GDC: 'Plot is Highly Overrated' in Games, Says Devs

IGN: "Today at GDC, Riot Games’ Narrative Lead Tom Abernathy and Microsoft Game Studios’ Design Lead Richard Rouse III gave a fascinating 25 minute-long speech entitled “Death to the Three Act-Structure.” Within that presentation, the two industry veterans talked a great deal about game narrative, touching on some of the finest examples in recent memory, from Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Portal to The Last of Us and Fallout 3.

But they also talked about what extensive research has shown: that plot itself doesn’t resonate with a majority of players."

[Snookies12]

Plot driven games can be masterpieces if done right. However, with that being said... Please don't try to shoehorn a plot into something unless it's really thought out. Some games don't need a plot, and often times when they're forced it just brings the game experience down with it.

[ArchangelMike]

Exactly. Games like Mass Effect have great gameplay, but tying it all together is an excellent plot. The huge furore over the Mass Effect 3 ending proves beyond a doubt that gamers care... I mean, gamers damn well care, about plot!

[alexkoepp]

I agree, if your game is not trying to tell a story, than the plot is not important.

[Conzul]

Yeah. Story is important.

But I do agree that the Three-Act structure should go byebye in games.

[cleft5]

If your plot is terrible yes it is highly overrated. But when a plot is well done it elevates amazing gameplay to a whole other level. Look at The Last of Us, Uncharted, Tomb Raider, and Mario. Yes, I said it, Mario. A plot doesn't have to be super deep it just has to serve the game and help move the pace along. Mario games have incredibly simple plots, but it gives context to what you are doing and adds a lot of character to the story. Plots are essential to good games and games without them are less for it.

[ABizzel1]

The only devs who complain about plot being overrated are the devs. who can't write a good story to save their lives.

If storytelling and presentation aren't your strengths then you better make sure your game is insanely fun to play and/or offer tons of re-playability.

[Bimkoblerutso]

While I totally agree with the idea that not every game needs a story, to say that it does not RESONATE with gamers as much as gameplay is completely off-base. When it has been done right - as in the case of games like Bioshock, The Last of Us, The Walking Dead - it "resonated" enough with us that those games have become some of the most celebrated in the industry.

I suppose plot-driven games will never push COD numbers, but the actual gaming community (as in, the people who play games other than competitive shooters and Madden) absolutely love a good plot as much as they love high quality gameplay, our favorite games being the ones that include both.

[DeadMansHand]

Agreed. What hooks me more into games are three things; Game play, characters and ambiance. Honestly, I couldn't tell you the story of 90% of the games I have played. I can recite the basic narrative and whatnot,but I am not one of those people who can go on about the entire cannon of Metal Gear Solid and Elder Scrolls. What makes me really member those games are the game play, voice acting (characters) and atmosphere. Portal 2 is a perfect example. I can't tell you what I did except for stopping a crazy computer woman from killing me but I remember all the levels and Wheatly completely. It was so much fun to open portals and do puzzles and listen to Wheatly that it's one of my top favorite games.

[badz149]

this is so classic. when you can't do it, downplay it! nice one! /s but seriously, speak for yourself!

if anybody thinks that all games should just be mindless actions and sequences with no need for any story, you're just stupid! sure, some games don't need a good story to be enjoyable like Mario or Zelda with their beyond abused "save the princess" story, but those games still have plots. Even Angry Birds have plots and what THAT tells ya? it means, you can only do so much in designing a game without the help of plots.

for example, Dead Nation looks like a mindless zombie shooter game but it has plots to help motivate players to move forward without making them feeling stupid that their character goes out of his/her way just to fight countless waves of zombies instead of staying at a safe place. the story and the plot help the game moves forward and giving players THE reason they are doing what they are doing!

in TLoU for example, if there's no plot, who in the right mind would be stupid enough to go outside the safe zone risking to be infected? and why would anyone be bothered to feel associated with a stranger in a world where humans are facing extinction and it's about the survival of the strongest? it just doesn't make sense and I'm not sure many would have want to play a game that mindlessly put you into action WITHOUT telling you why.

Over are the days where gameplay alone is everything. gaming is no longer just a hobby. it's a medium for people to tell stories, send their messages to others and letting people be immersed in the world they created and I don't think it can be done without a plot. but coming up with a good one at that, THAT's a different story!

