Reality vs. storytelling and narrative design
Welcome to God Club is a cool game and reminds me of American Gods by Neil Gaiman. It's a really good book, which taught me a lot about different myths from all around the globe. There's now also a series. That's how I know about Anansi even though he is relatively unknown as gods go. But I guess so are all the gods from the (seemingly still) dark continent.
Regarding the game; I'm a practical guy, so for the first question asked I replied instantly "kill the master." I'm simple like that; Clean, and efficient with minimal effort and no need for second guessing. Probably my feelings towards authority also add to my choice. I prefer my kind of brutal realism to many of the narrative devices used in fiction. Wonky storytelling elements and sudden moments of unexplainable out-of-character stupidity are often used just to get the hero in the right place at the right time for the story to progress. I feel that these methods are the hallmarks of cheap and lazy storytelling.
Because books are more in-depth, it is easier for me to understand why a character does what they do. But especially in films I am often unimmersed by the stupidity of the characters. A relatively recent example comes to mind: The Cloverfield Paradox. Astronauts are supposed to be créme de la créme of humanity, so if they lose their shit and start acting irrationally and egoistically just because something weird happens, I don't think that's realistic. They would never be allowed in space if they were that easily disturbed.
Which brings me to another point about fiction in general. I really hate it when the good guys (especially superheroes) never seem to actually kill anyone or at least you never see any blood, considering how much fighting and maiming is going on around. Look, pacifism is cool and all, but it's not realistic: who wants to keep looking over their shoulder. In the CYOA Anansi says that readers won't like the hero if he's a killer, but I think that is changing with the advent of antiheroes. It is not feasible for a person to save the world without breaking a few bad eggs. And I think that's why antiheroes are the becoming more popular at the moment. They provide a story, that's more down-to-earth instead of a dressed up ignore-the-icky-bits-narrative. No pain, no gain.
I've played a lot of Telltale Games' adventure games, which rely heavily on good storytelling, instead of gameplay. The game is filled choices tod make, and people often die or worse, if you choose wrong. Because I emphatise with the characters (they're very well made), I feel that I'm able to explore my own moral landscape as well, and to see where my priorities lie. And that is good storytelling.
Regarding the game; I'm a practical guy, so for the first question asked I replied instantly "kill the master." I'm simple like that; Clean, and efficient with minimal effort and no need for second guessing. Probably my feelings towards authority also add to my choice. I prefer my kind of brutal realism to many of the narrative devices used in fiction. Wonky storytelling elements and sudden moments of unexplainable out-of-character stupidity are often used just to get the hero in the right place at the right time for the story to progress. I feel that these methods are the hallmarks of cheap and lazy storytelling.
Because books are more in-depth, it is easier for me to understand why a character does what they do. But especially in films I am often unimmersed by the stupidity of the characters. A relatively recent example comes to mind: The Cloverfield Paradox. Astronauts are supposed to be créme de la créme of humanity, so if they lose their shit and start acting irrationally and egoistically just because something weird happens, I don't think that's realistic. They would never be allowed in space if they were that easily disturbed.
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| "Professionals" |
Which brings me to another point about fiction in general. I really hate it when the good guys (especially superheroes) never seem to actually kill anyone or at least you never see any blood, considering how much fighting and maiming is going on around. Look, pacifism is cool and all, but it's not realistic: who wants to keep looking over their shoulder. In the CYOA Anansi says that readers won't like the hero if he's a killer, but I think that is changing with the advent of antiheroes. It is not feasible for a person to save the world without breaking a few bad eggs. And I think that's why antiheroes are the becoming more popular at the moment. They provide a story, that's more down-to-earth instead of a dressed up ignore-the-icky-bits-narrative. No pain, no gain.
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| Telltale Games The Walking Dead |
I've played a lot of Telltale Games' adventure games, which rely heavily on good storytelling, instead of gameplay. The game is filled choices tod make, and people often die or worse, if you choose wrong. Because I emphatise with the characters (they're very well made), I feel that I'm able to explore my own moral landscape as well, and to see where my priorities lie. And that is good storytelling.
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