A Multiplayer Melee on Video Games Storylines and Emotional Subtexts

Editors Note: The views expressed in the following exchange may not necessarily represent the views of the authors, nor those of TG Publishing. This is a debate in which the aim is to explore two sides of a thoughtful subject in a thought-provoking manner without profanity or head-butting, and it should be treated as such.

AARON MCKENNA: Hey Rob, if the newly minted Mrs. Wright will let you come out to play, I'd like to put an argument to you: Most, if not all, video game storylines are a load of crap, and the attempts at creating "emotional subtext" and suchlike in games is a lot of wasted creative effort that should be better spent doing what game developers do well - creating worlds for us to tear apart and explore in exciting and challenging ways.

The stories we are generally presented in video games are laughable at best, and downright cringe worthy at worst. How many space adventure games have we played between us at this point that have exactly the same carbon copy story to them? Does it even matter, if we are entertained by the game play? Even in lauded games like Half-Life the storyline is B-movie at best - or on the same level as pulp fiction if you're feeling grouchy. This doesn't hold the game back, however. Rather the B-movie plot is carried by the excellent game play.

Fast forward to Half-Life 2 and we have the developers giving us some even more intricate storyline (albeit one about which they forget to fill in the details as the game's plot unfolds), which supposedly captivates us and makes us feel empathy for the downtrodden citizens of City 17; both through the story and some newfangled graphical advancements that allow us to show people putting their head into their hands in despair without the clipping and animation bugs of days gone by.

Aaron doesn't care for subplots with Alyx and Gordon in Half-Life 2: Episode 1

To be honest, this doesn't wash with me one bit. Valve spoke highly of the days upon days of effort it took to get one character to kiss another one and make it seem convincing and drag the player in. The tech press went wild for the sake of it, but having played Half-Life 2, and Episode One (which features even more of this crap), I don't see the appeal. I don't feel any great pangs for the digital citizens of City 17, nor does my heart skip a beat when Alyx gives me some pouted eyes and says "Hurry back, Gordon." Nor would I particularly care even if the developers managed to pull it off - I enjoyed Half-Life the original quite enough when I was a lone crowbarman dealing with identical scientists and guards, and when I want to be emotionally engaged I go read a good book or watch an excellent film rather than load up a game in my collection in search of a chance emotional connection.

Instead of wasting their time animating crap emotional scenes and working on intricate storylines that nobody will care about, developers should put more time into giving us more game play, as opposed to this passive shit that is wasted on most gamers.

Aaron