“Other storytelling mediums draw us into the inner lives of other people. Video games must learn to do the same. We as players must become completely absorbed in the fate and lives of the fictional characters on screen. It remains to be seen whether game developers can achieve this.” In my opinion, Half-life 2 definitely achieved this. And the Halo series made me care about the fate of the Master Chief, Cortana and Sergeant Johnson; I was completely absorbed with desperation to escape the planet through The Maw from Combat Evolved. Also, this talk about fixed stories. Most video games DO have pre-determined stories, you're just free to move around within the confines of that story, not necessarily change it. I think the interactivity of video games serves to heighten the excitement of the story and thus enhance it; of course, it has to be executed properly, like any good film.