Sorry Jaffe, We Say Games Are A Legitimate Story Medium

We love David Jaffe. The guy has never ceased to speak his mind, and he has delivered memorable experiences for many years.

But we have to disagree with the iconic designer when he says those who want to tell a great story should consider other entertainment mediums. It's just not progressive thinking in our eyes.

In speaking at the 2011 D.I.C.E. Summit (and as cited at GamesIndustry.biz), Jaffe first said industry executives need to adopt a "bullsh** filter" if they don't want to waste money on "over-promised projects." And for this part, we imagine he makes a great point:

"But you can't see the game in your head, you can see the trailer to a movie that doesn't actually exist. You better start learning gameplay language. It's not to be mean spirited, I would never do that, but you can actually sit with developer and say 'it's cool that you want to do that but tell me how.' If you come in with an awareness of that, if you're an executive that can suss that out, that's great. You don't want to have a developer romance you with the promise of something more than it will ever be and it ends up not being that."

But then Jaffe addressed the fascination some developers have with storytelling, in that they want to use games to convey a wider range of emotions, or tackle compelling, real-world issues. He says they should try a more relevant medium:

"A lot of these people will say 'I have something to say, I have a story to tell.' If you've really got something inside of you that's so powerful, like a story you've got to share or a philosophy about mans place in the universe, why in the fu** would you choose the medium that has historically, continually been the worst medium to express philosophy, story and narrative?

Why wouldn't you write a book, why wouldn't you make a movie? It's like being one of the world's best chefs and working in the world's best restaurants, you ply your trade in McDonalds."

We certainly understand his point, but...I mean, wait a minute, Dave. Just because we haven't been able to do something yet means we should stop trying? It means it can't ever work? Video games are merely interactive entertainment and it isn't impossible to tell a fantastic story in this realm; it just requires more innovation. With passive forms of entertainment, like reading a book, the player can't change anything written and in games, he potentially could. That's the biggest stumbling block in our eyes.

But to say games are incapable and developers who want to tell unbelievable stories should stop trying? We're not down with that.

Tags: david jaffe, video games, gaming industry, video game stories

2/9/2012 9:15:31 PM Ben Dutka

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Comments (62 posts)

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Oxvial
Thursday, February 09, 2012 @ 9:43:14 PM
Reply

Guy lately being shocking like when he said TM isn't worthy of 60 bucks if you are into sp,or TM gonna guarantee you a bj from your gf if you buy on Valentin.

I don't dislike him but LOL

Last edited by Oxvial on 2/9/2012 9:44:08 PM

3 up, 2 down

556pineapple
Thursday, February 09, 2012 @ 9:46:50 PM
Reply

I'm sorry, Dave, but some of the most memorable stories I've ever experienced have been through video games. Final Fantasy VII, Heavy Rain, Uncharted and, most of all, the Metal Gear saga have all stood out to me as prime examples of how games can tell amazing stories. That's the reason why these are the games that mean the most to me.

11 up, 2 down

LimitedVertigo
Thursday, February 09, 2012 @ 9:52:45 PM

Well I don't think he's saying games don't have great stories. I think he is saying all those great stories you've enjoyed would have been even better had they been in the form of movies or books.

4 up, 2 down

556pineapple
Thursday, February 09, 2012 @ 10:27:32 PM

Yeah that's what I got from it too, though I guess I just didn't express as well as I thought I did. I still disagree with him, as the player's involvement in the stories is what makes them so phenomenal, especially with Heavy Rain. It was a one-of-a-kind memorable experience as a game, but it couldn't possibly be a movie, and if it were a book, it would likely be dismissed as a cheesy choose-your-own-adventure book.

Metal Gear could pass as a good action series for movies, but I think it would lack the impact it had as a game series, because it wouldn't be as involving. The same goes for Final Fantasy. Uncharted could be a success as a movie, but Hollywood is likely going to screw it up.

