Video Game Stories

Many games are built upon several different moment-to-moment events, be it levels, cutscenes, or individual actions the player takes. But sometimes a game becomes defined by a single event, or a single moment that then becomes known as "the moment." Some examples of "moments" would be the nuke scene in Call of Duty 4 (or the ‘No Russian’ mission in Modern Warfare 2), the Scarecrow sections in the Batman: Arkham series, the "Would You Kindly?" twist in BioShock, and Lee’s death in Telltale’s The Walking Dead. They’re moments that shock, surprise, or stun players and become one of the game’s highlights.

This article would discuss questions such as: how certain games (either the ones mentioned above or others) create these "moments" and what impact they have on players. Does a game automatically become "better" if it has one of these "moments?" Does a game necessarily need a "moment" to be memorable? Does the "moment" succeed in creating the intended impact on the player, and what even is the intended impact? The article could also discuss if these moments become something of a "selling point" for the game, or just how much power they hold for getting new players into the game or get veteran players back.