Hey I was just wondering, which do you guys think is more important, the story of a game, or the accual game play. For instance: -Final Fantasy (just about all of them) focus on the story and characters as the centerpiece of the game while... -For DOOM or something like that, you just blow the crap out of anything and everything without a good story or anything.

It depends on what type of game it is.

For example, you could create a really intricate storyline for a Tetris clone, but most people wouldn't take much notice of it if you did.

CRPGs and adventure games are heavily story driven, whereas puzzle games rarely have any sort of background story at all. Most other genres are somewhere between the two extremes.

Ideally, a game provides a balance between gameplay and story. Although I really enjoy a game with a good story, sitting through cut-scenes that last over 20 minutes gets a bit tedious at times.

Quote: Original post by RidingAThomas
-Final Fantasy (just about all of them) focus on the story and characters as the centerpiece of the game

while...

-For DOOM or something like that, you just blow the crap out of anything and everything without a good story or anything.

I think ur examples are a little out of context and incomparable with each other..
U can't really say that doom is based around gameplay whereas final fantasy is based around a story because both games are from completely deferent genres..

Final fantasy has a very complex, very compelling story not because of the fact that the developers decided that that was what the whole game was going to be based on.. but more of the fact that the game is an RPG which is a game, in itself, driven by a story (hence the genre name "Role Playing Game").. final fantasy does however have a very strong plot but the gameplay is also nothing short of amazingly deep and innovative in terms of comparisons with other titles of that genre..

Doom i suppose IS a game based around gameplay (or rather was for its time as it was the game that pioneered the genre of FPS's).. As time has moved on however, games have become more demanding over time and it takes a little more than good gameplay to carry a title regardless of the genre it is in..

I think overall to ask "which is more important? gameplay? or story?" is not really answerable..
i think first u should determine which genre u r refering to and then u can take into consideration which of the two aspects of a game in that genre holds the most importance in terms of how successful games have been according to one.. or the other..

It depends on the game like Wysardry said. If you are playing an text-based adventure game, I would say the story is pretty relevant, unlike gameplay. In a game like doom, the story is mostly irrelevant, and if the gameplay sucks the game in unplayable.

As for more balanced games, a good story keeps me interested in the game. Gameplay defines if I'm going to have fun while playing it.

Quote: Original post by A_Borellus
It depends on the game like Wysardry said. If you are playing an text-based adventure game, I would say the story is pretty relevant, unlike gameplay.

You still need gameplay. The gameplay is what makes it worth playing, as opposed to just reading it like a book. So all games, in all genres, need gameplay. If they don't have good gameplay, you'll get frustrated no matter the story. At best, you'll simply say "Man, awesome story. If only they'd made it as a book instead"