A Unique Look at Storytelling On Next Generation Consoles

Every game tells a story. Whether it is a flashy first-person shooter with absorbingly realistic graphics or a simple 2-D platformer, every game tells a story. How this story is told varies from game to game and experience to experience. For instance, the futuristic first-person shooter Halo encompasses a story molded with many layers to it. Not only does the game function as a war story (aliens vs. humans), but it also deals with concepts such as questioning what is human when a person is genetically modified to become a killing machine. The game also explores thoughts about religion and how deadly the ideas proposed by religion can be. Most of the “mainstream” games fall along these same lines. The game places the player in the shoes of a person (the hero) and they are tasked with saving the world. Many games take on this simple concept because, well, it’s easy. Outside of these “simple” stories, games also express their emotions and stories through the gameplay itself. Take, for instance, the indie side-scroller Limbo. Limbo doesn’t place the player in a typical game situation. Wars aren’t waged across the country and the hero doesn’t come to save the day. Instead, the game tells its story through the eyes of a lost boy (whose identity remains a mystery throughout the entire game and well beyond the final level). Rather, the story radiates through to the gamer by the design of the levels, the music, and the whole presentation of the game. The game takes place in an undisclosed (but twisted) land populated by monsters and nightmarish creatures. Flashy graphics don’t make this story shine: the gameplay does. The acts of solving platformer-esque puzzles and encountering the creatures of the land tell the story. The game designer’s choice to present the game in black and white tells the story. Now, we are entering another phase in the gaming world. As the new consoles loom on the horizon, the next generation of consoles can grant the power to tell stories in unique and exciting ways. Sometimes, something as simple as fans at a soccer game can tell the story. Hands down, the FIFA series of video games is one of the most popular in the entire world. Soccer is the world’s game, and franchises such as FIFA are taking the next step in storytelling: immersive crowds. Since the development of the sports game, the crowds have always been…well, they’ve looked horrible and there’s really no reason why they’re there. If I’m playing in the Super Bowl, don’t I want the crowd’s sound to blare out of my speakers? Think about it this way: What would sports games be like with absolutely no crowd? Honestly, you could still probably play the game. Hell, maybe you wouldn’t even care. But, what if your experience could be enhanced by the cheering and booing of the fans? EA Sports is looking to bring this next-generation experience right into your living rooms and onto your virtual fields. I know when I watch my favorite team play against my most hated rivals, my home games are the most fun I’ll have all year. Why? The passion of the fans comes through. Sacks on the quarterback aren’t just sacks anymore. Tackles on their running backs become thunderous forces of rage. Everything is heightened-senses, emotions, even your own body. Imagine if you could garner that same feeling when you’re recreating that situation on your Xbox One or your Playstation 4. Here’s a great quote from FIFA 14 executive producer David Rutter: “What we’re about to embark on in this new world where the game itself has the equivalent of a soul and can track the history, the behaviors, and the relationships between those players and those clubs…That, for me, is what this generation of consoles allows us to do, which is tell those stories.” Well, that’s all fine and dandy, but how is this going to be implemented? Along with many other new and exciting additions to the crowd technology, crowds will cheer louder and longer when the home team scores then they would for the away team. If a player has scored three 3-pointers in a row in NBA 14’ (for the home team), the dynamic crowd will know this. The momentum can be felt in the crowd as the tide begins to turn in favor of the hot-handed scorer. What I’m excited for the most is the ability for the game to recognize the “storylines” that commonly occur in real-life sports. If trade talks are brewing between two teams, the heat may be on when they play each other. The game may play out a little more intensely; a little more brutal (same can be said for teams making a playoff push in NBA 14’). The next generation of sports games could be a game changer: I only hope that we, as gamers, give the designers a chance to test out these ideas. With an open mind, we can’t lose.