[yewles1]

*popcorn*

[Irishguy95]

I highly disagree myself. But i'm in the minority. The fact that Uncharted is so highly praised proves it. The plot itself is abysmal at best. But people still love the story. Characters and acting are more important than a good plot to most people. Which is fine, just...not for me. I like a good plot with twists and turns, unpredictable and many elements etc. That's for gaming at least. In TV and movies plot has always been extremely important. Game of thrones proves that as a recent example.

[BitbyDeath]

"The fact that Uncharted is so highly praised proves it. The plot itself is abysmal at best."

"I like a good plot with twists and turns, unpredictable and many elements etc."

So first you say you don't like the plot of Uncharted but then you describe the plot of Uncharted and say you like it, have you played Uncharted or did you change your mind half-way through writing?

[-Alpha]

*Vague Spoilers for LoU/UC*

Uncharted's storytelling isn't exactly top-tier. It's everything else around it that is: Cast, voice acting, dialogue, humour... but the story being told isn't itself tied together in that same way. It's sort of expected with a game of its nature.

Honestly, if there is any comparison, look at the Last of Us. Fantastic storytelling all around. You connect with the characters completely differently, and the storytelling elements/characters are much more stronger with their actions. When Drake gets injured, torn apart or flat out shot in the contexts of the story, it isn't told with the same power of what you see happen in the Last of Us.

It's like The Avengers vs. The Dark Knight Rises. Avengers is really fun to watch, but you wouldn't exactly say it's storytelling at its finest.

[BitbyDeath]

***Uncharted 1 spoilers***

C'Mon, so you expected Sully to be still alive after getting shot and later on didn't wonder if he was conspiring with the bad guys?

Or how bout the undead guys, surely you could not have predicted they would have been in the game?

The game isn't just a straight up treasure hunt, it had a lot of plot twists and various unpredictable elements.

[OrangePowerz]

So Indiana Jones 1-3 have an abysmal plot as well if you think the Uncharted plot is horrible?

[spicelicka]

I agree with that. Characters are most memorable, prime example is Far cry 3. Games have maybe up to an hour of cutscenes spread over an 8 hour campaign, it's hard to remember what happened when you look back in a year.

This is why halo's story is brilliant to me. The plot itself is not that memorable, it's the characters, atmosphere, music, ambiance, but most importantly, the real story is the backstory and it's not even told in the game itself. The universe and it's history is so deep and it's all explained in books and other media. That is why before playing a halo game, I already know what the story will be like and spend more time focusing on characters.

[Conzul]

Game of Thrones is little more than a soap with dragons.

[GusHasGas]

This is the most bullsh*t ridden article/speech. It basically proclaims that "plot means nothing in a game".

Plot is everything in a game. Games are mostly driven by plot. Wait, let me rephrase that - QUALITY games are driven by plot. The reason that almost everyone they supposedly asked couldn't remember the plot of their favorite game is because their favorite game was probably a game like CoD or Battlefield - best selling games whose story lines mean nothing. I, for one, extensively remember the plot line and lore of franchises such as Infamous, Mass Effect, Bioshock, The Witcher, The Last of Us, Uncharted, etc.

(Either that, or Microsoft made all this up because they're jealous of Sony, who has a high number of games with excellent plots, whereas the best selling games on Xbox are anything but story driven, à la CoD, Titanfall, Plants VS Zombies: GW, etc... /s)

[PoSTedUP]

with ya' 100%. especially your last bit, that is really what it seems lol.

[MelvinTheGreat]

I never understand why almost everyone in this site believes MS is some evil money grabing company. You are making yourself look like a fanboy. To think that MS would waste time and money on an article as trival as this is pathetic. YOU are the problem with the gaming community. Shame on you. Oh ya, one of the best selling games on the 360 (halo 3) sold more than any ps exclusive. Dont get me wrong sonys titles are amazing, but people like you make me cringe.

[GusHasGas]

Microsoft wouldn't have wasted time on the article. They didn't write it. They did write the speech that was held publicly, in front of many at GDC, and shared through articles like this, though.

By the way, forget the whole fanboy part, and and realize that yes, plot really DOES matter in games, and whoever MS "tested" clearly were somewhat out of their minds.

Also notice how i said "/s" after my fake rant.

[Tru_Ray]

I couldn't disagree with your post anymore. I will probably get crucified for this comment, but I think that the plot of the Uncharted series is completely secondary to the great gameplay mechanics, enjoyable banter between Drake, Skully, and Elena, and the exceptional graphics.

