New Games: Not Over With the Last Mission

The addition of story in games was a turning point in gaming.  But up until recently, you would play a game and once you completed the story, it would go up on a shelf to collect dust. Game developers have been trying for years to come up with ways to keep people playing. They have added  things like achievements and alternate endings but these still were limited. With the dawn of the Next-Gen systems (Xbox 360, PS3) we have seen complete internet access. This allows you to not only have online multiplayer but also another aspect never seen before, downloadable content.

Games like Rock Band have generated millions of dollars in downloaded content alone. For $1.99 each you can download a new song to play. Many games have also added new character skins, weapons, and other elements for download. But some developers have even gone beyond that to create completely new story arcs with new characters and missions while still using the same game environment.

One in particular is GTA4 which has released two story lines to be downloaded; GTA The Lost and the Damned, and GTA The Ballad of Gay Tony. These two are essentially new games but run off the same disk for GTA4. 







This downloadable content has let games stay relevant far beyond their box sales. It has also made developers millions in additional revenue.  

Modern Games: At Least They Got Looks

Story is one of the most important elements in any form of entertainment media, including video games. The introduction of the story and an identifiable character proved to be a turning point in gaming while it was still in its infancy. This is what turned a yellow dot on a screen into a world wide icon. But it seems today that many game developers have been caught up in making their games look good, instead of trying to make them be good. Story in many games today becomes secondary to graphics.

Would he be an icon if made today?

What game developers must realize is that it was story, not graphics that has kept the video game industry alive and not graphics. That is why we can still look at some of the classics such as Pacman and Zelda and appreciate them. There is still hope, however. Some developers have begun to realize that graphics can take a game only so far and have gone back to basics to make the story as much a driving force as it ever was.  

Hey i can type here?

just testing out the program. Anyway, welcome to my blog!