A lot has changed in video games over the last 30 years — largely for the better. But if there's one area in which games are still showing themselves up, it's in predictable storylines and amateur dialogue.

You know the routine; aliens take over the world and it's your job to take them out with giant mechs. Alas, forced remarks and trite expletives plague the otherwise enjoyable experience. "On a scale of 1-10, I would give the evolution of video game stories a four," says Peter Wanat, a producer of six years for Vivendi Games. "We have a few great ones, but for the most part, we are not even middle of the road."

moscallout Delivering believable stories in video games is far more complex than doing so on the big screen /moscallout

The once fledgling videogame industry with its minuscule budgets forced early game makers to wear several different hats, including storytelling ones even if they didn't have prior experience. "When video games began, particularly on the PC, they were made by one, two, and three-person teams," says Newsweek's N'Gai Croal, a vocal proponent against amateur game dialogue. "Very few of these people had professional writing experience." It worked for the most part because games only told text-based stories leaving it up to players to fill in the creative gaps. "Back in the day all you needed was a good script and that was the game," says Wanat. But as video games became more cinematic, writing and dialogue couldn't keep up due to the absence of legitimate storytellers.

Not all games require stories, however (e.g. puzzle games). "I think story lines are important to games, but unlike film, TV, and movies, it's far from the most important element," claims the Vivendi producer. "If you don't have game play than just pack it in — it doesn't matter how good the story is." So video games don't necessarily need a plot, only enjoyment. That being the case, stories and dialogue can quickly take a back seat to gameplay should development difficulties arise.

Well-versed Screenwriters

What must be done to better the quality of game storylines and dialogue then? The simple answer would be to bring a bunch of Hollywood writers into the fold. But delivering believable stories in video games is far more complex than doing so on the big screen as interactivity and the player's ability to control cadence pose significant challenges. "To improve the state of storytelling in video games, we need screenwriters who are well-versed in video games, and video game makers who are well-versed in writing," resolves Croal. "Writing a good script isn't easy, and I don't think most people in the industry have enough experience." So it might be that we need a whole new generation of professionals to be raised before seeing significant change.

Further frustrating a solution is that our industry may not be in a position to afford top writing talent, this despite $14 billion a year in revenues. "Writing for games takes a long time and doesn't pay well in comparison to other avenues for that level of talent," says Wanat. "And it's harder now with all the moving parts of games to pull it off."

Ultimately, though, the responsibility to ensure quality storylines, dialogue, line reading, and voice talent rests squarely on the shoulders of producers. "It's the job of producer at a publisher to say, 'No, that's not good enough,'" continues Wanat. "Every time you get a bad developer-created storyline, you can point to a producer at the publisher who should have put his foot down." Croal, who has a background in off-Broadway theatre, echoes the sentiment: "We need producers who are knowledgeable in these areas, and who can demand excellence in storytelling from their creative teams." The same applies for top-level executives and everyone else within a given organization. Then, and only then, will we start to see considerable improvement.

"As persistence works its way into console gaming, I think you will see reformation," affirms Wanat. "Games will get deeper."

Nothing will change, of course, unless gamers themselves demand better dialogue and story lines when purchasing games. "For all of my criticism of the dialogue in Gears of War, it's still a runaway success," concludes Croal. "Which means in the marketplace, Cliffy B (the game's lead designer) was far more right than I was."