A New Way Of Telling Stories

Gaming still has a bit of a bad reputation in popular culture. As the Nintendo generation continues to age (and we are aging, let’s deal with it), and people that grew up with video games as a part of life are now becoming parents themselves, a lot of the old social stigma has fallen away. Yet the stereotype of the 30 year old virgin living in his parent’s basement playing Call of Duty has never quite left us, especially among older generations. To many, games are children’s toys, or gratuitous orgies of violence and mayhem, or simple distractions. It doesn’t help matters that, as we speak, the once beloved Nintendo is doing its damnedest to make sure that reputation sticks for all eternity.

Ironically enough, it was a recent Wii game that, through no fault of Nintendo’s, reminded me just how far beyond those old notions games have come, and how far they might still go. After playing through Silent Hill: Shattered Memories on Nintendo’s parlor trick excuse for a video game system, I am more convinced than ever that games have a place in the future of storytelling. While movies and TV simply shovel information at you, games, done right, have a way of pulling you into a world and a story that no other medium can achieve.

Don’t get me wrong. One hundred thousand dollars in film school debt should be evidence enough that I love movies. Good movies can be life changing experiences, and the best ones stay with us our whole lives, providing quotable dialogue and life lessons. Who knows how many shark attacks I’ve avoided thanks to Jaws? Video games, though, provide a much different experience, much more akin to reading a book. In movies and TV shows, the story goes on with or without you. In games and books, you play an important part in what’s going on. You react to information as it comes at you, and, in games, actually have an impact on what’s going to happen next.

Silent Hill is only one of many games that give the player an active role in an ongoing story. I could use any number of fantastic games as an example (the Gabriel Knight series is the first to pop into my head—Note to Self: Write about those games in the near future), but since I’ve played Silent Hill most recently it serves as a good benchmark. Instead of a scary action-adventure romp like previous Silent Hill games, Silent Hill on the Wii is more of an interactive psychological horror story. There’s no combat, and the only “action” is running away from things. Most of the game is spent simply exploring an abandoned city as the main character searches for his daughter.

What’s interesting about the game is the way it can change. Based on the choices you make and how you play certain parts of the game, the content can change drastically. Characters can look and act completely differently based on the “psychological profile” you build up during the game. I’ve been through twice (it’s only a 5 hour game) and there are so many differences, subtle and major, that come into play to add to the sense of uncertainly the game tries to achieve. You'll travel around to different locations in the protagonist's life, collecting bits and pieces of memories, trying desperately to get a bead on what's going on only to watch your assumptions shattered again and again. It’s like being part of a good scary story that’s different every time through—to me, that’s what games should be after. I still can’t believe such a fine piece of game making art found its way to the Wii, a system that is determined to restore games to their pre-1980s role as novel time-wasters. Though Nintendo might bitch and moan until the end of time that games are supposed to be toys for children, people aren’t buying it.

Any movie, TV show, or song is subtly affected by what the intended audience brings with them. With a book, the reader takes control of the pacing, the character voices, and sometimes even their appearance. The story forms itself in the mind’s eye as it is read, and so the reader takes an active role in the creative process. Video games have the potential to go even further down this road, blurring the line between audience and character, placing the player in an environment where their choices have a profound impact on the world around them. Best of all, it can all be experienced from the comfort of your mom’s basement.

Wait…damn it.