Task 1 - Forms Of Storytelling

Games have been influenced highly from other forms of media, whether they develop a full book story into a game or if they use a films idea to create a mechanic as part of the game it is safe to say that many companies use other sources as material to create their games. In this task I will explain how four different forms of media have influenced the gaming industry and how games have been created from them.

Text
Books have been a massive influence on the gaming industry, due to the imagination and wide range of books that have been produced then it would be hard not to use them for inspiration. Companies can also use a wide range of genres and book types to inspire them, by this I mean that they could (and have in the past) used comics, fiction/non-fiction novels and even the bible to base their games on. Below will be a range of examples and how they have used books to inspire or create their games.


Bioshock

Bioshock is a video game influenced by many different forms of text, a lot of it is influenced by philosophical writing. A main influence can be seen in the Atlas shrugged book by Ayn Rand which was created in 1957, the main themes of the book are about a dystopian United states and the "role of mans mind in existence" as described by Rand herself. This influenced Ken Levine into thinking of this dystopian city underwater known as rapture and about the mind of man which is a massive theme explored throughout the Bioshock game. He was also influenced by George Orwell and found both Rand and Orwell's ideas fascinating.

From these simple ideas of a dystopian city, psychology and other influences such as stem cell research and much more, the idea of Bioshock was created. The premise of Bioshock goes like this, the player is involved in a plane crash in the middle of the ocean. They find a lighthouse and swim towards it, as they explore they find a submarine type object that leads them into the depths of the ocean. This is where the dystopian city comes into play as the entirety of Bioshock is set in this giant 1940's styled city underwater. Upon entering the lighthouse the player can already see philosophy come into play as there is a banner which says "no gods or kings. Only man." This showcases Levine's study into books on psychology and his fascination to do with it.

As for the rest of the story there are some big comparisons between the Atlas shrugged book and Bioshock, an example of this is the alloy called Rearden metal found in the Atlas shrugged book. It is the most reliable alloy in the world, was developed by a random person and sparks jealousy throughout the creators competitors as he keeps the composition secret. We can see the similarity of that to the substance known as Adam in the Bioshock game. Adam is a source that sends the dystopian world into jealousy, it was manufactured underground and gave people powers such as telekinesis and fire, however, due to its abilities everyone became jealous of one another and turned to try and get the most Adam they could. These similarities are very high between Bioshock and Atlas shrugged, even one of the characters in the Bioshock universe disguises his name using Atlas (which could be coincidence or influenced by the book). As for the rest of the game, it uses no more influences except for quotes from or about philosophy and is completely made from the games developers.

This game shows how someones has taken multiple influences and based them into something completely new and different, it shows how the developers have taken influence but created a world entirely different from the knowledge they have gained and made mechanics which fit into the influences but are also original ideas.




Binding of Isaac

The binding of Isaac is an RPG shooter game that gets a lot of its influence from the bible. The aim of the game is to progress through each floor and fight a boss which allows you to get to the next floor until all floors are beaten. However, there are many endings to it allowing for multiple play throughs that differ from the previous ones. If you look into the games mechanics and objects you can get a lot of references to the Catholic religion and the Bible itself. Some examples of these include the names of the characters such as Cain, Judas, Eve etc. (they are all well known characters in the bible) and the story itself (including the name which is modelled after the story the binding of Isaac.) The story in the bible goes like this, there was a man named abraham who loved God so much he'd do anythig for him. One day God speaks to Abraham and asks him to sacrifice his son Isaac to show his devotion. The same story happens in the binding of Isaac video game except it is Isaac's mother who is spoken to by God.

Asides from the whole religious theme there is no more influence towards the game except from Edmund McMillen's past experiences with religion in his family and dungeon and dragons. The game is basically a dungeon crawler that is played differently each time with items being collected to either buff or nerf the player. Each item is related to Edmund in some way and some can be seen to be influenced by the Catholic religion again when it comes to items like the book of revelation, the book of sin, Rosary beads and more. There are also mechanics such as offering hearts to a devil statue to gain items which can be correlated to stories about selling your soul to the devil in exchange for something you desire. There are also level based around heaven and hell such as the cathedral which is obviously based around the catholic religion again.

For this game the creators didn't take a book and revamp it, they used a story that was famous and inserted references to religion and other Catholic things and shaped a game around it making the gameplay have nothing to do with religion at all. If there were no items involved and the story was taken out then the game would be of a young boy named Isaac who defeats walking turds with his tears. This showcases one of the ways that developers will look at books for influence.

