Gameplay vs. Story: Which Matters More?

[Skyboxer]

Re: Gameplay vs. Story: Which Matters More?

Both go hand in hand for me. One without the other just makes it less..

[Kearnzo]

Re: Gameplay vs. Story: Which Matters More?

Gameplay for sure. My two games with the most time played are Destiny and Diablo 3, and nearly all of that was spent in the endgame grinding for loot. Both games have remarkably good "feeling" gameplay that kept me coming back.

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[dickey1331]

Re: Gameplay vs. Story: Which Matters More?

Story. It’s why I play video games.


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[pietasterp]

Re: Gameplay vs. Story: Which Matters More?

I can get good stories in other media, but gameplay is unique to video games.

[Caulfield]

Re: Gameplay vs. Story: Which Matters More?

if you're going to MAKE me choose, then gameplay. otherwise, both are essential. I mean, I like peanut-butter & I like jelly. but when I have peanut-butter AND jelly together, I really have something worthwhile. I guess the bread is the console. without that, you aint going anywhere either lol.

I can still play the classics like pacman or space invaders with next to nothing in the way of story, and while this goes outside the NoN-Sports Gaming scope, my baseball game doesnt need a story either.

[countryboy]

Re: Gameplay vs. Story: Which Matters More?

For me its story. If the story isn't good then I will quickly lose interest. I can play thru average/bad gameplay if the story is good/great, but I can't play though good/great gameplay if the story is bad.

Case in point, Homefront on the PS3. The gameplay was awful, but the story kept me playing.

[Blzer]

Re: Gameplay vs. Story: Which Matters More?

Well, what about something like Guitar Hero or Rock Band? I couldn't care less about what its tour/story mode offers, as long as I'm playing the songs and maybe unlocking some along the way. Sure, it would be nice to start playing in bigger venues and such, but what's important is how I play those songs.

I think it's entirely game-dependent for me, and that sometimes you can't have one without the other.

Then there is the question as to whether we are referring to story outside of gameplay, or story within gameplay. For example, whether what you do in your action drives the story more than the cinematics do. I just recently finished The Last of Us, and while the entire game could have been a very good film in and of itself, the gameplay was mostly the same when it came to killing baddies and picking up items, just in different locations. I mean it was fine and the gameplay was great, but when it came to the gameplay advancing as a result of the story being told I can't say much really changed.

With a game like that though, the story was so important to the nice gameplay with it that I just don't think I can miss out on either. Am I more interested in TLoU: Part II because I know I'm getting another game with great gameplay, or because I assume I will be getting a good story and know that it will bank off of what was told in the previous game? When I get Red Dead Redemption II, am I more excited to play the game with its refined enhancements from the first game, or am I more excited that it is a prequel connecting to the previous installment and is around the same area in the world, and once again I'm expecting a great story?

It's all really up in the air. One thing for sure, though: I will read interviews on gameplay enhancements, but I will refrain from reading story elements because I don't want to be spoiled with that. Take that information as you will, but for me that partly says as excited I am to get into the specifics of the story, my intrigue comes from reading about the gameplay and the deciding factor almost seems to come with that.

[bhurst99]

Re: Gameplay vs. Story: Which Matters More?

For me a game with a great story is more memorable than a game with great gameplay but maybe that's because there are few games with such great stories. The games that standout for me are games like Heavy Rain, the Last of Us, and KOTOR 1 and 2. The Far Cry series has some great gameplay but those games aren't memorable to me because the stories kind of fell apart even thought they had some great characters.

But it's a good debate. I haven't played either but didn't Mafia 3 have a great story but terrible, repetitive gameplay with bad AI? Didn't Mass Effect: Andromeda have tight gameplay but an awful story?

[goledensilence]

Re: Gameplay vs. Story: Which Matters More?

I'll take a good story over gameplay any day, especially if that story comes with some entertaining cut scenes.

Mafia 3 would be a prime example of that.

[rudyjuly2]

Re: Gameplay vs. Story: Which Matters More?

Both are important but I will take gameplay. If you have a great story but bad gameplay I won’t play it. For me I found I didn’t really like the combat in Witcher 3. The RPG elements also made it tedious. All the talk of story goes out the window for me. I loved the last God of War. The story was fine and it moved you along but it was the gameplay that drove that game. Getting both in a game like Last of Us or Uncharted is great. A game like Detroit Becomes Human was fantastic solely because it was a great story based game.

There is no wrong answer as this is personal opinion and mine is gameplay gets the nod. But like Blzer said it does depend on the game.

[mjavon]

Re: Gameplay vs. Story: Which Matters More?

They're both important because they need to compliment one another.

An example of this not working well: Farcry 5 - Very dark and disturbing story theme with the cult abducting, killing, and drugging people... the gameplay doesn't match that theme at all.

Example of doing it right: Bioshock - it also has a dark, creepy and ominous feel to the story, however in this case it's complimented by gameplay where you are always on your toes and resources are scarce.

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[Caulfield]

Re: Gameplay vs. Story: Which Matters More?

I miss the simple days of Pong. you didnt need no fancy gameplay or story. hell, you didnt need colour tv either

[dsallupinyaarea]

Re: Gameplay vs. Story: Which Matters More?

Gameplay matters more and I suspect some that say story would still pick gameplay if it ever came down to it.


Video game story telling as a whole is pretty rudimentary and only made compelling by the interactivity, aka gameplay.


There's a reason most movie adaptations stink. You remove the gameplay and it shines a big light on just how one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish the story truly is.

[CMH]

Re: Gameplay vs. Story: Which Matters More?

Gameplay for me.

There are several games with great stories that I abandoned because I couldn't vibe with the gameplay. Horizon Zero Dawn, The Witcher 3, Pillars of Eternity, for examples.

It's a shame because each of those listed and more were great stories that I looked forward to diving deeper into but eventually the gameplay wore me out. I got tired of hunting, dodging and watching as I waited for more story to unfold.

On the other hand whenever I think about my great gaming experiences, I think about how it felt to play. I can't tell you what Shadow of Mordor was truly about but damn was it fun to play. And if you get both a great story and gameplay (South Park Stick of Truth, Uncharted, God of War, The Last of Us) then they fall under the titles I'll remember forever.

Gameplay. The game needs to be fun. The rest is icing.

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[KSUowls]

Re: Gameplay vs. Story: Which Matters More?

Gameplay matters more and I suspect some that say story would still pick gameplay if it ever came down to it.


Video game story telling as a whole is pretty rudimentary and only made compelling by the interactivity, aka gameplay.


There's a reason most movie adaptations stink. You remove the gameplay and it shines a big light on just how one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish the story truly is.

I don't know man, at least for me that definitely isn't the case. Personally, any top 10 video game list I put together will begin and end with games that were story rich, and those stories are not remotely as bland as you are suggesting (Xenosaga, Mass Effect, KOTOR and multiple Final Fantasy's just to name of a few).

While this is an overall different discussion, it's main point I think is relevant with regard to video game film adaptations. Yeah they tend to suck, but it isn't because of a lack of interaction you would otherwise get with a video game. There are numerous reasons ranging from bad casting to low budget to straying too far from the source material to (the relevant part) picking games that aren't story focused. I don't know how many people were really playing Tekken, Doom and Mortal Kombat for their story so I don't know why anyone would expect them to make engaging movies.

Obviously there isn't a wrong answer, but I'd put it like this. Story is most important to me because video games, more than any other median that can deliver it to you, offers the most potential for a fulfilling and immersive story. You get all the stunning images and action you would get from a good movie without sacrificing any of the depth that a good book would provide. You get to combine both of those elements while going through those very interactions you say are what make game adaptations suck.