What I remember most about the Uncharted series are the spectacular set-pieces (the "train" level in Uncharted 2 comes to mind). Maybe I am crazy, but when I play games my primary objectives are to master all of the gameplay systems and beat the game quickly. If the game has a great plot AND great gameplay then I am all for it. But I have played and enjoyed plenty of games with great gameplay and absolutely garbage plots (KZ: SF and ACIV are some recent examples).

Tru_

[PoSTedUP]

"i never understood why everyone in this site believes MS is some evil money grabbing company". ROFLL, 'Nuff Said.

[OrangePowerz]

You lost me when you bought up Halo 3 one of the worst games in the series and a big disappointment after Halo 1 and 2.

[PoSTedUP]

so less plot and more dumb linear storys with nothing conflicting and far less intricacy. k got it, my brain is far too slow for teh plotz anyways.. /s

i stopped reading at "MS Game Studios".

i personally love plot driven games, prob. also coincides with why i read books with good plots. a games story doesnt need a plot for me to enjoy it, but history has proven for me that almost all of my favorite story driven games have big plots, and are huge franchises.

[admiralvic]

Maybe its me, but does anyone else think the questions were bias and the results are pretty much what you would expect?

Favorite movie plot? Movies are pretty much all plot and fairly short (100 - 180 minutes on average), so remembering details of your favorite would seem logical. Like I love Army of Darkness and could tell you how that movie goes down exactly.
Plot of your favorite TV show? Similar to movies, these are all plot based and typically a favorite would imply a series you watch constantly. Is anyone surprised that I could tell you the plot of say Damages after watching it for years and constantly seeing recaps and having time for the things to set in.
Tell me the plot of your favorite game? Now, this is what is important here. Just because a game is your favorite, that doesn't necessarily mean it's a plot driven game, nor does that mean it's your favorite because of the plot. Lets say your favorite game is Bayonetta. It's a great game and Bayonetta is a memorable character, but the plot... it's not a game you played for the story and I could see many people messing up a game like that, but remembering the characters for that reason alone.

I would be more interested in hearing what the data was (as in who said what game), than hearing a bold claim off of how they interpreted the data.

[ArchangelMike]

I would also like to know why they funded the "extensive Research". Anyone who has a basic understanding of how market research is conducted knows that, the premise is nearly always tailored to arrive at a specific outcome.

So if you want the data to show specific results, you ask certain specific questions. More importantly are the questions you don't ask - because you know they would skew your results.

Simply put, Microsoft commissions report to show that they dont need to invest in plot driven games, and can justify churning out dude-bro shooters.

I wonder if Master Cheif would have been such an iconic charater if Halo did not have such an interesting plot to begin with?!?!

[staticdash22]

Personally, I don't play many games that don't hook me. I need a story to be invested in, to learn about a new world, get attached to awesome characters, and watch the coolest action sequences. I love gameplay driven games, but as I'm getting older I realize that I want something "more". It started happening a few years ago, where games that everyone goes crazy for, don't really do anything for me. I want experiences like Uncharted, Heavy Rain, TLOU, Mass Effect and Alan Wake.

[ArchangelMike]

For me there were two games that were instrumental in developing my gaming tastes and preferences. Metal Gear Solid and Vagrant Story. Two absolutely fantastic games, which were completely plot driven and were such immersive gaming experiences.

But wait for it, these games where on the Playstation 1. How much more should blockbuster AAA games be plot driven immersive experiences now. After all shouldn't devs be pushing the medium forward.

I guess Microsoft will leave that to Sony for yet another generation. *sigh*

[mic_cala]

Tottally disagree with this. Iv never been a big fan mp not sayin I dont play mp.

But I always prefer a good sp game with a good story.

Not suprised that this has come from a ms employee though.

If it was up to them every game would be like titanfall

[Chapter11]

Coming from Microsoft, a publish who hasn't made a single decent narrative driven game EVER.

[WeAreLegion]

I would agree, but Alan Wake, man! Remedy is all about great stories.

[Imalwaysright]

Alan Wake is amazing. Played it recently on the PC and it was the only game in quite some time that kept me from playing another without finishing it first. The last game that kept me hooked like that was TloU.

[MelvinTheGreat]

Gears of war? Halo? Alan wake?

[staticdash22]

Alan Wake is from Remedy, a second party. Gears was developed by Epic Games, a third party, but now the IP belongs to MS. They did have Bungie, but they moved on and 343 handle Halo.

[Salooh]

They are good but not that deep. Man , the last of us really is something . That's a game where developers should aim to achieve.

[MelvinTheGreat]

I see. But didnt MS publish those games? Correct me if im wrong

[coolbeans]

@Melvin

Yes, all of the franchises you mentioned were published by Microsoft. I'm not sure what's with this goalpost-moving from other users now.