Ultimate Spiderman

Spiderman is a huge comic character and widely known across the world, to give a little background he is a superhero with spider powers including wall crawling and web shooters. It is also quite light hearted and comedic giving the games environment a light look to it (except for the venom areas of the game, they are quite dark to match the theme of playing as a villain.) There have been a few games created based on the films that use the same mechanics and are very similar however, this game was inspired by the comic book version that is known as the ultimate spiderman which is where the game gets its name from. The game includes a lot of similarities to the comic including the style of it. This game takes the story of the ultimate spiderman comic and just transoms it into a game, instead of taking inspiration from it or using it to create something entirely different or original they instead take the characters, story and environment and place it into a game for people to explore. Instead of changing the style as well, they keep it in a comic book type way with cutscenes looking as though you are reading the pages of a comic and the art being drawn into the style of a cartoon.

As for Spidermans powers they are altered to become mechanics of the game, some of these mechanics include wall climbing to maneuver up buildings, web swinging to get around the open world, spider sense allowing you to dodge attacks by enemies and more. The enemies also included are based on those featured in the ultimate Spiderman universe such as Venom, Carnage, the green goblin and more. It also contains a collectibles mechanic allowing you to collect comic book covers (paying its dues to the comic industry), secret tokens and landmark tokens. Another mechanic was a mini game which would involve spiderman racing against time or other characters such as the human torch (another character from the marvel universe.) If we look at the Venom side of the game then we can see different mechanics being interpreted to match the character that is Venom. To regain health after being hurt you can eat innocent civilians, this shows his evil and non moral side. If you hold down the jump button he will perform a super jump and if you go upto cars and click in a certain button then he will pick it up to use as a weapon, these help to symbolise his brute strength that he has in the comics and shows how they turned that from a simple image into a mechanic of the game.

This game shows how developers have looked at a comic and revamped it into a style that they thought would be suitable for a game, it may not fully go along with the stories of the comics but it does showcase one of the ways in which games are developed and how they are influenced from style.



Batman

Batman is also a huge comic character known across the world. This character and his universe is a lot more darker than spiderman's so his video games have quite a dark and more serious theme to them. These games differ very widely from the spiderman games, in the batman arkham series they use a more realistic art style to portray their game. The series keeps an open world aspect yet for arkham asylum it was narrowed to down to an island instead of a full city. The environment of the game utilises the use of night to give a dark atmosphere, it is also heavily centered on exploring inside of buildings so the developers created narrow corridors to keep that serious theme.


A mechanic implemented from the comics is the utility belt that batman has, in the comic industry with geeks and nerds batman is heavily known for his wide array of objects that he is disposable of, two examples of this would be the batarang and explosive gel that can be used in game. They are both items that are usable within the game and must be used to complete puzzles. the player can cycle through each of the items and equip any item at any point of the game allowing for different ways to access areas and to guide the player into where they should be going next. A massive part of the game is the puzzle aspect that is involved, due to batman being the world's greatest detective and having multiple tools that can be used, the developers can create puzzles and take platforming in a direction that wouldn't have the player just walking around. It also helps towards the side mission of the riddler (a main villain of batman) as the developers utilised his signature symbol into multiple trophy collectibles, the only way to achieve these collectibles are by combing and using different items to access the areas they are hidden in.

Another few mechanics influenced by the comics are the flying mechanic which allows batman to use his cape to glide around the map after jumping off a building, the martial arts which have been altered so that it makes the player feel as though they are countering attacks and fighting enemies in a style that batman would do it, if the player messes up during combat then it is their fault. To uitilise the use of martial arts they have added actions for each action button and created combos for the player to use, they will also have to use different action buttons to take down certain types of enemies and the player can even use the gadgets from the utility belt to aid in combat. Another mechanic influenced by the comics is the grapple hook, a main gadget that batman uses to ascend to the tops of building in a matter of second, they made it so that in the game any ledges possible to grapple upto can be done by approaching the building or ledge you wish to ascend to and pressing a certain action button. One final mechanic which has been influenced by batman yet isn't in the comics is the detective mode, this is a mode that acts as a x-ray type sight which allows batman to see everyone and important objects in the environment.

This game shows how developers have looked at a comic and how they have revamped it into a style of their own. The stories have given them influence but the game are is not in direct correlation with comics themselves, instead they have taken the lore, environment, enemies and more but shaped it into a story that is there own also continuing onto three more games after this one. This showcases how developers take characters from a book and use the influences to create a story of their own.







