Since the beginning of humanity people have loved telling stories. And we especially have loved hearing them. Through the ages story telling has evolved from campfire epics to world selling best novels. Eventually the verbal and written mediums added movies to the mix, which made it possible for us to sit down and literally watch the impossible unfold before us. And these different forms of storytelling have been experimented with and perfected through the years to give us moments that  tap into our very souls and draw out our deepest cares and emotions.

And now we've reached a new cross roads. One where a story can be presented in such a way that you can not only hear it, read it, and see it; you can interact with it. With video games, a story teller has the power to GIVE the power away to the reader. But how often is this successful? Video games have been around for several decades and are only growing in popularity with each passing day. Surely we've all heard people say how much they loved a game for the story it told. Even the critics have praised certain games for this reason. Series like Metal Gear Solid, Grand Theft Auto, Fallout 3, Uncharted, Zelda, Final Fantasy. The list goes on and on.

But is the art of story telling in video games really perfected? or is it barely being scratched at? Does our predetermined notion on what a good story is hold us back from turning the interactive experience into something beyond what we see today? Because currently, it seems the best way for a game to tell a story, is to chop up two experiences and staple them into one. A movie and a game diced up into separate pieces and then taped all together as on entity. Watch cutscene. Play some game. Que another cutscene, play some more game, follow this path. Etc. Follow a pre set structure so you experience exactly what the developer wants you to.

And of course this can be great. Some great games have been made with great stories following this structure. But games can be something more....

Movies and Books in all their glory have created a social criteria for what a good story is. And more than often, when video games try to create a story, we see that story structured around the same guidelines. More importantly, the critics have already established their own criteria for what good video game story telling is. So is it possible the games that tell stories in a way only games can, get criticized and punished instead of built upon? And at the same time, do games that mimic the traditional conventions of story telling get praised and rewarded when maybe they shouldn't?

I don't know a simple answer. At least I can't give a reliable one with out a proper explanation. Even I cant deny the enjoyment of a game because of its great story (Metro 2033 being a new personal favorite.) But because one method is the right way, or because one method works, it doesn't mean its the only method that works.