Graphic Architecture versus Game Narrative: Survival of the Fittest?

Comparing Myst's graphics to its narrative, it might be easy to argue that graphics prevail. The story is so convoluted (and, for the most part, hardly accessible to any but the most industrious gamer) that it seems to fall short. Yet Myst proves to be special, in that the gamer creates his or her own narrative, choosing which puzzles to solve and which Ages to go through first. The non-linear basis of Myst allows the gamer to write his or her own story.

However, that could be a thing of the past. Games developers (as taken from various interviews) seem focused on always marketing the game on its graphical strengths. Indeed, the majority of pre-release videos out there show off FMV (full motion video) cutscenes as opposed to actual game play. Notice the Okami clip our group showed in class. Though it did not make it to the final cut, the basis for that marketing plan, and many others like it, was to show off the games graphics.

Now, I could speculate on and generalize about various reasons why this happens. This generation's group of gamers has a notoriously short attention span (something I can be guilty of), a primary reason why they leave the books on the shelves in the first place. Also, much of the graphical work out there is gorgeous, and certainly deserves praise for its accomplishment and the labor ivolved in its making. It's just that much easier to market.

But take the Mario series: doesn't Mario still have a narrative, albeit a simple one? Save the princess from Bowser. That's the underlying objective, but there's more to it than that. Each Mario game puts out a new twist on how you, as the gamer, accomplish this goal. The first NES game has you going on, above, and under the earth to get to Bowser's fortress, encountering different enemies and different situations. The Nintendo 64 version, the first 3-D one, has you jumping through paintings (an interesting study right there) to go through different types of worlds. While the plot is the same, the story is not.

So, back to Myst, the narrative is more than the plot. Myst does not have much of an ostensible plot (unless you really dig into it). But what it does have is a narrative, one which the gamer helps create. That's part of its allure. This idea remains in games today -- RPGs like Final Fantasy, Adventure games like Zelda, and even Grand Theft Auto. While its not the most marketable aspect, it rests as a firm part of gaming.