Theatre

Theatre is also another example of inspiration that there has been on the gaming industry. It is a lot obscurer than most other influences but there have been few which have helped to shape how a game looks, the story and mechanics involved. These could be plays from the victorian era or plays of the modern day that have helped to influence games. Below are a few examples of games influenced by theatre.


Battleblock theater

Battleblock theater is a prime example of a game influenced by theatre. The entire story of battleblock theater is based inside of a theatre for cats where the players are treated like prisoners who must perform for the audience against their will. The levels are based on a stage of a theatre are designed in a 2D aspect of going from left to right and right to left such as a real play.. The influences that theatre has on this game is the style and story, when looking at the levels you can see that the environment looks like cardboard cut out and painted over like a play fro children in year 6. The cutscenes are also done in a form that looks like cardboard cut out characters but done in a punch and Judy style way with the characters looking like they are being controlled from underneath the stage.

The rest of the game is based around the platforming on the stages and the collectibles. The theatre setting helps to create certain aspects of platforming due to it needing to stay in the sight of the audience. The rest of the story is about keeping the cats pleased with your performances and rescuing your friend. There is one more mechanic which is based off of theatre and that is the grading mechanic, the more gems you collectibles you get in a level and how fast you complete it gives you a grading. This can result back to how pleased the audience is with your performance which can be associated to how people react to a play in real life or how critics rate plays.


Mario 3

The style of Super Mario bros. 3 is done in the aspect of a theatre with the opening of the game having a curtain raise to reveal the title sequence. The curtains stay at the top as they would in a theatre while the props and title sequence have a shadow as if a spotlight from the theatre is shining down upon them. As the game goes on you can see platforms have screws in the corners of them as if they have been screwed into the wall. The ending of the game also has the curtains lower like the play is over with it being raised again as if to let the audience give an applause to the characters that were involved as they went from world to world.

The style of the game was the only influence of theatre they had, the mechanics and characters were not influenced by theatre as this was the third game to have been made but the art and overall look seems as though it has been influenced by theatre.

Puppeteer

The puppeteer is another prime example of theatre being used as influence for a game. The entire aspect of the puppeteer revolves around theatre even the characters themselves. The way the game transitions from area to area, the charcaters and their materials, the sounds of the games they all relate back and show a high sense of theatre. One of the mechanics in the game is to show a spotlight following the character, this shows that he is a main character and helps the player to pinpoint where they are. It also relates back to theatre due to the fact there will be people controlling spotlights to keep the actors visible to see. The materials of the characters look like they are made from wool or material that a puppet is made of to further enhance that this is a puppet play.

Everything about the puppeteer can be traced back to theatre, even the story is quite a typical play with a princess being captured and the main character having to save her and stop the evil forces from triumphing. This shows how the developers have taken the way theatre is looked at and shaped it into a game of their liking. It lets the player feel as thought they are experiencing a play but being able to control it instead of just having to watch it.

Film
Films are another piece of media that has helped to shape stories and the mechanics featured into them. Whether this is just the story of a film being portrayed into a game, the mechanics or inspiration some games have taken films and shaped them into a game for people to play instead of just watch. Below are some examples:

The warriors

The warriors was a film created in 1979 and based on a book of the same name from 1965. The film is about a gang known as the warriors who is being hunted down both by other gangs and the cops for a crime that they didn't commit. They must fight from one territory to the next until they get back to their turf (Coney island.) The game is developed by rockstar and is based on the film rather than the book. As for the game, it uses the entire names and is a replica of the film during the second half. As for the first half of the game, it sets the player up. It is a story completely made up by rockstar games about how they survive and live. The mechanics of the game are based on fighting techniques that gang members would have, it is a lot of fist and kick based attacks but weapons can be used such as baseballs and knives. The game is made up of nine main characters.

Each member has a different ability or has some stats that are a more lenient than others e.g. Rembrant is the tagger of the group, he will use spray cans to mark tags across the city of the warriors logo (a mechanic in the game allows you to spray paint logos and marks onto walls and to even use the spray can as a weapon) however, Rembrant isn't as strong as other characters such as Ajax and will be softer in battle whereas Ajax will be able to fight through more enemies and take more damage. Another part of the game is the ability unlocks, in the hub world you can complete side missions and tasks to help you later in the game. This can range from learning more combos for fighting to doing more damage from basic attacks to escaping from hand cuffs with keys instead of having to break them and more. The character development is more heavy in this game than the film due to the fact that you will spend more time associated with the characters, you can learn their back stories and how they recruited and more yet they will either die or get caught in the same way that happened in the film except this time there is more connection.

