| I've played many of the author's games and consider them to have better stories than most. I’d have to reach for the likes of Planescape or Disco Elysium to find something I’d consider more compelling. As you imply, there are many games whose brief summary might sound weird, cheesy or cliche but are actually very well crafted story experiences when played. For me, some would be: Life is Strange, Soma, Deus Ex, Human Revolution, Alpha Centauri, Alan Wake, Control, Quantum Break and Detroit Become Human. Then there are the Soul Reaver games with middling stories but whose written dialogue and delivery easily put them at the level of great literature for me. Storywise, some of the author's games would not be out of place if ranked highly amongst such a list. It's like Berkson's paradox, his studio has had staying power but you certainly couldn't point to graphics or unique game mechanics as explanations for why. >This article seems like a self-congratulating piece I'd go as far as to argue the author undersells his abilities. His RPG world building and stories are a great deal more entertaining if compared to many fantasy books. > That doesn't mean AAA studios can't make a good game story, They could but rarely do. Meanwhile, the majority of those few attempts get workshopped to death (it's easy to tell when a game with potential got derailed in this way). The author isn't saying good game stories don't exist, only that they're rare and most often from smaller studios. |