Also, if they were to pursue these stories as books or movies, they might not get the attention they would as games, as they have a greater chance of blending in. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the gaming world needs great storytellers to create these memorable games.

Last edited by 556pineapple on 2/9/2012 10:31:37 PM

1 up, 0 down

TheIllusiveMan
Thursday, February 09, 2012 @ 11:41:37 PM

The way I took it was him saying that if you have a story set in your mind that you want to become something, choosing to tell the story through a video game is not the best way to do it. Not saying anything against video games in any way, but it goes along with the other part of what he said.

Basically, if you have a story, your best choice isn't to put it into an interactive form of entertainment. With a book, its all there plain and simple, with a movie, you have to have more details to worry about, like what should it look like, how should the actors act, can you keep the good story in only a couple hours long if film, and most importantly you have to decide on the style of the movie itself.

However with a game, you have to take all of that into account, and at the same time know how you want the game to play, plus there's just so much more development and overall amount of work involved in just making your story come to life in a game.

4 up, 0 down

556pineapple
Thursday, February 09, 2012 @ 11:55:23 PM

That may be, but the way he puts it suggests that games are incapable of effectively telling a story, which just isn't true. Historically, the stories in games haven't matched the quality of books or movies, but I think that's due to a lack of truly good writers in the industry by comparison. Also, video games are a fairly new medium, having been around for about 40 years now (excluding Space War and other early examples.) Film has been around for about a century, and the written word has been around for millenia. I think we're just now getting to the point where we're figuring out just how effective games can be at telling stories, and I'm of the opinion that more writers should try to apply their craft to this field, no matter how difficult it may be.

Last edited by 556pineapple on 2/10/2012 12:01:32 AM

2 up, 1 down

Clamedeus
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 5:58:18 AM

Jaffe though isn't saying games can't have great stories, he knows they can, he even mentions Batman Arkham City, he likes that game he thinks the story was very well done. But he's saying we shouldn't focus all of our attention on only story driven games, there should be 2 mediums. Story driven and pure game play fun.

I don't remember the rest of what he said but you really need to watch the interview (Video) he did with Dice, it'll explain what he means.

http://www.gamespot.com/twisted-metal-2012/videos/twisted-metal-david-jaffe-dice-2012-session-6350083/

Last edited by Clamedeus on 2/10/2012 6:03:34 AM

2 up, 0 down

Neo_Aeon666
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 3:07:22 PM

Don't try to defend him. He just likes Angry Birds THAT MUCH.

And he has a brain disorder so he can't follow a story and coordinate his hands.

He lost all respect at: *story you've got to share or a philosophy about mans place in the universe, why in the fu** would you choose*

1 up, 2 down

Clamedeus
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 5:45:17 PM

No offense, but please don't tell me what to do.

If you don't agree with Jaffe you don't need to insult him because you don't see eye to eye on something.

"And he has a brain disorder so he can't follow a story and coordinate his hands."

God of War 1, God of War 2..

1 up, 0 down

LimitedVertigo
Thursday, February 09, 2012 @ 9:51:51 PM
Reply

I agree with him, somewhat. I've played several games that had an amazing story and interesting characters but pale in comparison to movies that have meant a lot to me.

But there is a tradeoff thanks to the immersion of gaming. By being able to interact in games and control characters I feel you end up creating a bond not found in movies or books.

6 up, 2 down

Shams
Thursday, February 09, 2012 @ 9:58:52 PM
Reply

At first, it seems his comments mirror another rogue developer such as Itagaki-san ("If I wanted to make a story, I would've wrote a novel"), but I know when Jaffe was heading GOW development, he described the experience he wanted to provide as something that as a kid he got from watching Indiana Jones. And he accomplished that. It wasn't the best hack'n slash, plaformer, or puzzler, but it defined the action-adventure genre, and brought it to knew heights of cinematic story-telling and action sequences, and on-screen assets.