This game is a great example of a good game from film to video game as rockstar captured the environment and characters from the film and turned the crazy world of theirs into an explorable one for players to see, they altered things from the movies to become mechanics in the game and even created a story of their own to be a prologue to the film showing how rocksteady weren't just taking the full story but creating their own to co-inside and flow into the original story. Even the art style is based around making it feel realistic.

Incredibles

The incredibles is a well known film throughout the world and was created by Disney and Pixar. It is a family friendly film about a family of superhero's who are attempting to live a normal family life but are forced to fight and save their hometown and the world after it is threatened. The four main characters which are featured in the game are Mr incredible, Elstagirl, Violet and Dash. They each have their own super powers and have mechanics built around their powers. The game utilises a cartoon graphic style to look like the film and uses cutscenes from the films themselves instead of making cutscenes. This is because the game is a direct copy of the film using the exact plot and characters to help progress it.

The mechanics found differ from character to character, to make sure that it makes sense and stays true to the film they made the characters have different abilities. For Mr Incredible he has super strength and can pick up heavy objects to throw at enemies or other objects to progress through the level. Elstagirl has mechanics such as using her stretch to get across gaps by swinging and can attack enemies from range due to her being able to stretch. Dash has his levels placed out so you have to race a time limit getting from one area to the other without crashing into objects like a racing type mini game this is because of his super speed. As for violet's mission they are based around stealth due to the nature of her being able to turn invisible.

LA noire

LA noire is a game that takes themes from detective type films such as the naked city, Chinatown, the untouchables, the black dahlia and L.A. confidential. It is set during 1947 and follows a detective who solves cases like murder. It is an open world game and uses a lot of references to the 1940's era in how the game looks, the objects involved, the environment, the characters and more. This game doesn't follow a story and is completely made up from the developers. It uses stories from the films that are stated above to create a world based around crime solving and themes of that era. Instead of using a map to mark your next location you will use a note book which will place a guideline on your mini map, this allows to keep up appearance with the style and theme of the game.

The whole story, city and characters are made up by the developers whereas things like the cars, weapons and clothes are all influenced by films and real life. The difference between this game and the two above is the fact that it doesn't take a story and revamp it, instead it just takes influence from old films and they create a universe that is completely controlled by them.

Television

Television is the final piece of media that influences video games. When it comes to television they usually influence games to be very similar to the game instead of using television for inspiration although some developers will look at some television series for influnce like lost and bioshock. The plane crash at the beginning of bioshcok was influenced by the crash in lost.



Game of thrones

Game of thrones is a big hit TV show that is airing, the game takes place from the end of the third season to the start of the fifth season, it uses characters from the TV show and places them in the game for you to interact with. The players that you play as are not in the TV series but are mentioned in part of the novel that the TV series is based off of. The style of the game is done in a point and click style with decisions playing key factors in the story and choosing one option could result in a different outcome to the other options. The influences from the TV that can be seen in the game are the environments, characters, music etc.

Due to it being connected to the TV show this already establishes a connection between the player and the characters, because of this choices between people can alter the gameplay widely depending on whether they dislike or like the player in the TV show and the game. Any mechanics in the game are simply influenced by previous telltale titles.


The Simpsons game

The Simpsons game is based on the TV series the Simpsons, a huge series that has been running for over 20 years. The story of the game is about how the Simpsons has to save the earth from aliens. The references involved are influenced by references from both the episodes of the TV show and events of the time. They also added in abilities for the characters that you play as. Homer would use gluttony, helium and slime to power him up. Bart would transform into his bartman outfit. Marge would convince people to fight for her and build/destroy sign or buildings and Lisa would use the power of the buddha to manipulate the world around her picking up heavy objects and placing them to progress. Each of these powers have something to do with the characters whether it is personal or put into a comedic light.

The art style of the game matches the art style of the TV show but done in a 3D model and the environment is done in using Springfield and brand new areas for the player to explore. It brings in a new story for the player to explore. All characters involved can be found in the TV show and the story was even written by the usual writers of the TV show. Electronic arts are the team that developed the gameplay.

