Ideas for paper:

At the other end of the extreme is a blank-slate character, that can say and do anything the player wants. Due to the realistic constraints of game design, there is no game that uses the extreme of this method; therefore, this can be looked at in how much choice the player is given in navigating the pre-existing world. An extreme example of this is the independent game Façade; more mainstream examples include many Western RPGs, such as the games of Black Isle Studios (Fallout, Planescape: Torment, Baldur's Gate) and Deus Ex.  In these games, the player is given numerous dialog options in every interaction with NPCs, and multiple solutions to any obstacle presented to the player. The player is also able to change the resolution of the plot through his actions.

"Telling stories in games are hard. Consider that a game is an 8-24 hours experience. When did you see a interesting and compelling 8-24 hour movie last? Games have to finds its own way of telling stories, instead of relying on old methods from other mediums. The problem is that movies are so standard it's a hard thing to change."

Many of the most-lauded examples of game narrative amount to little more than interactive films. In fact, the most "open" form of game narrative is also the first - interactive fiction. Developers have used advancements in graphics and sound to emulate films rather than escape from them. Is this good or bad? What can games do to be more distinct? Warning: This is a big and difficult topic.

Noteworthy or Peculiar Examples of Narrative in Games (in Alphabetical Order)

*Note: These are, unless otherwise noted, GOOD stories or use of narrative. Much can be learned from bad stories and narrative, but I am not compiling those as, frankly, they are far easier to find. Also, these are only games I have played extensively and can actually remember. That said, this is not simply a list of games with great stories: some, like Arcanum, are fantastic, but don't do anything that other equally good games don't do. Finally, any independent study could only involve a few of these games, for time constraints, unless perhaps we had both already played the game.

Ace Combat 05: Shattered Skies: While it tells a decent story, the notable thing about this is that it is an explicitly anti-war game; yet the gameplay consists of the player blowing tons of enemy planes out of the skies.  I STILL haven't figured out whether this is some sort of weird commentary or just an example of an incompetent disconnect between story and gameplay, though I suspect the latter.

Advance Wars has a generic story, but is notable for somehow taking modern warfare and making it cutesy and kid-friendly. Not sure how.

Anachronox is a rare example of a game that is neither entirely humorous (Monkey Island) nor entirely serious (most game plots) but a perfect balance of the two. It's also notable for being the first third of a projected trilogy, which will presumably never be finished.

Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden is a story that could only be done in game form, as its comedy stems not just from its script, but the way it lampoons game story conventions while simultaneously emulating them. The plot is too weird to get published, and would require too many special effects to do as a film; it could therefore only be done as a low-budget freeware game. This brings us to a fundamental truth with games: Special effects are free, insofar as that it is no more difficult to make a dinosaur in a game than it is to make a person. Therefore, while science-fiction and fantasy stories are traditionally much more expensive in film than straight literary drama, this is not true in games.

The Civilization series is a subset of game that creates its narrative not from its script, but its trimming. A game of Civilization has no script, yet still tells a "story" in that the technological advancements, units, strategies, etc. all call from history, and so provide a framework for the player to imagine his small tribe becoming a modern civilization.

Darwinia is an example of very minimalist storytelling in games - that isn't a lot of quantity, and yet it manages to be emotionally affecting and poignant. Also a story where there are only 3 characters: the professor, the unnamed Player Character, and the Darwinians (who, despite being a sort of species, function as a singular character).

Deus Ex: Deus Ex is a collection of storytelling devices that are unique to gaming. First, it is a famous example of allowing the player a relatively large amount of freedom; it manages to have a player character with an established background and place in the universe, and yet the player control his attitude and responses to a degree. A must for Paper 1. Deus Ex also presents us with another key gaming advantage that I will coin "multi-level storytelling". In essence, the player can absorb as much of a story as they want. If they so choose, they can run through the game, doing the bare minimum necessary to progress and having a scant few conversation and cutscenes. If they want to explore further, they can have additional conversations with NPCs and do side quests. If they want to get the full experience, they can read newspapers and novels scattered throughout the game, hack into people's computers to read e-mail, and use passwords found in datacubes to access new areas with more information. In a book or a film, you do not control how much information is given to you; in a game, you can.

Dreamfall: The Longest Journey is an example of using multiple player characters - and multiple perspectives - to tell a story. While this has been done in other mediums, the player's need to control that character - and therefore actively pursue their objectives - gives them greater empathy with their point of view. This is also done in Suikoden III.

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is the most egregious example of multi-level storytelling; the vast majority of "story" is hidden away in books and such, rather than in the main plot.

Façade is a non-linear one room drama, in which the player's words and actions influence an argument between a married couple. Hard to describe, but definitely unique to gaming.

Fallout is a great example of the use of atmosphere as the prevailing element in a story, rather than plot or characters. I believe this is also the case with the Silent Hill series, though that often uses atmosphere in PLACE of a coherent plot, rather than as a compliment for one.

Final Fantasy VIII is an interesting example of "emergent storytelling" - ambiguities in the plot lead to an analysis of it (the Rinoa/Ultimecia theory) that greatly enhances the complexity - and, arguably, the quality - of the story. What's interesting is that there is no evidence that the developers ever intended for the story to be interpreted this way.

Front Mission 3 is notable not only for having a "dual narrative" (where an early decision of the player's branches the narrative into two similar but separate narratives) but for having an entire internet within the game, where one can go to company websites, read e-mail, etc; provides tons of exposition that would not be available in other formats.