So with that in mind, maybe he isn't out against story-telling as a whole in gaming, but maybe just taking a reactionary pot-shot at the Sony execs who forced that requirement on the Twisted Metal project, or at worst taking a pot-shot at the likes of Kojima san, who raised the bar to impossible heights. I bet on the latter rather than the former.

2 up, 2 down

LimitedVertigo
Thursday, February 09, 2012 @ 11:50:54 PM

You're wrong and I hate you.

2 up, 2 down

Shams
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 1:37:58 AM

Oops. I meant, "I bet on the former rather than the latter." Yikes.

0 up, 1 down

SmokeyPSD
Thursday, February 09, 2012 @ 9:58:55 PM
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There are plenty of wonderful games out there which don't involve running/driving/flying around mindlessly shooting/stabbing things. I think that Jaffe personally really only likes those kinds of games however.

3 up, 2 down

FM23
Thursday, February 09, 2012 @ 10:21:26 PM
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I never cared for this guy, but ever since I found out he was the lead creator for GOWI I have had respect for him, but after watching him tear down the importance of storytellong in videogames for 22 mins, I have reverted back to not caring much for him. I can't play most games unless a story is guiding me. This is why I play games. Outside of racing games, I need games with a story to push me along. Im not a kid and Im not simple minded...GIVE ME A GOODASS STORY. I don't play sports games too often unless witj friends and I sure aint addicted to mp like that. Give me a story driven adventure please.

4 up, 3 down

Clamedeus
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 7:42:27 AM

You really need to watch the Interview he did instead of just getting a snippet of what he's saying and then judging him.

He's not saying games can't have great stories, he's saying some of the times when developing the story for a game the story can be easily be portrayed wrong because the developer probably focused to much on a certain bit of the story or mechanic of the game and the story didn't come out the way they wanted it to be.

He likes Batman Arkham City and he thinks it has an amazing story of how they made it, HE knows games can have great stories but it's also very easy to screw them up when making them, he doesn't want us to go in one direction with video games, he wants us to focus on both mediums of Story driven, and just pure fun gameplay.

Last edited by Clamedeus on 2/10/2012 7:43:55 AM

1 up, 2 down

maxpontiac
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 10:21:50 AM

Indeed FM23.

I like you looked on Jaffe out of respect because of his past.

Now he sounds like someone who has been worked over by an industry which he has seemingly given up on.

I just get the feeling that without console gaming, he is going to fade away.

Last edited by maxpontiac on 2/10/2012 10:23:26 AM

3 up, 0 down

Douchebaguette
Thursday, February 09, 2012 @ 11:57:06 PM
Reply

Ah you zee, it iz where I enteur ze MacDonall, I start cooking le food zat ze people in zoes restaurants have never zeen ze likes ov.

Well he could be correct on the current realism of medium, but that's because the gaming industry is alot younger. There are shitty books, there are hell of a lot more shitty movies around, and there are plenty games around without even a single thought to actually adding a story yet alone improving one. But time and time again, we see exceptional pieces of art in all three formats.

In theory gaming should have the best potential since it allows you to dive in and control the environment. With a movie you just watch, and with a book you just...read. Granted a book lets you imagine things in your own way, contrary to a movie which leads you and perhaps gives you distinct unimaginable aesthetics, but technically a video game has the potential to do both. And more.

(Also a movie has the potential to be exactly a novel, but try picturing that disaster: imagine scrolling text for like 5+ hours).

3 up, 1 down

mehrab2603
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 12:51:44 AM
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Guy's talking too much lately and losing my respect he earned with the stellar GOW.

8 up, 4 down

SmokeyPSD
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 2:56:29 AM

This

3 up, 0 down

Clamedeus
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 6:06:19 AM

Nothing wrong with someone who speaks their mind than someone who doesn't, I respect that.

5 up, 3 down

mehrab2603
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 7:09:49 AM

Good for you. I don't agree with someone who is wrong which makes me lose some respect for him even if he is speaking his mind. Of course it doesn't help that he is making other silly comments like gf giving bj for a game. There I spoke my mind.

