Here we are, the biggest artistic difference between film and video games: pacing. A film moves along at its own speed regardless of whether the audience members have stayed fixed in their seats or left to go to the bathroom. Once started, they cruise toward the end at their own speed, almost completely ignoring the attention of the audience. Video games, however, are unique in that they are the only storytelling medium where the viewer can control the pace of the story. Whether it is through just faffing around or exploring to find every last item, a player takes the story at a speed most comfortable to their tastes. The player manages subplots, focus, when to take breaks from the main story to take a breather, or even just how quickly to move toward the thrilling conclusion. A player of a video game will get out of the experience exactly what he puts into it - unless the game is bad, which is a risk we take with every art form. Like this article? Let us know in the comments section below.
Self-evidently a man who writes for the Internet, Robert also writes films, plays, teleplays, and short stories when he's not working on a movie set somewhere. He lives somewhere behind the Hollywood sign.
