After I took a
look at the history of video games it was clear to me that over the past few
decades, video games have experienced many changes. They are not two bars
hitting a ball across a screen anymore; they have become an interactive form of
art.
Current video
games combine elements from narrative fiction film, music and sports. The
amount of work to produce a single game can be very large, especially in terms
of art. The development of game environments is an intensive process involving
the creation of level maps, lighting sources, setting detail and visual texture
complexity.
“Another important element is a belief that creators
are artists. At the same time, however, it’s necessary for us creators to be
engineers, because of the skill required for the creations.”
-Shigeru Miyamoto- (Game
designer and producer of Nintendo’s biggest names)
Knowing that art
plays a very important role in video games, one of the things I find that makes
them very enjoyable it is when they are telling a story. If the story is good,
the player would want to discover more by playing the game. They would want the
game to take them in a journey and feel like they are living someone else’s
life.
In my opinion,
cinematics are key to set the game mood and to tell the story. They add depth and substance to the game. The
gaming industry knows it and they make sure to make a good use of it. Such is
that, it is common for videogames to start with cinematics. They are used to
sell the idea of a game sometimes months before a player will ever get behind a
controller.
A well-crafted
cinematic will succeed in total immersion of the player before the game even
begins. Also, powerful narratives in games like Red Dead redemption and
Uncharted 2 have helped show the world that games can be just as meaningful as
any other form of art.
On most of
games, especially on Japanese games, cut-scenes come across quite often. They
are essentially pre-rendered sequences in which the player plays the role
closer to that of a detached observer. They are often used to establish the
initial setting and background storyline or to push the story forwards.
Some may say
that cut-scenes are overused. That it turns the game into a movie and
videogames are made to be ‘played’, engaged with in a manner that it is much
more active. They might be right, but to me, cut-scenes are quite important.
They narrate the story, and guide the player through a journey. They make the
gaming experience much better because the player gets to know the characters
and immerse himself with the game mood.
Cut-scenes have the opportunity to
convey emotions that would be otherwise disregarded by the player. Game developers
can now present emotion through complex facial expressions and body language. The
ultimate goal in games is to make them as realistic as possible, and that’s the
reason why developers use film techniques in games, to enhance realism.
It is true that
sometimes, too many cut-scenes make the player disconnect from the game. When a
cut-scene begins all the tangible elements of the game that the player has
grown accustomed to become obsolete. That is a thing the industry must be
careful about. To tackle this problem, they should provide minimum disruption
of gameplay flow. The use of written material such as signs or notes inside the
game might be a possible option. In the game world they can be read as the
player explores the environment and therefore push the storyline forwards while
playing. Also, NPCs (Non Playable Characters) could make interventions to give
out clues or tell part of the story plot but without the need to stop the game.
Ultimately what
the player wants is to feel like he/she is part of the game. Until now there’s
usually been a clear visible gap between the higher quality graphics found in
cut-scenes and the lower-quality images that characterise more interactive
periods of gameplay. I believe that as the gap reduces with the introduction of
more powerful technology, games would lower the number of cut-scenes. It will
reach a point where the player would interact with the gaming environment to
progress along the storyline as if it were real life. Like if it were a movie,
with the distinction that the player would not be viewer, but the central
figure.
In conclusion, a
video game while cinematic it is not a movie. To make the gaming experience
truly engaging is to find a point of balance. Resorting to film techniques to
engage with the audience should be avoided but not to the extent that the game
lacks all sense of emotion. If cut-scenes were to be abolished, it would strip
away one of the most effective storytelling techniques.
Games are a form
of art and just like books, ballet or films, they have a narrative. As
technology allows the industry to use better graphic engines, cut-scenes will
not differ from actual gameplay, making the player feel like the protagonist of
the game.
As a future game
artist I believe my task is to make the industry push its limits. It is my task
and the rest of future generations of game artist’s task to make better
graphics, better characters and better stories. Our goal is to make games as visually
attractive as possible since I believe, art is key to a video game success.
Thank you for
reading,
Carla Chanquia.
References
8. Google images.