3 up, 2 down

Clamedeus
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 7:36:17 AM

How is he wrong? You are probably taking what he's saying out of context of what he actually means.

And over a silly comment? Really, who cares honestly, it's a silly comment that's all that was.

1 up, 1 down

Clamedeus
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 8:15:05 AM

I agree with Jaffe, but to an extent.

0 up, 1 down

mehrab2603
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 11:46:51 PM

He is wrong in thinking that *good* stories cannot be told through games and I strongly disagree with that. He accepts games can have stories but then says what he believes and that belief is wrong imo. Gaming has one aspect of story telling that other 2 medium don't have and that is interactivity. Now if a storyteller thinks he needs that interactivity to tell a story more effectively, I ask you, why would he choose movies or books? Each medium has its own strengths and each can be used with that strength in mind to tell masterful stories.

And those comments are so silly that they fail as a joke and end up making him look like a fool.

0 up, 0 down

gungrave
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 1:00:06 AM
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It's very obvious that he has yet to play Heavy Rain. I haven't seen a great story like that since Seven, and you decide the outcome... in a way.

2 up, 2 down

Beamboom
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 6:09:57 AM

... Or Mass Effect, Bioshock, Deus Ex:HR (I loved that story), or... We got a pretty good case against him, actually. :)

Last edited by Beamboom on 2/10/2012 6:11:26 AM

1 up, 3 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 1:05:16 AM
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He's just stuck in his arcadey ways. I'm not an emotional type at all, but I've gotten more lumps in my throat from certain scenes in games than I ever have from movies and books (though I fully enjoy those mediums as well).

9 up, 1 down

shadowscorpio
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 2:05:16 AM

Same here. For me it was the story in a video game that hit me hardest emotionally. Not a book or a movie. That's not to say that those mediums haven't given me great experiences.

I just can't remember when I was every touched in a more powerful way than experiencing the stories from Final Fantasy 6, Suikoden 2, Xenogears, Xenosaga 1, 2, and 3 (In Xenosaga 2 when Rubedo had to take is brother's life was especially hard to experience), and the Metal gear Solid series.

Last edited by shadowscorpio on 2/10/2012 2:07:07 AM

1 up, 1 down

Killa Tequilla
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 3:31:03 AM

You monster! You haven't seen Titanic!

2 up, 0 down

shadowscorpio
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 3:59:16 PM

Me or World? I have indeed seen Titanic and I confess, that was a powerful movie. In fact, at the risk of sounding like a hipocrite I will say it hit me in such a way that was equivilent to those of the games I described above.

However, in my defense I will say that there is a reason that Titanic didn't come to mind for me and the story from my previously mentioned games did. I guess , for me at least, these games left more of a "lasting" impression. Not saying that the opposite isn't true for someone else.

0 up, 0 down

Beamboom
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 2:21:27 AM
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I think we need both. To tell a really good story in a successful way in a *game* (as opposed to in video files aka "cutscenes") requires a lot. If you don't have what it takes then don't even try, focus on gameplay and make that stellar instead of spending time and money on some (often) pompous crap.

Last edited by Beamboom on 2/10/2012 2:23:10 AM

2 up, 0 down

___________
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 2:36:28 AM
Reply

the guy needs to go play heavy rain!
if anything games are the PERFECT medium for stories because there interactive!
if done well they CAN make you feel like the character your playing, and make you feel emotions like you would expect the character to.
heavy rain did, and so has the darkness 2.
all ill say is what, the 4th level?
some of the sh*t in that game amazes me it did not get banned!
even i have standards!

2 up, 0 down

Looking Glass
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 3:23:03 AM
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This doesn't really surprise me. Jaffe is in numerous ways an old school kind of guy. This doesn't make me think any less of him.

4 up, 0 down

Teddie9
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 7:00:47 AM

I'm a little upset but I've always liked him prior to this. What you say makes sense, he may very well be put off by how seriously some titles take themselves because his favourite ones of the past never did.

