Quote:
Originally Posted by JuntMonkey
Yea I don't think that telling a rigid story is what video games should be trying to do. It's like when movies were just getting started and many of them were basically just filmed stage plays. They were stuck in what the medium of theater could do and hadn't yet explored what film could do (with the camera, editing, close-ups, special effects, etc.). I feel like JRPGs are stuck trying to be like an epic anime TV series or movie and are not doing anything special with the medium.
I can appreciate your desire for innovation in gaming. I get really frustrated at times because some of what's possible in the medium just isn't happening. And where it is happening, it's happening at a snail's pace. Partly because the market for what I like is small, and even though I think it will explode eventually, that doesn't put money on the table (especially for conservative players like EA, who control most big game budgets).
But there are millions of people who want to pay $60 for a rigid story told in video game format. They have alternatives, and instead they choose these games. That seems like pretty strong evidence the games provide something of value (actually I know they do because I like JRPGs, but let's stay objective).
When modern cinematic techniques were invented, the market for filmed stage plays dried up in favor of real films. If new games are produced that "better" than traditional JRPGs in a similar way, the same thing will presumably happen to the market for traditional JRPGs. But so long as there's a strong market, these games are clearly "justified" by the fact people want to play them.