InteractiveNarrativeBlogWeek2-11/03

Blog 2
Game: Prince of Persia The Sands of Time
Q1: Did linear storytelling in your chosen game engage and excite you as a player? Explain why or why not?

Linear storytelling in games is based around the idea of 'causal logic'. So the actions of the player leads to cut scenes, and those cut scenes lead to more game play. In games, game play supports story and story supports game play. Along with the standard 'string of pearls' formula, there were extra little segments during the game play which keep you focused on the story and objective of the character, for example when you enter a new area the game has cinematic shots to show you the objective or destination and enemies.I think that the game did well to create a linear story where the cut scenes and game play work well enough together to create an engaging and exciting experience.

However I was not completely engaged and excited because the story was to linear, I had to follow a carefully laid out path, fight enemies and go through rooms in a very set order. This for me creates a less engaging game as I feel less meaningful to the story and I don't have as much illusion of choice. Games are about "The satisfying power to take meaningful action and see the results of our decisions and choices",(Janet Murray, Hamlet on the Holodeck, 126) unfold before us, when the game misses that effect the player feels a detachment from the game. A game can have set cut scenes, but I think at the very least the player needs to be able to experience different pathways to that cut scene each play through.