Whatever there will be still be great story driven games.

0 up, 0 down

Fane1024
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 7:10:54 AM
Reply

David Cage > David Jaffe

:D

3 up, 0 down

JackC8
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 8:29:57 AM
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I've played some games with very good stories, so I certainly don't see why he'd think it's impossible. Most games have at least some attempt at story, so why not actually put some thought into it and make it good? That doesn't make any sense.

Oh well, I guess the storytelling will be done by other developers with a much greater appreciation for it than Mr. Jaffe.

1 up, 0 down

Underdog15
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 8:40:25 AM
Reply

There is another point worth considering that jaffe has not thought about yet:

While movies and books do some wonderful things with the imagination, and while they've been around much longer to establish many more best practices, they all contain the proverbial 4th wall.

What that means is that the audience or reader is only on the outside looking in. It's pure observation and analysis.

However, games have the ability to INCLUDE the audience in the story. We become a part of it. We -are- Zack in Crisis Core, we -ARE- Sheppard in Mass Effect, we -ARE- Ethan in Heavy Rain.

With technology constantly advancing, the opportunities for that inclusion are only growing more and more each day. We already know we're capable of telling equally engaging stories through games, even if we don't have the same number of tools as other mediums. But with advances constantly being made, I can't help but think that eventually, that inclusion would produce more audience buy-in.

And as games become more and more capable, I can't see how movies and books will be able to keep up with such intricate inclusion, which in my mind's eye, I see coming in the future.

Sure, there will always be your Hot Tub Time Machines of games, your arcadey experiences, and mindless games... but heck, look at all the crummy novels out there along with the majority of movies which are crap as well. Absolute and complete experiences are a dime a dozen in ANY medium. So even that argument is flawed.

I'm gonna disagree with Jaffe here. Perhaps currently he has a point. But with enough forward thinking and creativity, it's only a matter of time before he becomes exactly the same as silent movie lovers, melodrama lovers, and stage acting lovers were about movies:

Wrong.

5 up, 0 down

D1g1tal5torm
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 9:00:50 AM
Reply

Just because he can't, doesn't mean that nobody else can.

0 up, 0 down

oONewcloudOo
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 9:10:12 AM
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No one follows jaffe on twitter I see
this is a quote.

"Lots of people are officially stupid. I never said games should not have stories. Fuck sakes."

6 up, 1 down

Clamedeus
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 9:11:35 AM

Indeed, people keep taking what he says out of context.

4 up, 2 down

D1g1tal5torm
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 9:13:37 AM

What he did say was, why would you choose games to tell a story when, he feels, there are easier ways of doing it.

He should well know the comment he made and how it would most likely be construed; is it not then a little naive and stupid of him?

Last edited by D1g1tal5torm on 2/10/2012 9:15:13 AM

4 up, 0 down

Clamedeus
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 9:29:03 AM

I don't think he said that, he knows games can tell a great story but he thinks Movies or books is easier to make the story you want, with games it takes more effort and most of the times the story isn't conveyed right and it comes out like crap. I'm not saying Books or movies can't have crappy stories because they can have crappy ones.

He also says that if a developer or an upcoming developer wants to make a story driven game they should do so, they shouldn't ditch that and do something else, because we don't know how it will be received, it could be the best story driven game made.

He thinks we shouldn't just focus on one Medium of games, we should branch out, and make different types of games whether it be story driven games, FPS, Indie games etc. I do agree with Jaffe a bit, we should branch out because some games take things way too seriously it seems games have been going more towards the serious side of things.

Last edited by Clamedeus on 2/10/2012 9:34:09 AM

0 up, 1 down

Underdog15
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 9:35:00 AM

No, it wasn't "shouldn't tell a story", it was essentially, if people feel they have a philosophy or commentary on the human condition, there are better mediums. He was referring to story on a deeper level. Not story itself.

I still disagree with him, though.