Grim Fandango is a great story, but is notable for something that is shared by all Lucasarts adventures: character commentary. In the game, a good amount of humor (as well as a bit of insight into the story and characters) is not caused by dialog interaction, but by interacting with pointers of interest. If I say "examine tower", the player character (Manny) will say something. If I say "pick up tower" he'll say something else. I can also use the tower, either on its own or with a variety of objects. The most important one is the examine command - this provides a very directed form of multi-level storytelling.

Half-Life 2 gets acclaim for relatively radical re-direction of a story; Half-Life's relatively straightforward sci-fi-horror-movie series of scripted events was turned into a complex dystopian tale.

Indigo Prophecy was created with the intent of re-defining player narrative (there are some director commentaries that say as much)  and while it falls apart in the final quarter of the game, it is nevertheless thoroughly worthwhile to anyone interested in narrative in games; it works very hard to create the illusion of non-linearity, while also using a particularly effective form of the "multiple perspectives" form (as in Dreamfall).

Killer7 is trying to do something innovative with its narrative, which due to the game's surreal nature is difficult to put into words. Haven't finished this one, but intend to as soon as I can. Intensely political and largely surreal at the same time.

Legend of Mana organizes its "story" into a series of individual but overlapping quests, often surprisingly mature in their resolutions.

The Longest Journey is a great example of a "mature" game, not in the sense of overbrimming with violence, but in the way it handles themes and tells its story. Also the first game I know of to feature a homosexual character for non-erotic purposes (which disqualifies YOU, Fear Effect!)

Max Payne seeks out to use a very distinct style (in this case, "graphic-novel-hard-boiled-film-noir"), being a full-on genre piece in ways that few games are. Its sequel, while possessing a weaker story, features the titular character in his middle age - very rare for a game sequel.

The Metal Gear Solid series is the preeminent example of "cinematic storytelling" in games. Despite allegations that they are "movies with bits of game stuck in," the series increases breaks down the line between cutscene and gameplay more and more as it progresses, culminating in Metal Gear Solid 4, where one is hard to remove from the other. Also an example of fully serial storytelling, in which one cannot understand the latest game in a series without having played the previous ones - rare in the modern game age.

Metroid Prime seeks to tell its story with no dialog of any sort - purely through encyclopedic entries on objects. Personally, I don't think it's that good of a story, but it's notable for the method it chooses to convey it. Also, REALLY catchy menu music.

Portal has even fewer characters than Darwinia (depending on how one counts), and represents a plot that is largely intertwined with the gameplay.

Planescape: Torment is, in a sense, the counter part to Metal Gear Solid; if that is the preeminent example of the game as a film, then this is the game as a novel. Possesses a larger script than perhaps any other game. AWESOME.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl not only has far too much punctuation in its title, but is perhaps the only example of a narrative that is ENHANCED by a poor translation. Also, crazy-atmosphere.

Sam & Max Season 1 & 2 is the most famous and successful example of episodic gaming, with the narrative structure following the format of a television show, rather than a film.

Shenmue I & II possess ham-fisted scripts and bad English voice acting, but attempt to create a fully-fleshed out, living world in a way that no game had done before and few games have attempted since.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is one of the more extreme examples of what happens when you pigeonhole a storyline into a game that does not call for it. Hilarious? Yes! Sensible? No!

System Shock and System Shock 2 were groundbreaking RPGs in a number of ways, not least was the fact that there were no other living NPCs for the player-character to interact with, and so all such interaction was done by audio diaries or related means.

Tachyon: The Fringe stars Bruce Campbell. What, that's not good enough?

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines is an example of a narrative with an overwhelming focus on dialog (and excellent dialog it is!) and lore (for lack of a better word). AFAIK, the only great vampire-focused game.

Games with great scripts that are not distinctive enough to make the list:

*Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

*Baldur's Gate & Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn

*Chrono Trigger & Chrono Cross

*Crimson Skies

*Full Throttle

*Monkey Island series (the first three, anyway - lots of folk hate the fourth!)

*Freespace 2

*Disgaea: Hour of Darkness (at least until the end, where it completely falls apart)

*Final Fantasy Tactics is apparently pretty good with the new translation of the PSP version (the original Playstation release seemed like it had a good story, but the translation was so awful that it was hard to tell)

*Halo: Combat Evolved (I DON'T CARE WHAT ANYONE ELSE SAYS - the first Halo game had a downright solid story.)

*Homeworld (Not as good as everyone says, IMHO, but still pleasant)

*Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising

*Hyperspace Delivery Boy! (The most obscure game among my favorites, it's not even POSSIBLE to acquire copies of this gem anymore - it was, AFAIK, only distributed digitally, and that distributor is gone. Hopefully it's on a bittorrent somewhere.)

*Independence War is supposed to be awesome - I have only played Independence War 2, which is quite nice but apparently not as good from a narrative standpoint.

*Interstate '76

*Larry Vales series (you may have heard of this)

*Mafia

*Loom

*Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle

*MechCommander 2

*No More Heroes

*No One Lives Forever

*Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

*Pikmin 2

*Psychonauts

*Sacrifice

*Sam & Max Hit the Road

*Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (Star Wars + Planescape: Torment + Rushed Development Schedule = KOTOR II)

*Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis