Story Driven

Story Driven

So depending on the starting idea for a game there are differences in the outcome according to the features each paradigm adds to the game.  If the game is story driven then it will probably have a strong initiative factor for the player to start playing the game (if the story has a good start) and also a strong motivational factor to keep the player playing until the end (if the plot is interesting).  At the end of the story, the game may also have a strong publicity because the player will be recommending the game to his friends for its really great ending. 

On the disadvantages of making a story driven game you will find that there are some problems if the designer can't match the story to an original game mechanic.  Story driven games are characterized for its dynamic change in its game mechanics so they can add to the story plot. 

Examples of this are games where you find items, unlock special skills and abilities, find special enemies, meet special allies (and maybe they can join you).  If you limit the game to a game mechanic with few or no evolution at all then it would be probably better to just make a movie or write a book about it. 

Another disadvantage of story driven games is that there are some players that just like to play for the sake of doing something fun (casual gamers).  Some of these players are very religious about making the game experience casual and prefer not to get involved in the long term intentions of the game itself (the story). 

A game designer must therefore be careful about choosing the pace of the story to match the target player, it is better not to leave the player waiting for special events in story to happen in order to motivate him to play more.