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There has never been a game with even very good writing.

Swampy_Merkin

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You're deluding yourself if you even try to defend one. Not only has there never been very good writing in a single game; no game has ever even managed, deliberately or even accidentally, to convey (on its own or within any length of series) any kind of compelling, well-told story.

You may have managed to boner any of your preferred D&D, or weeb, or testo-ball-clutching bullshit into something you cherish. Honestly, though, you'd be ashamed at trying to wrangle anyone else, other than your most trusted nerd-mate, into seeing it your way. (You probably don't have any other friends though...)

All those stories are garbage. They don't hold up to any kind of scrutiny within the context of the best literature and you know it. Games have always been shit at telling stories; it hasn't changed. Some games (especially those from our treasured past) were better at creating a world within which to imagine stories beyond that which were actually, lazily, barely written. That's the best you can hope for from a medium which doesn't even recognize games as a place to put their writing talents other than as a last resort.

That's what games are to writers: a last resort. There is no prestige here.

Until someone changes that...
 

Swampy_Merkin

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Fallout 1 had good atmosphere, a sketch of a decent plot idea, and left everything else to the player's imagination, and you played a long time ago when you were a young wanker full of dreams.

Or a short while ago when you were a sad, old-young wanker still, sadly, full of the same childish dreams.
 

Bester

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Lev Grossman - Magicians

Ohhh....a secret college of magicians. This time in NEW YORK!.

Way to graduate from Hogwarts pleb.

Try going to an actual college.
I've no idea what you just said.

Like, are you saying that only the book that does it first is a good book? I need a shitlord-interpreter here. If this is the point you're making, then there's only like 3 good books in the universe, others just being copycats. What a sad world then. You must dress at Hot Topic a lot and wear eye liner, cause this universe must be just too painful to bear.
 

Swampy_Merkin

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Fallout 1 had a decent concept that could have been pitched as a quality, or semi-quality, film The writers had no more ambition than making a good Gamma World mod and letting players' imaginations take over from there. That in and of itself might be the highest any RPG writer should aspire to.
 

Swampy_Merkin

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"The Magicians is a new adult fantasy novel by the American author Lev Grossman, published in 2009 by Viking Press. It tells the story of Quentin Coldwater, a young man who discovers and attends a secret college of magic in New York. Wikipedia"

If you're still reading trash like this then you're the one brooding in your own sweat pile, man-scara running into your bitch tits.
 
Self-Ejected

Lilura

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Barely literate shitposters and dumbfucks have no business criticizing even Bethesda's writing.
 

Falksi

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Witcher 2 was fucking brilliant.

Several branching plot threads, all interwoven with backstabery + politics + sex + war + death in there, all a superb mix of low & hugh fantasy, lovely hooky premise all round about a man doing his job caught up in much bigger things because of his prowess at it etc. etc.

Every playthrough revealed something more. First time round I killed the dragon, second time round when I realized who it was I was a right kicker.

Tons of lore, NPCs & backstories to flesh the world out too.

A prime example of how an interactive story with multiple playthroughs can be far better than one you read.
 

Kyl Von Kull

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Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
Avellone’s stuff may not be great literature, but it’s solid genre fiction at the very least. I’m not even sure it makes sense to judge games like film or novels because it’s a different medium. Game writers need to focus on the centrality of the player, whereas other types of fiction merely have an audience.

That said, if you want literature in games, you know Disco Elysium is on the case. I have read Olga Moskvina’s poetry, I’ve read about Kaur Kender’s obscenity trial. I have absolute faith in their narrative abilities.
 

Swampy_Merkin

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you know Disco Elysium is on the case
Keeping hope alive, but doubting it.

Avellone’s stuff may not be great literature, but it’s solid genre fiction at the very least.
Not even saying "Great Literature." No game writing has even been on the level of say Bradbury, a very good, but not great, science fiction writer.

Games are not conducive to great, propulsive narrative, unless you put the player on a track - the amusement park approach. I would happily take that ride if even one single truly great writer would emerge.

There has not been even one.

There has been some fine RPG world-building, but no great through-narrative.

The original Deus Ex is probably the closest, but even that devolved into a sci-fi quagmire.

Where's the truly original story teller in our medium?

He or She has yet to reveal him/herself.
 

Grauken

Gourd vibes only
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You're deluding yourself if you even try to defend one. Not only has there never been very good writing in a single game; no game has ever even managed, deliberately or even accidentally, to convey (on its own or within any length of series) any kind of compelling, well-told story.

You may have managed to boner any of your preferred D&D, or weeb, or testo-ball-clutching bullshit into something you cherish. Honestly, though, you'd be ashamed at trying to wrangle anyone else, other than your most trusted nerd-mate, into seeing it your way. (You probably don't have any other friends though...)

All those stories are garbage. They don't hold up to any kind of scrutiny within the context of the best literature and you know it. Games have always been shit at telling stories; it hasn't changed. Some games (especially those from our treasured past) were better at creating a world within which to imagine stories beyond that which were actually, lazily, barely written. That's the best you can hope for from a medium which doesn't even recognize games as a place to put their writing talents other than as a last resort.

That's what games are to writers: a last resort. There is no prestige here.

Until someone changes that...

You're not going far enough, you're all deluded if you think there has ever been any good writing, ever, in any genre.

Actually, language has never been good enough to convey narratives, only grunts and performative dancing is where it really is
 

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