Inspired by some recent Twitter chatter, I got to thinking recently about narratives in video games and how they end.

It seems that right now, we have two types of stories: The Last of Us & everything else... well, okay, that's an oversimplification on my part.

Here are the type of stories we tend to see in video games:

1. Cliched slop featuring a generic White bald-headed marine living the horror of his war-torn society. Usually features a few characters who have some sort of relation to the main protag, who are given no context to the player as to why they should be important to him/her. A couple of them usually die somehow in a melodramatic manner that causes eye rolls for the player. Usually ends up fighting a boss that is some war-obsessed maniac. The main protag will most likely die at the end.

Games that follow this example: Any recent FPS/TPS that comes to your mind.

2. JRPG stories usually inspired by anime and manga. As a result of that inspiration... deus ex machinas and character tropes... deus ex machinas and character tropes EVERYWHERE. May have terrible English voice acting and dialogue. Main protag will make you hate him/her almost as much as you hate yourself. Almost ALWAYS features some romantic plot between the main protagonist and the white mage. Main romance might also involve your (step)sister. Boss fight usually involves someone who's all evil because "IT'S FATE AND I'M DOING THIS FOR YOUR OWN GOOD!" Do not expect plot coherence.

Games that follow this example: Final Fantasy X & XIII, probably some other JRPG's that I've played over the years that aren't coming to mind right now.

3. Bland narrative in which everything is dull, and no character is interesting. Awkward writing. You'll fall asleep playing it.

Games that follow this example: Battlefield Hardline.

4. A narrative that is somewhat self-aware and makes fun of itself constantly. Makes it a point to create completely ironic situations with the characters.

Games that follow this example: Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City, San Andreas, Ballad of Gay Tony & V.

5. Narratives that involve the main protagonist doing shit for people that have no real relation to the main protag. But, the game makes you feel like a badass, so you don't care.

Games that follow this example: Red Dead Redemption.

6. Narratives that involve multiple branching options and rely on decision making from the player to push forward. Usually involves making alliances and establishing relationships with in-game characters to use towards a larger goal. Usually has multiple endings, assuming the writers don't fuck it up.

Games that follow this example: Deus Ex series, Mass Effect series.

7. Self-contained story in which gameplay and narrative go hand-in-hand. Meaning, if it's, say, a survival-horror game, the story and gameplay usually revolve around that and ONLY that. Might see some romantic subplots here and there, but the story doesn't usually deviate too much. Story is usually character driven. No real chiches exist in the plot.

Games that follow this example: The Walking Dead, The Last of Us.

Then you have the endings... which video games haven't really nailed down at this point. Can't really think of a good ending I've personally experienced outside of FFIX. The obvious bad example is Mass Effect 3 - an ending so poor, it almost killed the IP. Even TLoU's ending was simply okay.

Obviously, video games have some progress to make when it comes to crafting fulfilling narratives and endings...
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