The recent article by David Rodriguez, Lead Designer at High Voltage regarding cinematics and storytelling in games has touched off another round of fierce debate concerning the role of videogames as an entertainment medium. There are generally two camps in this debate; purists who believe that game-play and design are all that's necessary to have a great game and those who think that the overall experience is heightened with the inclusion of other forms of expression. When boiling down the argument, it's clear that the real debate is centered on business decisions that are made during the development of a title rather than that of creative or engineering aspects.

There have been times in our industry where sub-par product has been sold through its cinematics, but there have also been times when products have failed to live up to the promise of its creators. The merits of if a cinematic and/or story detract from a game experience is rather mute, as story is one of the oldest and fundamental forms of entertainment, expression and communication. I recently booted up Zelda on my Nintendo DS and aside from being whisked back to my childhood, engulfed in 8-bit graphical delights and soothing MIDI, I noticed that after about 10 seconds in the menu the music changed ushering in the story of Zelda. This simple text took hold of me and served as the point of reference once I began my journey. Now one can argue that Zelda needs a story or that it wouldn't make sense, but that's not entirely true as the human mind's ability to conjure up story—we know this as imagination—is called upon each and every time we enter the game world.

Think of the last time you woke up, went to work, ate, came home and had something to eat or drink and then talked to your significant other or a friend before going to bed. It's an average day with a few noteworthy points and some not so noteworthy points. Yet, as uneventful as the day has been when you are there with that individual you recount your tail of boredom, you tell them your story. When taking up the argument of cinematics robbing the industry blind of fun and innovation, I say not really. Technology limitations of the format drove us towards more immersive ways to tell stories. Yes, there have been cases where games went nuts and some renders are better looking graphically than the games they belong to, but this form has allowed us to maintain and capture new consumers while technology caught up to us. Next-generation games will bring more real-time cinematics that seamlessly integrate into the gameplay. With this we're able to captivate our audience that are used to stories, film, television, radio, books and other forms of entertainment that inundates us in the world today.

That said, let's not forget that we may make games, but we are also in the business of entertaining people and more over are businesses that compete against a menagerie of consumer choice. We should take stock that our industry is growing ever so quickly and in doing so, more and more people are joining the ranks as gamers and acknowledging that video games are a fun and legitimate form of entertainment. With these new gamers come new expectations and interests. So between the fact that we're now creating games more so for the masses and the technological capabilities we're able to utilize, I say that quality cinematics and compelling story should be included in games. I believe that is where the industry is headed as a form of entertainment medium. We can throw our hands up in despair and moan of the days when stories never existed, which has never been the case, or we can embrace the fact that immersive compelling games are a mixture of multiple art forms, engineering and technological evolution.

If we're upset about these business realities we need to ask if we're out of touch with our consumers and if not, face the fact that it could just be personal insecurities about the evolving commercial challenges we all face as an industry. In either case, we will have tough decisions to make. However, none of these decisions should ever be the mitigation or blame of creative individuals who labor and toil on elements that ultimately add value to our products.

This debate reminds me of a bout of "The Game of Life," I played as a teenager. Over a few rounds I had acquired great wealth and influence and then, by chance, landed on the "Day of Reckoning" and lost it all. Our industry is heading into a new cycle in which we no doubt face a day of reckoning for us all. Let's find better ways to expand our craft to the world or suffer the consequences and results of insular and tunnel vision like thought and actions.

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The opinions expressed in this column are solely the opinions of Mr. Fernandez and are not necessarily the opinions of GameDaily.com.