To say that games have evolved from their modest beginnings a few decades ago would be an understatement. What used to be a few white dots on a black screen has now evolved into a complex form of entertainment which is on par (and in some ways better) to the movie and television industries. From a financial standpoint, the most successful gaming franchises make more money than even the most lucrative Hollywood blockbuster. From a visual standpoint, continuous technological advancements mean that the graphics in a video game can be just as impressive as the CGI in a $100-million dollar movie and definitely better than your average TV show. One area where these industries still have an advantage is their ability to tell a story. Or do they? Certainly, for most of the lifespan of the video game industry, storytelling was an afterthought. Even if the creators had brilliant characters and story arcs in mind, the technology of the day severely restricted what they could and could not do. This meant that engaging gameplay and the latest graphics were usually the key elements that attracted gamers and the story was barebones. Of course, this could also be said of the movie industry when, in its infancy, the most astonishing movies often showed trivial things such as people getting off from work or a train moving on rails. As time went on, technology got better and developers were capable of telling the stories they wanted and guess what happened? Video games started having amazing stories and compelling characters. One of the best ways to ensure an intriguing plot is to include a shocking twist. After being successfully used in books, plays, movies and TV shows for a long time, it was time for video games to showcase what they could do. The response was a collection of truly jaw-dropping moments that nobody saw coming.
Radu recently left a boring job and now writes stuff on the internet. When he's not here he's probably writing for GeeKiez. He's into wrestling, video games and a ton of TV shows, as well as all things weird or science-y. Feel free to talk to him about this stuff on Twitter.