Last edited by Underdog15 on 2/10/2012 9:35:21 AM

1 up, 0 down

Clamedeus
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 9:40:39 AM

Ah, fair enough. But, I do agree on we shouldn't just focus on just Story driven games though, I don't like that a lot of games are going the "I'm Serious" route of things.

But with what you said, I also disagree, I think video games can achieve that.

Last edited by Clamedeus on 2/10/2012 9:45:39 AM

1 up, 1 down

Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 10:07:14 AM

I didn't say he said games shouldn't have stories, either.

He spent quite some time saying there are better ways to tell a story, though. Furthermore, I know his stance on this, and it's that masterful stories and video games don't go together. Pretty sure he believes that...and I don't.

4 up, 0 down

Clamedeus
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 10:22:36 AM

@Ben

If you are aiming that towards me, I didn't say you did, it's just that others are taking it like that.

And I do believe masterful stories can be made in video games, that part I disagree with him about. But I do agree with him that we shouldn't just focus on one side of games.

0 up, 0 down

Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 10:36:03 AM

No, it was in reply to Jaffe's Twitter comment.

0 up, 0 down

Clamedeus
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 10:52:52 AM

lol

0 up, 0 down

Amnesiac
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 9:49:36 AM
Reply

I don't think he is being mean spirited or giving up on games themselves telling a story, it sounds like he is frustrated at a lack of vision or focus with certain game developers. He isn't against a politicly driven or a socially eco-conscience narrative but given that the video game arena must have a massive broad appeal [for a game to get made] It seems he wants those people to go into a completely medium where they will have the tools they need and stop bogging the industry down.

2 up, 0 down

I007spectre
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 10:26:55 AM
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Someone beat me to mentioning the other great David in the industry. David Cage of Heavy Rain.

0 up, 0 down

Ignitus
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 12:59:30 PM
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Now I understand why his games after God of War have floped.

1 up, 1 down

JohnnyKey
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 1:33:13 PM
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I always thought this guy was knob...now I know for sure.

0 up, 2 down

Twistedfloyd
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 2:37:47 PM
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I love David, I'm one of his staunches supporters, but I completely disagree with him here.

That part in Arkham city was great. It brings you into the world and lets you get a sense of the atmosphere and GIVES YOU A REASON to be in Arkham City.

Stories have far more depth than just gameplay these days. Stories have the power to enhance games.

Same with cutscenes. One of the reasons that God of War worked so well was its story. Sure, it was a gameplay based game, but the epic scale and the story kept me motivated to keep going. It gave the action context and made me determined to kill Ares. If the story wasn't there, or if it didn't dictate the game design, there would have been no reason to do all of the things that we did, or care about Kratos' struggle.

Kratos' struggle was DEFINED by the story and made the gameplay that was already awesome better.

Even Twisted Metal: Black relied heavily on story. They made me care about the character I was playing and want to see their vengeance or their salvation realized.

It made Twisted Metal better, and EXPANDED it from the silly stories from TM2.

So, to me, good stories in gameplay only helps and makes the game better and more unique.

Just ask the best in the business, Kojima, Houser, Cage and Hennig. When they're firing on all cylinders and their stories are just kicking it and making you really care, it makes the gameplay better than it is, and the story can set up great gameplay moments. It gives it more emotion and more weight.

Also, I'm tired of making up the narrative for myself. That's just an excuse to me that they're not expanding on the narrative and could make it stronger. I'm tired of characters that don't talk, it creates disconnect. I want a full experience.

So to David, humbly sir, I disagree.

Last edited by Twistedfloyd on 2/10/2012 2:39:29 PM

0 up, 0 down

telly
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 3:04:00 PM
Reply

I honestly thought God of War (and it's sequels) was an outstanding example of how video games can "show" a story, and not necessarily use reams of text to "tell" the player what they should be feeling/thinking at every single moment. It's such a weird argument because I just don't understand those who believe video games are a weak story medium. I don't mean that in a sarcastic way --I literally don't understand what they're talking about, no matter how many times I try to listen closely.

