Video games are the world's newest storytelling medium, often commercial in nature but still created by artists and storytellers. Many gamers, and, for that matter, many developers, do not yet realize the potential to create entirely new kinds of stories. Because it is such an infant art, video games' stories have a certain simplicity and straightforwardness not seen in any other medium in modern times. In addition, many games (almost all of the earliest games) have been created with children in mind, further necessitating the stripping-down of the story. As the art of games evolves, it will be from these examples that storytelling will grow, making the true classics of the current generation the archetypes, or mythological vocabulary, of the branching future of interactive storytelling.
Regardless of how basic the story may be as of this early stage, the events and characters in these games are compelling to many people around the world. It would be a waste to ignore the academic validity of video games, since they have as much storytelling potential as any other medium, (perhaps more!) and their influence will definitely be seen in the next generation of writers, filmmakers, and artists-- much more so than has already begun to appear.
It is the purpose of this page to investigate the storytelling "traditions" in this emergent art form, and to retell the stories of seven games, selected entirely based on the will of the author, in such a way as to be interesting to non-gamers. Personally, it is my hope that this exercise will:
a. Illustrate the importance of the study of folklore by tying it into a very modern study, and
b. Cause an interest in (and, ideally, a respect for) video games, which are the recipients of a terribly bad rap despite being, I believe, an entirely worthwhile pastime
c. Be fun to read
It is important to note that these games are not necessarily The Most Important Games of All Time, as that's a very subjective thing. They are all important to the development of video game design, but I have chosen the ones I have mostly because I like them a lot. I did give some thought to importance in a storytelling capacity, but not as much as I gave to how important they are to me. Included with each story is some commentary about the game-- background information, explanation of why I think it's important, and, more commonly, my feelings about the game.
--JC Fletcher