[coolbeans]

I've heard some great things about Lost Odyssey.

Beyond 7th-gen titles, they were behind publishing some decent (at least) narrative-driven games for Original Xbox too.

[WeAreLegion]

They missed the connection. Plot, alone, does not work. You need plot AND good game play. Or just good game play with a bad plot, like Just Cause 2.

[PR_FROM_OHIO]

Of course this comes from Micro$oft's camp!! SMFH

[CynicalKelly]

What is sad about this is this is based on actual research on gamers and considering most gamers are playing Multiplayer games and don't bother to finish the campaign, It's not that hard to believe.

I hope developers don't act on this kind of stuff.

[ArchangelMike]

Dude, Microsoft conducted the research the results are biased. Their sample group demographic is generally dude-bro types who only play COD and Madden.

What would you expect the results of such 'research' to show? Ofcourse the COD crowd don't care about plot. They might care about sgt. Price and his 'tash', but who cares about the plot of multiplayer shooters anyways. 90% of those gamers have never even booted up the single player campaign.

[MidnytRain]

It depends on how they did the survey. Unless they did it through their subscribers, there's no reason to think everyone they sampled had an Xbox.

[CynicalKelly]

I would rather you didn't reply at all if you are going to jump on the Microsoft hating bandwagon and accuse the research of being fixed.

I care. Because those "dude-bro types" who play multiplayer games make up the majority of gamers and the majority of gamers could shape the future of plot driven games as developers and publishers decide to just cash in on the market.

[ArchangelMike]

Not jumping on a hate bandwagon, just saying don't be so naive not to think they don't have an agenda.

Their research very conveniently supports their position, just on the heals of one of their most anticipated titles on their new machine, which surprise surprise, is light on narrative and plot.

Do you think the result would have been the same if the sample was taken from the Playstation or Nintendo demographic? Heck do you think the results would have been the same if the sample was taken from the PC demographic?

The results would be different everytime, based on the sample demographic. That's just a fact.

And FYI those dude-bro type are not the majority of gamers. The casual gamer is the majority! Why do you think Microsoft is pumping so much money into Kinect and bundling it into every box? To hook in the casual gamer.

[CynicalKelly]

So in your opinion, no matter who conducts the survey, the results will always be biased.. That would be true if we knew the demographic audience that were surveyed but we don't, it could have been a general survey. Assuming it targeted a certain group with the motive of gathering support for Multiplayer Heavy/only games is a bit ignorant isn't it?

I mean, it's an already long existing and popular genre. CoD, Battlefield (Began as MP only) Left 4 Dead, Counter Strike, World of Warcraft.. Why would it need further support than the fact that people go crazy for them. CoD sells like hotcakes. And most of those guys never finish the story.

They bundled the Kinect in for Multimedia purposes, not for casual gamers. There is no games that even use it yet.

[ArchangelMike]

And I take your point. You are correct. Multiplayer gaming/gamers are already a huge demographic across all three platforms. That is true. No argument from me there.

But, it does not at all mean therefore that "plot is highly overrated", as Microsoft claims.

They are the ones that came to that conclusion, not the gamers. Read the article.

This is what they surmise:

1) People hardly remember the plot of games as compared to film. Therefore plot doesn't matter in games.

Another person interpreting the data, might conclude that games should therefore be made shorter to fit the length of a movie. How many people would remember the plot to an 8 hour movie, let alone a 50 hour movie. Microsoft has reached their own conclusions for their own specific reasons.

2)Gamer's remember characters rather than said characters role in a plot. Therefore plot doesn't matter in games.

Iconic characters are iconic for a reason, and span all genres, from books to films to games.

Superman.
James Bond.
Harry Potter.
Super Mario.
Batman.
Hulk.
Master Chief.

Do you know the plot to all the James Bond movies? What about all the superman movies or comics? Do you know the plot of the Harry Potter books, or movies? I could go on.

The fact the people remember characters has little, if anything at all to do with whatever plot or story they are set in. Marketing and Advertising play a huge role, as well as social consciousness and psyche.

Microsoft however, sees the data. Ignores all the other variables, and reaches it's own conclusion for it's own purposes.

3) Most gamer's don't finish games. Therefore plot doesn't matter in games.

Another person might conclude from the same date that a games' plot should therefore matter more, since it currently fails to captivate the gamer enough to keep them invested to the end of the experience. Developers should therefore invest MORE in plot, story and character development.

