Story and Simulations for Serious Games

29

Stories in State-of-the-Art Commercial Games

If there was ever a doubt about the importance of story in gameplay environments, that was solidly put to rest with the emergence of the Tomb Raider series. Although the accessible and entertaining gameplay had much to do with the success of the series, there is no doubt that Lara Croft’s Indiana Jones-like adventures placed the series head and shoulders above its competitors.

Even the Tony Hawk skateboarding series, a classic example of “pure” game, has moved increasingly in a story-based direction. Story elements inevitably draw in players who won’t normally feel compelled to explore pure gameplay. Consequently, story-driven games can reach an even wider range of players.

Two first-person shooter ...