OldBoy

So branching off from RDR2 thread, which should be somewhere else anyway. does story matter to you when playing video games? or just gameplay or both?

for me story and gameplay matter, but i will always invest more if the story is compelling.

E Unit

Yes.

/thread

Mike86

Not necessarily. It just depends on the game. Some games I like the story for (the Arkham games, most of the GTA games, Red Dead), but sometimes I find the story boring but like the gameplay. Other times there’s not really much of a storyline and just level to level play through but I still enjoy the games (Mario titles for instance).

gryffinmaster

Depends on the game, and the objectives of the game. And, as obnoxious as this might sound, it depends on one's definition of "story".

I don't need a good main plot if the world-building, sidequests, role-playing and/or dialogue are handled well.

For first-person shooters, yeah, I need a decent story to keep me going.

RichC2

If you're going to waste my time with dialog and cutscenes, you better be telling a worthwhile story.

If you aren't, then I don't care, but there needs to be a sense of progress through a game one way or another.

brainee

Depends on the game. For many action/racing/fighting games, gameplay is what it's about. Personally, I prefer games with a good story. But the gameplay has to be good as well. Otherwise, I'd be better off watching a movie/tv show instead of playing this game.

fumanstan

As mentioned in the Red Dead thread, yes. Many of the single player games that I play are story focused, and despite opinions and slight insults/jabs otherwise, I find many of them excellent in that regard. There's something great about an interactive medium that puts the player in control that can bring out extra emotion and attachment to a character's journey.

That said, gameplay is often equally important and there are plenty of online shooters or puzzle games that are just about the game mechanics that I play. In those cases, I just like the competition or brain teaser.

Phodg

Don't care. Just give me things to kill.

Unclejosh

Typically I don't care about the story and think a lot of them are drawn out and unnecessarily convoluted and just take away from the game play personally. I don't mind transitional cut scenes to get from one level or mission to the next, but some of the games nowadays have full mini-movies between each playable levels and it is just tiresome and annoying. I only have a minute amount of time to play these days and having to suffer through 5 minutes of a cut scene just so I can kill some stuff drives me batty.

Sonny Corinthos

Story and gameplay.

GoVegan

A good story doesn't necessarily matter, but a bad story would.

story

Story matters most. Obviously.

foxdvd

did you giggle to yourself when you posted this?

Goat3001

I can't play a game if the gameplay is bad, period. I can still play and enjoy a game if the story is bad.

But generally speaking, a game with good gameplay can get me playing. A game with a good story to go along with the good gameplay can have me hooked and playing for hours on end.

mndtrp

If it's a giant, open-world, game with a boatload of sidequests, I tend to forget the main storyline by the time I get to the endgame. Story matters more to me in games that don't let me deviate from the main plot very much.

Goldberg74

Story and game play.

... but I will play a fun game with no story more than I would play a bad (difficult) game with a great story.

story

Who, me?! ...maybe...

andicus

While I picked Just the gameplay, in reality it's both. However gameplay >>>>>> story.

I won't play a shit game, just for the story, but I'll certainly play a game with great gameplay, even if the story sucks.

AnaSako

Story and gameplay.
I like stories in games. For example Mafia or GTA series

slop101

Not really. Just enough to get by, I guess.

I mean, a game is primarily meant to be fun - so does the story make it more fun, or less fun?
Something like Super Mario has amazing and fun gameplay that doesn't really need much, if any story. Something like Destiny is all about the shooting mechanics and loot, and the story is threadbare and provides a backdrop. IOW, more or less unnecessary.

Games that have ton of story (like Quantic Dream or Telltale games) have virtually no gamepalay, and I hesitate to even call those games - it's obvious that the makers of those "games" would much rather be making movies or TV shows.

And yet, even the best videogame story still pales in comparison to even the average movie or TV show. It's just not a great story-telling medium, and it can't be due to gameplay, and player choice.

mattysemo247

I think Mafia 3 is a great example for this conversation. There is no way I would have completed that game and all of the DLC if I wasn't interested in the story since the gameplay and mission variety was so repetitive.