Storied Video Games

No, this is not a post on great video games of the past; instead this is a story about stories in video games. Last year I interviewed at a video game production company for a job as a project manager. Sadly, I didn't pass muster. It may have had something to do with my calling HALO overblown. Not that I don't recognize the achievements inspired by HALO, but downgrading HALO to a company whose premiere game is basically a copy of HALO without as good a story was a poor strategy.

During this interview I tried to play up my writing credentials and tried to pique the interviewer's interest in my abilities to add a more well developed story line to his future games. I told him that although many games try to add story, many of them are one dimensional. Some games have tried and succeeded in breaking through this one-dimensionality, Max Payne, Grand Theft Auto among others, but in many cases even spectacular games hint at a story and try to follow a story line, but it's like reading a dime store novel; a bit hollow, not as well fleshed out as they could be.

This was one of the elements mentioned in a review I read this morning on Tom Bissell's book Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter. It sounds like a fun to book to read. The mere fact that Bissel has bought four X Box 360s cause he keeps trying to end his addiction to games and gives them away, is enough to make me want to read more. But beyond that, I think that like the iPad and other eReaders, we are seeing a transformation in writing and reading that will branch into games. The new format and style of writing that digital platforms provide will naturally cross over into games as well.

If I didn't love my present job so much, I just might call up that game company again and try and resell myself, but this time I'd sell myself as a Story Editor and most likely exalt Halo.