Storytelling in Games

This week at GamesAreEvil.com, I start a mini-series looking at Storytelling in games. To kick off this fantiful theme, I look at the dark and twisted Gloom.

Good games, according to some people, tell a story. They weave plots that engage their players beyond the mechanics and strategy of play, regardless of the medium used. In these games, there is a reason the world is the way it is, there is a reason you are playing the way you are, and there is a goal, a final resolution, to whatever conflict you are tasked to overcome. Raise a family, become a farmer, explore the universe, wage a war, be a hero; these are all major plot devices that games allow you project yourself into. The majority of board games on the market today feature a strong theme with an engaging story that draws their players in before the mechanics of how to play are even presented.

So sit back, relax, and let me tell you a story.