Sesame street

Sesame street is a child's TV programme that teaches young children numerical, literacy and other educational skills that are taught in school. When they make video games they stick to the same overall premise of teaching children skills in education. These types of games keep the same characters and are quite simple in design and puzzle. However, the use of sesame street allows for the children to already have a bond with characters so they become more interested in the game due to this fact. The stories will be very simple is there is a story at all and usually the mini games are there so children can learn while having fun. There isn't much to say about this type of game but it shows how characters from children's TV shows can be adapted into video games so video games can be used for an education programme.

Sources:

hhttp://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/Rapture

http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/File:Bioshock_rapture-wide.jpg

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/662.Atlas_Shrugged

http://neodulis.deviantart.com/art/The-binding-of-isaac-characters-491903868

http://bindingofisaac.com/

http://kotaku.com/the-binding-of-isaac-rebirth-rejected-by-apple-due-to-1757647059

http://controversy360.com/is-the-bible-complete-or-not-complete/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimate_Spider-Man_(video_game)

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2005/06/25/ultimate-spider- man-10

http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/ultimate-spider-man/screenshots/gameShotId,249702/

http://johnpdoran.com/examining-game- mechanics-spider- man/

http://moviepilot.com/posts/2727761

http://throwingdigitalsheep.com/re-play-batman-arkham-asylum/

http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2014/03/22/75-greatest-batman-covers-of-all-time-master-list/

Task 2 - Storytelling Within Genre's

Profile and use an example of how each genre uses storytelling and how it accommodates it’s gameplay type:

First Person Shooter (FPS)

The first person genre uses storytelling by putting the player in the body of the character they are, you see what they see and act as though you are them to an extent. It's a way for developers to make a character that shares an experience with the player but not in a sense that there is two people, it gives it in a sense that there is only one and makes it out as though the player is now that protagonist, any memories they have will be shared with the player as though it is the player's memories and things like that. It gives the sense of a second life or reality in a way. Due to it being first person the gameplay in the games feel different to other genres because if a character looks at you (the player) it feels as though they are addressing you and not some fictional person. Some examples are:

Call of duty

Call of duty is a big franchise known widely for its use of the FPS (and repeated yearly games.) Although its storytelling has gone downwards in recent years they use to have a highly good way storytelling and getting its story across by using the FPS concept. If we look at Call of duty world at war then we can see this fantastic story that could only be expressed in first person, this is because the game makes you feel like a soldier fighting for the allies. The gritty environment that is placed helps to visualise how bad it was to be a soldier in the war and the acts of heroism such as charging across a battlefield being bombarded with mortars makes the player feel pumped and prepared for battle. A great moment from the world at war game is the final act where you have to plant the flag upon the Reichstag, this is due to the fact the layer gets to finish the war themselves through plating said flag, however, they are ambushed and almost killed getting shot by a german soldier. Due to the blood around the edge of the screen and the sounds becoming distant it feels as though you will die making the entire scene intense but thanks to a fellow comrade known as Reznov you survive and he speaks to the player helping them so plant the flag down making for a relieving and memorable ending to a game.

Bioshock

Bioshock is another great use of first person shooting to get its themes and story across. Due to the gritty world of rapture the player gets to experience this intense, mysterious, dark filled, abandoned dystopia. The first person aspect again allows for the player to feel as though they are the player in the game, they get to experience the intense feeling of claustrophobia and isolation as they explore the gritty rooms and hallways of rapture. They can also see inside the mind of the protagonist during one point in the game where he has a sudden realisation and flashbacks begin to appear, the flashbacks appear as though you are experiencing them and the way that they are done can only be seen by a FPS. As for the combat, it is heavily based on guns and plasmids with the player using their left hand to use an elemental effect such as fire and the right hand to use weapons like a pistol or machine gun because they are each situated to a hand it shows the player which controls will be used for which attack.

Mirror's edge

Mirror's edge is a fantastic game that differs hugely from the two previously mentioned game, this is due to the fact that it concentrates less on being a shooter and more on being a platforming however, it still contains aspects of shooting in it. The player will take control of someone known as faith and run around the rooftops of gigantic buildings. The fact that the game centres around parkour allows for the player to perform acts in first person that hasn't really been done in many or any other games. The bright colours placed on the white background bring a contrast into the mix for the player to see giving amazing contrasts of scenery as the player looks across the city. 

