I have always been a big fan of stories. Fiction or truth. Fantastical or grim. Movies, television, books & games. They all tell us stories. They create entire worlds that may be wondrous or horrifying. They give us characters that we learn to care about or recoil at their horrific actions. They may cause us to think about what we would do if put into similar positions or marvel along at the impossible made possible by their actions. Or they may simply entertain us for an hour or two and never be thought of again.

This article got me thinking more about stories and how the different mediums create stories for us.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/bioshock-tomb-raider-writer-calls-for-thoughtful-and-complex-game-stories-6408963?tag=nl.e607&s_cid=e607&ttag=e607

Apparently this is someone who does not think many video games tell what she would consider "thoughtful or complex" stories. She wants more interesting dilemmas and characters in games. She wants more mature subject matter addressed in games.

These are all things we have heard more or less in the past and of course there is some truth to the criticisms. But I also wonder if she has not missed the forest for the trees.  Yes, there are thoughtful and complex stories told on television or in movies or books. But not every book, TV show or movie can be described that way. I am not sure that on a proportional basis that there are more complex stories told in other mediums than in games.

For every "Breaking Bad" I can cite a "Deus Ex: Human Revolution". For every "The Tree of Life" I can cite a "Limbo" or "Heavy Rain" or a "Journey". Can you argue that one is better is than the other? Sure, but they are different mediums telling their stories in different ways. "Red Dead Redemption", "Dead Space", "The Last of Us", "Walking Dead", "Beyond Two Souls", "Dragon Age Origins", the "Mass Effect" trilogy, the "Metal Gear Solid" series are all examples of games that have complicated worlds, complex characters, moral dilemmas. All the released games have met commercial and critical success. The unreleased games are some of the most anticipated games to close out the current generation of consoles.

Game stories, characters and worlds have become increasingly deep over the last two console generations. The PC world has exploded with a huge variety of games and stories told as digital distribution, Kickstarter campaigns and other modes of funding and distribution that were not possible just a few short years ago. And as we are on the cusp of the next console generation it would seem that game worlds and characters will have the ability to become even more immersive, complex and challenging. Does that mean that every game released or even the majority of games will have great characters, complex worlds, challenging dilemmas? Of course not. The Call of Duty or Battlefield franchises pay lip service to stories although they generally do some amazing set piece scenes. The story is there for you to consume quickly and move on to the frantic online play. But how many movies, television shows, plays or books are great enough to overcome the same hurdles? For every Sopranos I can give you 3 shows about car repossession and throw in a Honey Boo Boo.  Neither is wrong, not every piece of entertainment needs to aspire to be art. There are different aims, different markets. Long gone are the days where people consume their media from only a handful of sources.

Of course games have plenty of room for growth. But it seems odd that someone would throw in the towel and give up. While gameplay innovation seems to be slowing down the opportunity for telling stories in games still seems endless.