Don't fear cut-scenes - Rhianna Pratchett
Writer talks up role of story in games
Overlord writer Rhianna Pratchett has been speaking about the art of telling stories through video games on Gamasutra, and she says that people shouldn't be afraid of cut-scenes, even though she doesn't want to see games become 'wannabe movies'.
"There's no denying that given the fan-base of games like the Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy series, many gamers enjoy cutscenes, even incredibly loquacious and lengthy ones," the writer explained.
"Whilst, personally, I'd rather a game wasn't turned into a wannabe movie, I believe there's still a place for artfully crafted, well timed and smartly paced cutscenes. Granted, the games that manage to do all three are fairly rare. Putting interactivity aside for a moment, there's still a lot we can do to improve our linear storytelling. There are exceptions (there always are) but our strength in this regard is by no means across the board. It is improving though, title by title.
"Cutscenes are still an important tool in our narrative toolbox, and we shouldn't throw out the hammer just because we keep hitting our thumb with it. We just have to learn how to wield it a little better."
More from Pratchett as we get it.
