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LFTE: Games With Character (Dec 10)
Some games are simple in design, like the groundbreaking
Pong. Others, like Red Dead Redemption or the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, are
complex worlds filled with mini-
games, sprawling narratives, artificially intelligent automatons, and vast
landscapes. Is one more deserving than the other of praise? As a gamer, the
answer is easy. A great game is a great game regardless of its budget,
storytelling techniques, or rendering prowess.
However, story and characters can be extracted from the game experiences themselves and subjected to another layer of scrutiny. Their mere presence can define a game (an image of a stoic Master Chief comes immediately to mind), and these creations can live on in other forms of entertainment.
In the early days, game developers told stories using nothing but text and your imagination. With seasoned scriptwriters, lore masters, and an army of talented artists, the tools available to developers today are light years ahead of those formative years. As a result, the characters and their stories have matured alongside the power of the processors.
This issue's cover story highlights the most compelling characters of the last decade and chronicles the crucial role character development serves in interactive entertainment's present and future. It serves as a great reminder of how characters have changed over the last 10 years and opens the imagination to what will be possible 10 years from today. Game developers aren't just creating games; they are creating entire worlds for us to explore. It's more proof that games are the defining entertainment medium of our day.
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