Video Games and Storytelling

Living in a generation where technology dominates, it’s hard to find a new way to tell stories. When you think of a video game, you usually think about the shooting ones. The ones that don’t outwardly seem to have a plotline, let alone a storyline. Sometimes you need to look a little deeper though. Think of it as starting a new book, it takes a little while to get into it, but you do eventually find the plotline and you follow it. Video games work the same way, you need to start at the beginning and then try to dive back into it.

There are various games that have different outcomes and ending, just as a choose your own adventure books works. There’s so much more to the gaming world than just the stories it can offer. Many video games have spin-off novels such as Dragon Age, Diablo and Assassin’s Creed. You also have games that are based on the works of authors such as Tom Clancy.

Video games are a way to express a story, and that’s why we chose this topic to do. Most of the time, they can open up a world of storytelling and it can often lead to someone picking up a book. As library students, that’s ultimately what we want this generation to do. We want them to fall in love with stories and storytelling just as much as we have through the games we’ll talk about.

One of the wonderful things about video gamers and the community is that it's all age groups, but this can become a problem as some games are not age friendly. While we wanted any age to be able to read up on certain games, it wasn't doable. Please take caution when reading this blog, as some posts are aimed towards a more mature audience. If you are under 14, it is best for you to avoid this blog.

- Jessie Ferguson, Laur Stadler, Evan Waters