Ars Technica recently posted the second part of an ongoing series looking at the importance of writing in computer games. The articles examine the lack of quality writing in many titles and the difficulty introduced by the interactive nature of games.

Writing for games is too often attempted as a linear exercise, which might be okay for an utterly linear game like Gears of War, but typically falls down the moment the game offers choices or branches, as the writing then has to adapt to cover emergent situations—not an easy thing to do. Throwing a film writer or novelist at a game architecture encounters this problem, especially when the person isn't an experienced gamer or doesn't play many open-world or RPG titles.

An open-world, user-driven game is a tough nugget to crack. Trying to infuse it with a linear story line is almost a paradox, because by its very nature, a completely user-driven experience means a user-defined narrative, where the developer provides the seeds, events, tools, and mechanics for users to employ and experience as they choose. However, married to an IP developed from a filmic source, the development team must find a way to saddle, or bridle, the open-world experience with an overarching linear narrative.

Ars Technica: Why Writing In Games Matters Part 1

Ars Technica: Why Writing In Games Matters Part 2

Search for other Mac games news stories or browse our Mac Games News Archive.