Third Person Shooter (TPS)

Third person shooters give the player the aspect of controlling someone that they are not, the difference between firs and third is that the character they see before them is the character that they are. They aren't inside of the characters head or placed in their shoes, they are like a ghost that follows the protagonist around. When the character is spoken to then it is that character that is spoken to, it doesn't give the player the feeling of involvement on the same level as a first person shooter. However, it allows the player to feel as though they are sharing an adventure with a friend or someone close. It takes away the isolation side and gives this new world of there being this character who you accompany as the two (or more) of you traverse through this story. It gives a new bond of attachment between the player and the character.

Ratchet and Clank

Ratchet and clank is a sci-fi third person shooter based around two character: Ratchet and clank. Ratchet is a lombax and the last of his kind, Clank is a defective robot created by mistake. These two are bound together because of the ability that one character has that the other does not. Ratchet is the fighter of the the two and will use his array of arsenal to fight hordes of enemies whilst Clank is the brains of the operation forming plans and being reliable in scientific areas such as fixing spacecrafts. They are unlikely hero's who are paired together by chance and must save the solar system by countless enemies who pose a threat to the world's they live in. As the games progress the stories become more involved making the player feel a bigger bond with both of these characters and experiencing the character development between the two characters themselves. As for the platforming you get to experience a whole new feel to it then first person, you can see a more wide open view of the environment and get to stop any attacks happening from behind the protagonist.
  
Last of us

The last of us is a survival horror game centring around two characters known as Joel and Ellie. Joel is a middle aged man who lost his daughter when the outbreak first happened, since then he has kept with one person whom he truly trusts which is Tess. Ellie is a teenage girl who was born during the outbreak and so has no memory of what it was like before the world was sent into the apocalyptic world. The character development in this game is massive and creates a story that is emotional throughout the entirety. When Joel first meets Ellie he is very bitter towards her and doesn't want much to do with her, this can be because of how his daughter was killed at the beginning of the game that he wishes not to get close to her. Ellie has quite a carefree nature and wants to be treated like an adult by Joel who only sees her as a kid, as the game goes on you can see her side of innocence as Joel teaches her and tell her stories about what it was like before the outbreak began, by the end of the game they have formed a bond of which Joel feels as though Ellie is a daughter of his own. He becomes so attached that he won't sacrifice her in order to save the world from being infected, this kind of story can only be told through third person because first wouldn't be able to express the character development and boding in the same way that third allows for it. Also the players themselves get attached to the characters and share multiple feelings along the way as they see the characters they have come to love and understand get put through trials of pain and moments of happiness and relief.

Uncharted

Uncharted is a action adventure platform game that centres around the main character of Nathan Drake. A young adult male who treasure hunts and risks his life to find myths based on ancients temples or riches. He is accompanied by a range of characters such as Victor Sullivan, Elena Fishser, Chloe Frazer and more. This game relies heavily on its use of platforming to express dynamic worlds to the player, the developers has the player scaling up gigantic buildings, cliffs etc. and showcases beautiful worlds for the player to visualise. The emotions in this game are highly based on comedy and the bond between Nate and Elena as they are the love interest of the series. The quick witted humour of characters as they share conversations with each other make the player immediately like them and gives a nice happy atmosphere of emotions. This game can be compared to the mirror's edge game because both are opposite ends of the spectrum that offer very similar mechanics. The parkour and free climbing abilities in both games are highly similar with both sceneries being outstanding yet both are completely different in how they portray their stories and emotions. If you look at the descriptions of both games that I have given you can see why they give a different feel yet it is quite astounding how one genre of game can make you feel certain emotion while another can convey different emotions even if they have highly similar way of gameplay and mechanics. 

Roleplaying Game (RPG)

Role playing games can come in many forms, they usually allow customisation for the player and each participant assumes the role of someone usually in a fantasy or science fiction setting. The difference between this and the other genre of games it the fact that the stories made for these characters aren't set, they are made up by the player and each play through can change widely depending on the options, missions, equippable loot etc that the player has control over.  

Final fantasy VII

The final fantasy series are massively known for their huge expansive worlds and stories, they are part of the JRPG genre (Japanese roleplaying game) and use turn based combat for its fighting scenes. Final fantasy VII uses a range of techniques to get its story across and makes the player feel a bundle of emotions as they play through the game. You take control over nine characters who are fighting to save their planet from being destroyed, each character has a backstory that motivates them to fight for the planet and as the player plays through the game they will get attached to each character and become connected as they progress. There will be missions and submissions that revolve around the nine characters allowing the player to understand them and their feelings further thus allowing for a more connected bond to each individual character, some of the actions that the characters will make will have the player hate them while other actions they commit in the future could have the player like them and understand why they committed the previously hated action. As for the main character (Cloud) he is shrouded by mystery and sadness and as the player progresses through the game they start to understand why he acts the way he does and has the personality he does.