CynicalKelly, in the end we both reach the same conclusion.

I really hope devs don't act on this. Because in my view the conclusion is skewed.

Bubs up my man though, for a great discussion. p.s. sorry for the wall of txt :)

[CynicalKelly]

After giving the entire presentation a better looking at, it seems it has nothing to do with Multiplayer games at all like I originally thought.

They came to the conclusion from the research that character development is more important than the plot and suggested developers focus "more" on those aspects. So it's not really a case of saying that Plot doesn't matter, it's them saying that it's not as important. Which while still debatable, is at least more understandable.

Some of this research came from Steam statistics that showed that only 66% of people made it to the end of the first episode of The Walking Dead. It was great and short so that is quite shocking since it was so well received.

In the end, I think gamers are actually the problem. Too many are interested in Multiplayer games and not enough are bothering to purchase or complete single player games. It would be a sad thing for more developers to move away from story driven games. Last of Us reaching 6 million should show them that it's still a great market if you are willing to put the effort into making a good plot.

[GraveLord]

Is that why The Last Of Us "only" sold over 6 Million copies?

[Waffles11]

Funny... I can still remember the plot of well done games from 15 to 20 years ago. I find it rather... unfortunate that gamers are viewed with this low of expectations. A rather sad state in the industry overall if that's the perceived direction. More about marketing to the lowest common denominator then actually making a game that might involve some deeper thought. By that logic, games like candy crush are pinnacle of gaming.

[AstroCyborg]

nobodies getting jelly i see

[mhunterjr]

Not every game needs a plot or deep story.

I'm on a Nintendo nostalgia trip ATM. Some of the best games ever, Mario, donkey kong, star fox etc are shallow on the story telling front... But they are fun as hell.

I beat super metroid as a kid, and had no idea why I was running around shooting aliens. Didn't care either.

Some great games are pure gameplay, some pure story, some a great mix of both. It depends on the game.

I hate to say it, but plot is overrated. It can be used to push a game to greatness, but it isn't required for greatness.

[CGMagazine]

are these guys considered industry veterans?

[Butters360]

Tom Abernathy and Richard Rouse III are idiots. PLOT is NEVER overrated. Gameplay is important but a game's plot is worth a hell of a lot more. If plot didn't matter then why is Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI/VII/X UNCHARTED, Tomb Raider etc. so highly regarded as amazing games? Their plot that's why.

Tom Abernathy and Richard Rouse III, I see your bullshit and raise you Amy Henning and Neil Druckmann's WGA awards. Naughty Dog says suck it.

[HeavenlySnipes]

The best part of Uncharted and The Last of Us (other than the gameplay) were the characters

I honestly couldn't tell you the plot of Uncharted 2 (I can for 3 because I recently replayed it lol) but it's one of my favourite games of last gen because of how much I loved Elena, Drake, Sully etc

Was the first game I played where the characters were corny or melodramatic and I actually cared about them.

I agree with the author in that strong characters are more memorable/enjoyable than a strong story. Killzone 2-shadwfall have a great backstory to it, but the characters have been forgettable (and I admit this as someone who still plays KZ2 to this day haha)

[HeavenlySnipes]

Kind of agree

I remember more about the character interaction than the actual "plot" for the most part

Other than games like MGS and Bioshock in which you're kind of forced to understand and remember the story or you'll have no idea what you're doing

[TheTowelBoy]

Plot in games isn't new :P They act like we game for no reason. And Jesus Christ why do we have to blanket our ENTIRE industry by saying NO PLOT MATTERS HERP DERP. God some gamers like it, some don't. Some come for the gameplay and drop in drop out things like COD and Madden, some come for the entrenched hours of an RPG or open world game. Both can have Stories, both can get along as long AS YOU LET THEM. Stop being so damn close minded.

[brewin]

Plot is important for certain games. But it has become overrated in many ways. It has become the main focus of too many games with the gameplay taking a backseat. Thats what I feel the article is getting at. People remember the characters and certain events, but the plot is often forgotten because of the gameplay experiences that the player remembers instead.

I remember the majority of situations in games like Zelda, Uncharted, etc, but the plot itself is overrated in those types of games. It likely has more to do with the plot of a game being more drawn out than that of other mediums, such as movies and TV, so the plots arent as important to the overall experience.

