 10:10 a.m.
                             Re: Nailed it! Agreed, again.Jillybean 6/10/12 11:07 a.m.
                                   Re: Nailed it! Agreed, again.yakaman 6/10/12 12:33 p.m.
                                         Prometheus = Halo + Lost.Ma1agate 6/10/12 12:55 p.m.
     HehJillybean 6/10/12 4:25 p.m.
           Not even reading the discussionNikko B201 6/10/12 4:26 p.m.
                 It worked! *NM*Nikko B201 6/10/12 4:33 p.m.
                       Re: It worked!Jillybean 6/10/12 4:37 p.m.
                             Admins? What admins?Nikko B201 6/10/12 4:38 p.m.
                                   Re: Admins? What admins?Jillybean 6/10/12 4:39 p.m.
                                         Re: Admins? What admins?Nikko B201 6/10/12 4:41 p.m.
                                               Re: Admins? What admins?Jillybean 6/10/12 4:44 p.m.
                                                     Re: Admins? What admins?Louis Wu 6/10/12 4:47 p.m.
                                                           Thanks. [he said sheepishly] *NM*Kermit 6/10/12 6:49 p.m.
           Re: HehTex 6/10/12 4:27 p.m.
                 Re: HehJillybean 6/10/12 4:28 p.m.
           Re: HehCody Miller 6/10/12 8:12 p.m.
                 Re: HehCody Miller 6/10/12 8:25 p.m.
                 Re: Hehscarab 6/11/12 8:24 a.m.
     BTW, did anyone catch the Halo connection?Postmortem 6/11/12 1:13 p.m.
           Share? *NM*davidfuchs 6/11/12 1:40 p.m.
           What's a battle? What's a diorama?PyroSporker16 6/11/12 1:45 p.m.
           Re: BTW, did anyone catch the Halo connection?Subtank 6/11/12 1:58 p.m.
     Re: Prometheus *OT*DrDoctor 6/14/12 4:31 p.m.
     Re: Prometheus *OT*DrDoctor 6/14/12 4:54 p.m.
     Just saw itArchilen 6/20/12 8:36 a.m.
           Re: Just saw itMiguel Chavez 6/20/12 8:43 a.m.
                 Re: omg halooooooooRevenant1988 6/20/12 12:38 p.m.
                 Tell that author to use his inside type.bryan newman 6/20/12 4:06 p.m.
                 Yeah, The Two Towers sucked...munky-058 6/20/12 6:56 p.m.



contact us

The HBO Forum Archive is maintained with WebBBS 4.33.