Fallout 4

Fallout 4 is a different styled RPG to final fantasy and is based in a first person format however, it has more elements to do with Roleplaying that is classed as an RPG. The story of fallout 4 is that you are either one of the parents (it is your choice) and nukes have started to reign down upon where you live. You must find shelter in a bunker which cryogenically freezes you and your family. During this time the chambers begin to malfunction and you witness the death of your second half whilst watching your son get taken away by the same murderers. The game revolves around finding your son in the expansive world of the wasteland, along the way you will meet companions who you cam form relationships with the more time you spend together. Fallout utilises the use of this destroyed world to convey dark and gritty environments and stories for the player to experience whilst throwing in a hint of humour from time to time. You can complete side quests for characters to ear loot and level up your character allowing them to take on harder enemies and explore more dangerous areas that were previously un-explorable. The player has full control over what they will do whether it is partaking in side quests, the main quest or just looting they can do it to their own free will. This allows for the player to get attached to their character and for them to feel as though they are controlling this protagonists life to the suiting of their choices, they can choose to be evil or good and are not bound by any sort of lineage. 

South park: the stick of truth

South park is a comedy RPG based upon the TV series, mainly the three black Friday episodes (this is where the whole fantasy element is spawned from.) The player takes control of a "new kid" who has just arrived in the neighbourhood, moving into south park to escape his forgotten past. The game centres around helping the south park characters protect the stick of truth and uses full south park humour and writing to portray the whacky adventure that the player will participate in. The player can explore the town of south park and take part in multiple side quests or main missions, the main emotion that this game tries to convey is comedy. If the player is already a fan of the TV series they will already have bonds with certain characters both liking and disliking them, the game however, allows you to interact with them out of your own free will making those bonds become stronger as you feel like you are part of the comedic antics that happen in the town. 

Fighting

The fighting genre tells its story by using a range of characters, If you play a fighting game you will understand a lot of its story is told using cutscenes. They will usually start off with a few characters on either side of good and evil to build up this story of a gigantic battle between both sides with all characters. The usual aspects of fighting games is the actual fighting itself so developers will concentrate less on the stories to be told and more on the mechanics and visuals of the game to then place in the story last.

Street fighter

Street fighter has a had a story wrapped in theories and less hooked on a story mode except for street fighter 5. This is the first game out of the whole series to have a story unraveled in cinematics. If we look back at the old games the story is there the players just need find it, then they need to put them into chronological order of what makes sense but with street fighter 5 the story is told directly to the player from the developers. In this game the story is revolved around each individual fighter and their stories so it will only follow the character that you have chosen, the stories will converge at points in the game but you will stay playing as the character you have chosen. The cutsceens will also differ depending on who won and the story will continue to progress from there. How it works is the characters meet in cutscenes and converge in conversation, they will then fight in the usual fashion which is where the player will take control. So the story is mainly progressed by cutscenes and the fact of the player winning the fight.

Tekken 6

Teeken differs widely when telling its story from other fighting games. They base levels around the combat mechanics of the game allowing for full 3D exploration instead of it just being a left and right screen fighter. Its multiplayer is based around the left and right fighting but the story mode has levels that can be run around fighting a number of minions in missions instead of just fighting bosses or other main characters. Tekken 6's story follows Jin Kazama and starts where the previous game ended. Due to it being a fighting game it deploys enemies that are harder to defeat then regular games allowing for the player to act as if they are fighting a boss but without it getting as repetitive or as hard. There are very few games who follow this way of storytelling in the fighting genre and Tekken does it in a unique way that allows the player to become bonded with its characters and story.

Injustice Gods among us

Injustice Gods among us takes the DC universe and creates an entirely new story where Superman is the bad guy. The game uses 2.5D environments for the player to fight in and uses the main character against main character fighting system to get its story across. The only difference in this game is that instead of their being multiple character stories for you to complete like street fighter, you play through the story and swap between characters depending on where you are up to in the game. At one point you could be playing as the flash and be fighting green arrow and in the next level you could be fighting as batman against superman. This is because the story needs to revolve around how Superman enslaved the world with his new government. The story is about how batman is teleports Superhero's from another universe to help take down superman and bring freedom to the world. 

