J.J. Abrams and Valve CEO Gabe Newell Discuss Storytelling in Film vs. Video Games

I personally think video games have suffered gameplay wise, because of the current obsession with mimicking movies - it's like the canned theater era all over again.

Nevertheless as video game creators become more sophisticated (by ironically hiring professional writers), we will see more video game franchises successfully make their way to the big screen, like comic books already have.

I don't fully agree with mr. Levine. I mean, yes, it's true for the most part, and I really appreciate the full first person experience of Bioshock, which could very well be the best game ever made.But, Far Cry 3, although not a perfect game, would have been less intense drama-wise if the cutscenes would have been replaced with free-move-around-and-throw-a-grenade-in-my-face "Valve style" storytelling tools. Clive Barker's Undying comes to mind too, those cutscenes were really gripping, really making you feel like you're part of a great story, they were cutting edge at the time (2001). And the examples can go on. I think it's all a question of choice. Nobody should condemn them. Some games are better suited for a full first person experience, others shine better with cutscenes. I really think movies and games are completely different types of experiences (so are books). And while both may be dwelling in the same universe in some cases, it's imperative that they focus on different aspects. It's certainly a very interesting discussion that has crossed my mind quite a few times. I think all of us would better understand the whole issue once somebody actually makes a GOOD, PROPER Bioshock film. I wonder if that will ever happen.

I've thought this for years, that one day film will adapt to the watcher, like gaming. With stories either moving in conflict with a watchers expectations, or along side it.

What if you were guaranteed to be surprised by an ending of a film? Imagine being able to decide who ends up with each other in the new rom-com.

Great talk, and the words Gabe said at the end gave me kind of goosebumps.

By the way, I've always loved the way Valve managed to tell stories in first person, and the way you were actually sucked by that world (something that doesn't happen very often even today). I was lucky enough to experience those stories for the first time when they came out, and I've always wanted to recreate them in a film. I remember with a friend of mine we made a device to place an HV20 on our heads and a marker for our eyes to be able to frame our hands. We wanted to do a Half-Life 2 esque narrative short film, but never managed to.
Which brings to my mind a short film that kinda succeeded in doing that:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU_reTt7Hj4

I don't know if I've ever seen a video game adaptation that's held up with its original story, either in terms of scope vs. duration or perspective.

One thing filmmakers can take away from video games as a storytelling method is the reliance nowadays on action predicating the story, in that, the story is revealed as you experience the characters, setting and plot. As a writer, it's important to show the audience as much as possible and only rely on expository dialogue as deemed necessary. That kind of technique is really apparent in video games.

Thank you for finally posting something like this! I've always loved comparing storytelling in video games and movies. Mostly because of how different they are, but also because of how storytelling in video games almost universally sucks.

I believe Bioshock's creative lead got it correct. A video game is an interactive experience. Cut scenes serve only to remove the user from that experience for however long it takes for it to end. That's not to say cut scenes are all awful. In the Mass Effect series, seeing the Reapers come down upon earth in a massive cut scene was breathtaking and frightening at once. But it's only because of the story that you the player have built up to that point.

Lately there's been more push for video games to be more movie like, and I always cringe when a AAA title brings a movie director on as the creative director. Unless he's versatile and adapts to how different a video game, the game will immediately suffer as a result. Even bringing a movie writer can make it suffer. They tend to think too linearly. "Point A has to lead to point B which leads to the ending." Like in a movie. But in Mass Effect 3, point A can lead to point B and C and D all at once, and each of those points can lead to EFGHI, and so on.

Hopefully Hollywood will keep improving the writing aspect of video game stories, but only as long as they realize it's a different type of storytelling all together.

Im not much of a gamer but I fell that what Telltale is doing for their video games is the future of both storytelling and video game playing. I played the walking dead series and it always keep me on the edge of my seat. Even though there is very little action/killing of zombies like other video games. I think the aspect of letting the user choice the path they want to go in makes up for the action of just running around and killing people (like borderlands 2). It made me feel like I was part of the conversations of the game, that at times I was given a choice on who to kill/ who to save. Now if that could be brought to the filmmaking world, I think it could be a great user experience. An example; instead of the audience watching a film the way the director/writer intended, why not give the audience the choice of were they want the story to go or what the talent should say next. I could see a movie theater changing just one or two of their theaters into a film-gaming theater experience. The audience would have remotes (like how they vote on "who wants to be a millionaire") Then all the votes are counted for and combined and whatever option got the most votes wins and the story moves on in that direction. What I think it might do is create a different experience ever time. Im pretty sure it would take a lot of energy to create just a thing. But look at were we are today.

Skyrim, Fallout 3 - then this argument would be fair.

Love both, this is how I spend my time!

I have to go with film/video as a story telling medium for now. Never liked console game controls or console games near as much as a good PC game with a HQ joy stick. Xwing VS Tie fighter was my favorite game of all time and I ctually played against other people online it was great and all on 56k. I would love to see that game reincarnated for high speed internet. Awing alliance was cinema like part of the time and had a good story to follow and You could fly inside and blow up the death star blah blah. But no video game to date for me has had the energy and immersive story telling experience of a well made motion picture. Motion picture people are moving around expending energy to make their product and game designers are literally sitting on their asses I can not help but think the to mindsets are completely different for each situation and that is reflected in their work.

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