RandomCrates

Answer the following questions from the perspective of an average gamer.

How often do you continue playing a game to see how the story ends?
How many games have an engaging story?
How often do you play a game and have no idea what’s going on?

There are only a few games that I can think of where I actually cared about the characters. I would guess the ratio of gamers that are engaged in the stories is the same as the ratio of Trekkies to average movie fans.

What is keeping games from being an effective storytelling vehicle?

Story Is About Relationships

Relationships are what make movies and television entertaining. It’s not about special effects, or graphics, or production value. It’s about the relationships we build with the characters and the relationships the characters have with each other.

Look at the Family Guy. It has average animation, but we have a relationship with every one of those characters. It’s a hilarious show that is built on personality.

The Dark Knight builds drama through relationships.

Batman The Dark Knight is another good example. We build a relationship with Bruce Wayne and Batman and are drawn into his love for Rachel and his hatred of The Joker. The special effects are awesome, the fight scenes exciting, but it’s the story that grabs us.

How do we build the relationships in games? So many games are the player versus the world. It’s difficult to care, when there is no one to care about.

Games Are NOT Movies

Games are often compared to movies and strive fore a movie-like experience. However, there is a significant difference between movies and games. Time. A movie does not show every action or task that a character must take. A drive across town? Takes 30 seconds, just ask Jack Bauer. We watch only the events that are relevant to the story.

In many aspects games are closer to life, than to movies. In most cases the player must drive across the city, or walk across the map. In many cases the player goes 30 minutes or more without advancing the story. It’s difficult to be engaged when you forget what’s going on. You can’t just move what works on film to a game and expect to have an engaging story.

We must find ways to consistently reinforce the story, even if not advancing it. The player should want to complete actions and not just be told to. Take queues from what works in TV and film, and translate them to the active nature of games. More importantly take what works in life and translate that into the game.

Gameplay Drives Creation

Games are primarily gameplay driven. Cool features are thought up and a story constructed around it. This happens in movies as well, often with mixed results. It’s fine that gameplay drives the creation of the game. Why wouldn’t it, as we are making a game and not a movie. However, the story should also drive gameplay.

What activities should a player do to reinforce the story? What gameplay elements make you feel like you’re living the story?

There are always going to be twitch games that don’t require a story. That’s OK. We just need to work towards the game we want to create. Want a compelling story? Make sure the gameplay, relationships, and emotions all support your goal.

What do you do when you have a toothache? You grab the Anbesol.
Have a headache? Take some Advil.
Have a stressful day? Watch some TV. Eat that bowl of mac & cheese. Escape.

Numbing agents are good. It’s OK to numb the pain, as long as you’re not numbing symptoms of a larger problem. If you’re numbing a headache that turns out to be a brain tumor, you’ve got serious problems.

If your coming home drained from work every day and just want to plop down on the couch and watch TV, you’ve got a brain tumor! There is a big difference between being a satisfied tired, and a miserable tired. Do have the urge to become an alcoholic to numb the feeling of being unfulfilled (I have before)? If that’s the case, your not solving your problems, you are ignoring them.

What are numbing agents?

Numbing agents are anything that you consistently do for the purpose of masking unhappiness AND keeps you from working towards satisfying your goals. A numbing agent is not to be confused with a hobby, which is something you do in spare time that contributes to your happiness. A list of common numbing agents (if not done in moderation):

- TV
- Video Games
- Surfing the Web
- That [insert social media service of choice] addiction
- Eating
- Partying
- Drinking
- Hanging out with motivation draining negatives
- Movies
- Sleeping
- Reading

All of these things, if done to escape persistent unhappiness, are numbing agents. They keep you from fulfilling your dreams.

What can you do?

Stop using numbing agents and use the “pain” as motivation. Determine what will make you happy (you may find that it doesn’t, but you don’t know until you try).  And instead of numbing agents, do inspirational things that will help you meet your goal. Here’s a list of inspirational activities.

+ Write something, anything
+ Start a blog
+ Connect with positive and motivational friends
+ Draw, even if you suck
+ Make some music, even if the only instrument you know are the spoons
+ Read a book that teaches you something related to your goal
+ Read a blog that teaches you something related to your goal
+ Cook something exotic
+ Exercise
+ Play board games with the family
+ Deactivate your cable/satellite service
+ Suspend that WoW account
+ Take a sabbatical from that [insert social media service of choice]

Basically, do anything that stimulates your brain. Bonus points if the activity is a step towards your goal. The objective is to get you thinking, having fun, being creative, and stop trying to numb your life. It’s amazing the energy, motivation, and satisfaction you will feel if you get out of your rut and work towards fulfilling your dreams.

Let’s get something straight. Just because your business card has “Manager” in the title, it does not mean that you have a management style. If your title is manager, then you fall into one of a few categories:

1. You are grossly unqualified to manage yourself, let alone a group of employees.
2. You aren’t really a manager, your boss just thought it would make feel important. You are really just a supervisor, and #1 may apply.
3. Your an excellent ass kisser, and #1 and #2 apply.
4. Your manager fits into one of the first three categories, and subsequently, so do you.
5. You are actually a manager. You take managing your employees seriously. You are concerned with getting the most out of your staff and meeting the goals of your organization.

Is this you?

I don’t have any statistics on this, but I would guess that only about 1 in 100 fall into category 5. I have heard way to many managers say, “That’s not my management style.” Listen, 90% of people have a personality, not a management style.

If you are a manager, take a look in the mirror, and if you don’t fall into category 5, start doing some research. If you are in category 5, double check. If your focus is on the task, and not result, you fall in one of the first four categories.

Anyone can learn to be a good manager, but like anything it else, it requires effort. People aren’t born good managers.

How’s that for a title with alliteration! I’ve been working in a corporate environment for the past 14 years, and one

Corporate Cruelty Crushes Creativity

thing that I’ve learned above all else, is that corporate culture crushes creativity.  It’s probably not a conscious decision, but it is definitely a bi-product of control. Corporations are all about control. Trying to set policies and procedures that the worker bees can’t deviate from. There is too much ego, too much posturing, too much control, and not enough trust.

How many jobs ask the employee to leave their brain at the door? I’ve been in meetings where the managers actually say, “We don’t pay our people to think.” If I didn’t care about keeping my job, I would reply, “Well the CEO pays you to think, and if you actually did, you’d realize that you are an idiot!” This mindset is brought about by managers thinking the employees are just going to F things up. When in reality, it is the manager’s poor management that causes the issues.

More… »