I’ve lived and breathed video game stories since I was a junior high schooler. Video games taught me things that schools never have. I’ve learned how to communicate and work in large groups of 20 or more, communicate and coordinate with 5 people against 5 other people, the basics of economic supply and demand as well as creating a mini business within a video game world’s constraints, where other real players came to me over others because I would work with less margin for larger volumes of requests. I love video games and literature with all of my being. Storytelling in video games enraptured me since I was little for a similar reason others get enraptured with amazing poetry. Amazing poetry paints such a vivid and emotionally striking picture that you, as the reader, experience a unique iteration of the author’s design through your own cultural lens. Video game storytelling’s uniqueness is through painting that storytelling picture and immersing yourself in it to the point of quasi obsession for a short period of time.
My favorite video game stories that have deeply impacted me emotionally and stayed with me are Outer Wilds, The Witcher 3, God of War Ragnarok, Vampire: The Masquerade-Bloodlines, Disco Elysium, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Divinity 2 Original Sin. Outer Wilds, because of it’s nature of uncovering the story piece-by-piece like a space architect reduced me to a sobbing, weeping, and hyperventilating mess (in the best way possible I assure you). The Witcher 3 had me fully immersed in CD Projekt’s world so much that I went out and bought the books that the game is loosely based off of because this kind of monster hunting world is something I could never even dream of until I saw it and the grittiness and pain felt so real that I was engrossed for many months playing it every chance I got. God of War Ragnarok brought me to tears because I’ve always been a fan of the God of War Series and seeing this new Kratos trying to fit in with the Norse pantheon was like catnip to my mythology attracted heart. The people who made this game knew this too as they brought out mythical figures and ideas in all their glory to best show why mythology is so darn cool to read on, especially modern incarnations!
Vampire: The Masquerade-Bloodlines scratched my urban mythology merging with fantastical mythology itch. I have a particular fondness for seeing how the supernatural would adapt to the modern world, and the vampires creating a masquerade system to stay hidden shows a masterful understanding of the dichotomy of the supernatural trying to live in a world that barely believes in age-old superstitions anymore. Also, the lore for this setting runs DEEP. To give a taste, because I’ve spent way too much time myself researching, wizards are reality bending casters that each have a unique way of casting spells based on their perspective of reality. Werewolves are fighting a secret war against the Wyrm of fate who’s entire purpose was to work in tandem with the Weaver and maintain cosmic balance with the Wyrm destroying and the Weaver creating life, but now everything’s gone fubar. Also, Caine from Caine and Abel fame is alive and kicking around in modern society, and if you as a player ever meet him and try to fight him, Caine’s statblock is that you die.
Disco Elysium, oh my good gravy. Words can’t do this game justice. Though, ironically, this is a dialogue driven rpg where your stats are in different ways of speaking or looking at the world. I wish there were more games of this genre as it will engross you into it’s story and world immediately, so much so that I’m holding myself back from even talking about the opening because it’s so dang good. Baldur’s Gate 3 and Divinity 2 Original Sin are made by the same studio and have similar storytelling philosophy of involving the player in the direction the story can take. I fell in love with Larian’s (The studio) rpgs because it felt like the most authentic dnd adventure ever made, complete with shenanigans, cool boss fights, and genuinely impactful storytelling beats. Again, I won’t go into much detail because I could genuinely write a 20 page paper for each of the games I’ve listed, but each of them are a masterclass in genuinely impactful, immersive, and engrossing storytelling. They paint a picture whose beauty and complexity comes from the intermingling of countless creative geniuses, creating modern, timeless art that serves in taking you on a unique journey.
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