As game developers cut costs on flashy graphics and powerful game engines, story, creativity, and unique aesthetics are becoming vital. Consider "The Wolf Among Us" from Tell Tale Games. There is action in the game, of course, but only in a minimalist sense. The game's strength is in story telling, a signature "look", player choice, and voice acting. Still, at its core, the game is a new take on the old school point-and-click detective games (think Carmen San Diego). Is this a sustainable model? Can these sorts of games and developers continue to compete with blockbuster games like Mass Effect, Halo, etc?
I would argue that story and creativity are taking a back seat to flashy graphics, at least for the most part. Consider the Final Fantasy series: the 6th game, originally released for SNES, is widely considered the greatest in the series (right next to its successor, FFVII). Most of the series has incredible depth; each thought-provoking story is an exciting adventure of philosophical inquiry. However, you will notice that this characteristic begins to decline as the series reaches its later games. The number one thing we must consider in answering your question is the depth of the game in SOME defining aspect of the game. For example, games that virtually do not end, e.g. Skyrim, have a very sustainable model even though I've found much better storylines in older 2D games. My issue with the industry is this focus on the architects: building beautiful and realistic settings but leaving those settings devoid storyline depth--the "epic" nature of the adventure seems to be eroding quickly. This critique is obviously rooted in the adventure/RPG genre, since FPS is arguably the most sustainable model, yet not the most satisfying for those of us who grew up considering an array of thought-provoking stories. I can't remember the last time I played a point-and-click game, but I did watch the game play for the game in your example and it seemed like something I would indeed enjoy--an interactive comic. This type of game is considerably cheaper to produce and therefore they would be able to focus on the depth of the story, and with an array of choices that change how the game unfolds, like a text-based adventure, I think it can sustain itself against the mass appeal of the major genres. – Xeades9 years ago
Xeades, you have to remember that providing helpful notes is to provide inspiration or ideas for writers who may take this and write it out themselves. I was guilty of that myself, but we have to keep in mind that if we try to "answer" or discuss the subject, it might satiate any kind of curiosity for another writer to go out and write out the topic. Try to give suggestions as to help someone who might like to write the topic! – N.D. Storlid9 years ago