When it comes to the video game industry, narrative is often secondary. Consumers expect tight gameplay and crisp visuals, but the actual story surrounding the product doesn’t really matter as long as everything else is on point. Neil Druckmann, the creative director behind The Last of Us, doesn’t want to see that frame of mind continue as the medium matures. Instead of making a game’s narrative some bonus, he tells IGN that this segment of the game should be more expertly blended into the experience.
“I want studios that make story-based games to start taking their stories more seriously. And that doesn’t mean hiring a big shot writer from Hollywood; it means that story becomes integral to making your game,” Druckmann said. “I don’t see how you can achieve that without having an in-house writer that sits next to the designer, helping them make their levels, talking with the engineers about where we can tell the story more dynamically, pushing at technology.
“And I want writers to feel more empowered, so they can tell more personal stories. I think many big studios tell 'story-by-committee', and in doing so they can lose a certain voice. You can tell personal stories within a group – a lot of people shared the vision of Breaking Bad, for example – but I think you still have to approach it with a united love for the characters.”
As long as games with big stories continue to sell, developers will continue to integrate them in more intelligent ways.
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