With TV and movies, the plot is the main focus and there is a lot more mental bandiwdth required to process the plot of a game because of the extended exposure. Its much harder for the mind to follow a game plot when the gamer is bombarded with action sequences and tense situations repeatedly. The plot becomes less important while the characters and situations become the focus of the gamer. That is what is remembered in many of todays games. Gamers can tell you about the characters and the things they experienced, but dont really remember the overall plot as they do with movies, books, and TV.

Games like Chrono Trigger, Earthbound, and all the classics that have those enthralling stories were so good because they focused the player attention on the story and didnt bomard them with too many non-story game sequences. In those games, nearly everything had a purpose for the stiry. In many games today, you just run and shoot through the game segments to get to the next story sequence. The action and the charcter experience take center stage rather than the overall story. It also doesnt help that companies like MS try to spread the plot of their games out into 3hree-quels that become convoluted and impossible to follow.

[MrTrololo]

I'm not suprised coming for the developer of LoL which is a rip-off from Dota.

[Ipunchbabiesforfun]

Some of my favorite games of last gen had plots. Bioshock, Bioshock Infinite and Mass Effect

[Blacklash93]

In a healthy creative industry, games should be trying to many different things that are created by many different people, for many different kinds of people. Don't like games with plot? There's plenty of 90's titles, platformers, RPG's, and indie games to keep you occupied. Like games with a narrative backbone? Play Xenogears, Portal, or The Last of Us. It's a variety and there's plenty for everyone.

I'm getting really sick of pretentious quasi-bloggers and marketers pushing their ideas of good entertainment as universal truth. I speak about loving the Avengers movie and other Hollywood films, and my opinion is treated like that of an immature 8-year-old because I enjoy things that don't attempt to live up to redundant and misplaced artistic standards. These petty, needless, and overly opinionated ideals make discussion insufferable. We all have different genre preferences. What's wrong with that?

It just goes to show how malignantly overvalued and bloated the entertainment industries are getting. Entertainment enthusiasts, like us here at N4G, talk more like political campaigners than anything else. I even find myself doing the same thing sometimes. :/

[ginganinja]

And it's nothing to do with the plot in 90-something per cent of games being some poorly written, after-thought used to shoe horn the player from set play to set play.
Take the time to tell us a proper story and we'll remember it.

[Dabigsiebowski]

I cannot wait for FFXV for PS4!

[urwifeminder]

Yeah I don't take notice of stories in games just seems to Hollywood try hard as long as I leave a wake of death I am one happy camper.

[SlyFamousthe3rd]

And yet the plot/story driven games are the ones taking home the "game of the year" awards. That being said, this does not bode well for Xbox gamers because what they are actually saying is there is no game that even remotely has a plot for the xbone in the near future.

ND, SPP, Kojima etc.... all say high. I have noticed this past year that there arent many smart people in the MS ranks or at least, people who know when to shut up.

[Master-H]

Plot and story don't matter now ? maybe he had kinect games in mind when he was saying this lul

[Coach_McGuirk]

i agree with the author, but then again I'm one who skips cutscenes. I enjoying playing, not watching.

[cyclindk]

So you there is ZERO cross-over for you? Cut straight down the middle? Games = 100 percent playing, Movies = 100 percent watching? What about interactive "cut-scenes?"

[Blacklash93]

I'm kind of concerned about the "death of the third act" bit in the article. Shouldn't developers and publishers operate under the assumption that their games are worth playing through to the end? It's no excuse not to put effort into the latter parts of the game, or to shorten the game length.

[cyclindk]

Depends on the game... good lord...

Porn doesn't always need a lot of "plot," though plot in porn is good too.

Feature films might be all about the plot and none of the visual spectacle, or combinations.

What a blithe and perfunctory take on an entire medium...

[Platinum_k]

of course plot matters...

If you have developing Characters or Character development, you need a good plot.

If your character is dull and doesn't gain any insights through out the game, no need for a good plot.

[RollinThunder]

There must be SOME plot, across all genres. At the very least, a basic outline to the "story" and/or purpose of the game. Some games don't really need a plot. However, if we look at "blockbuster" titles; they have plots. Some are lackluster, predictable and bland but others are nuanced and fascinating while others are predictable and nuanced or any combination of those adjectives.

They all cater to a certain crowd. Judging things by "research" leaves you with a little bit of a jaded and to me: inhuman view. I may just be a sap and games with great stories suck me in and make it that much better. Imagine Halo without a fleshed out plot, Gears(Although, I didn't like it and felt like it followed Halo's formula-which probably followed another story/games formula.) or Mass Effect, or Final Fantasy for it's fans, Elder Scrolls, The Witcher.

Let's not go backwards =(