Sport

There isn't much storytelling to be found within the sports genre of gaming, the only story related mode in sports game is the career within which you will customise a new character and build up their success in the the sports industry.

FIFA

Fifa takes football and makes it into a video game, its one of the biggest sports game in the world and has multiple story modes attached to it. The story modes don't tell a story of any kind with emotion or characters but instead put you into roles in the football industry. An example of this can be seen in the career mode, you can either choose to be a manager, player or both. You will choose the team you wish to be a part of and commence your career. If you are the manager you will look over the team, buying players from other teams to play in yours, swapping players positions and putting players on substitution or the starting 11. If you are the player you will take control on the pitch and will get moved around according to the manager's (AI) decision. As you can tell choosing the both option is taking over both rolls. The story mainly revolves around the game and will last like a normal season of football placing for your team to get as many wins as possible by the end of the season to the win the cup.

NBA

NBA is a basketball game that obviously takes the way real life basketball is played and places it into a game. For the story mode, in NBA 2k16 there is more a story involved then regular sports game. This game has you create a character and lets him play matches as he would. The difference between this and most other sports games is the fact that NBA has cutscenes and tries to tell a story about how you the player work your way up from playing street matches and league matches in your town to major league matches and playing for famous teams. The story is centred around the mechanics of the basketball game and less upon the actual story but this has to play a vital role in the fact that it needs to be there for there to be a story.

UFC

UFC takes the caged fighting in real life and places it into a game. The story that takes place in UFC is very simple, it is a career based story like FIFA except instead of starting off in any team you want you have to work your way up the ranks from being a small league fighter to going onto big fights. The higher the league you go the harder the game gets making the player have to learn new tactics and switch up their style of play to beat the tougher opponents. 

Strategy

Strategy games are mind based games in which the player has to use uncoerced and autonomous decision based skills come into play. They must think smartly and successfully to win games as there is usually two teams pitched against each other with a base and an army. They must protect their own base whilst also attacking the enemies base using their army to both defend and assault. Along with these strategic based games can come stories that can be spanned by using the element of making the player feel as though they are a commander who must protect their own kind while attacking enemy empires and capturing territory for their own.

Halo wars

Halo wars is a prequel to the game halo combat evolved. It tell the story of how the UNCS are having to fight a group of enemies known as the covenant. The player will take control over tanks, vehicles, soldiers, bases of different kinds (e.g. armouries and things like that) as they fight the enemy team. The story is about trying to stop the covenant from spreading and becoming more powerful so the player will command the UNCS and come up with strategies on ways to fight and take down the covenant.

XCOM

XCOM is a game series about a team of soldiers who fight against enemy aliens and stop them from taking over planet earth. This game has objectives for each of it's levels. Instead of having to just take out or capture an enemy base they will have you going through missions such as wiping out every enemy in the area, securing an objective etc. They let the player have full control over the gameplay and so that they can use the best and most beneficial tactics for themselves to complete the missions. The story is told through cutscenes and not through gameplay although that helps to convey across to the player that there are teams of 1 to 6 humans or robots who will go out and complete objectives.


Simulation

Simulation based games are there to allow the player to feel as though they are doing something or living this certain life or non fiction without actually having to do it or that cannot be achieved and can only be simulated. It allows for stories to be told through the perspective of the player and is not bound by many elements that stop the story from being what the player wants.

The sims

The sims is a huge simulator franchise that allows the player to do whatever they want. The basic practice or simple explanation of the game is that you are supposed to create a life for AI's that could be reflected as your own. You design the character's appearances, determine who will get married, what house they will live in, what job they will get, what they will eat and basically play God. This allows for an infinite amount of stories to be made and each one made by the player, they are allowed to do anything they want.

Goat simulator

Goat simulator lets the player get a glimpse at life if they were to be born a goat. It is only a simulation to the point of playing as a goat since the whacky antics and crazy things you can make the goat do are quite unrealistic. However, they don't need to be realistic to be simulators, they only need to bring gameplay elements that help the player simulate what it would be like to be a goat. The story involved in goat simulator isn't necessarily a story itself but more objectives that you complete by using power ups and your own skills. How you take of the problems or objectives is completely up to the player and anything done in the world is influenced by the players actions. They can do whatever they like such as blowing up gas stations or head butting people which drives the story of causing as much mayhem as possible (which is accompanied by a points system.)