0 up, 0 down

Rogueagent01
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 4:04:18 PM
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Well honestly I think he is completely full of it. The only thing I would agree with is when a studio commits to a certain type of game STICK WITH IT. I don't care if it is arcadey, story driven, or even sequals/prequals just stick with it.

On top of that where does this guy buy his games? Seriously! There is an insane amount of diversity in games today. Be it serious, casual, arcade, or even true fantasy. If the guy actually played games a little more then I don't think he would have worded these comments the way he did.

Video games are the perfect medium for story telling and as long as the studios focus there priorities correctly, then we end up with a piece of entertainment that outshines books and movies easily.

1 up, 0 down

THEVERDIN
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 4:55:01 PM
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So long Jaffe have fun with your mobile games.

0 up, 2 down

DemonNeno
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 5:18:39 PM
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I'm pretty sure all those failures with movies that were based on great games that told great stories kind of prove his opinion further from right and closer to wrong.

A book? Ok, I'll give you that. NOTHING captures detail and offers a rich environment like a book. That has an obvious reason, though doesn't it? Despite this, how well are books doing compared to other media? E-Books, by the way, are a god damn joke.

Movies suck on so many levels, it's not an easily accepted form. Great stories can translate into amazing films/movies, but they are just as likely to fail as a game. I think this mostly has to do with the crimes committed by sell-outs and horrible directing ideas, but that's the nature of the beast.

Games need something more. Graphically, they're in a great direction. Gameplay has always been important. So what's missing? Storyline. I would say a movie based on Heavy Rain would suck ass. Final Fantasy? Oh wait, we already know that sucks ass (Or I do, at least).

It sounds to me like Mr. Jaffe is having a mid-life crisis that only a character like Kratos can remind him how silly he's being.

0 up, 1 down

BigBoss4ever
Friday, February 10, 2012 @ 9:16:44 PM
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i agree with Jaffe, the best story or greatest philosophy cannot or must not be told in the form of a video game.

on the other hand, I accept and wish to see that video gaming continue to tell great story and being meaningful and thought provoking, but these stories just cannot be the greatest philosophy about, say, mankind....that's all.

Last edited by BigBoss4ever on 2/10/2012 9:18:25 PM

0 up, 1 down

Underdog15
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 @ 2:44:19 PM

The "Best story" or "Best Philosophy" are both subjective measurables. In fact, I would say that trying to label a "best philosophy" goes against good philosophy right from the start!

Philosophy is a way of looking at life through the eyes of personal experience, feeling, or assumption based loosely on fact. Since all movies or books can do is relay a writer's point of view or expression, I would say that neither the best story nor the best philosophy can be realized through any singular medium, EVER!

Rather, the greater issue is whether or not games can ever give an accurate artistic form of human expression. And in that sense, as technology improves and games become more and more an extention of ourselves, as we are immersed into games, and not viewing from behind the proverbial 4th wall, I can't see Jaffe being anything -BUT- wrong.

In fact, the fastest way to realize the potential in expression through art in games is to allow developers to constantly push the envelope. The second they all become complacent and merely wish to make an arcade experience, we will no longer be on the path to better expression.

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SS4
Monday, February 13, 2012 @ 11:06:38 AM
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Yeah...because movie are so great to express stories we are bombarded with dumb brainless content in which u need to turn ur brain off for 2 hours to enjoy..... Yeah, ill keep enjoying my games stories before they are butchered into stupid movies...

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Gravelight
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 @ 5:59:53 PM
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I don't buy a game unless the story is good, and I don't download a movie unless the story is good, I don't read anything unless it's good. A game based on a movie I will not buy, bc I already know the story, that would be dumb. But, take FFVII for example, without it's great story that game would have never seen fame. Video games are meant to have everything possible in them, so leave it be is what I say. Forgive me, I may be off topic, but it just sounded like he was trying to say they need to quit putting actual thought into games...

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Sorry Jaffe, We Say Games Are A Legitimate Story Medium

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