[Every Friday, Destructoid will pose topical a question to the community. Answer it if you want!]
The subject of cutscenes crops up rather regularly in the games industry. There is an increasing trend among developers to write cutscenes off as narrative failures, an attitude that declares any story that cannot be told within an interactive context runs contrary to what a videogame should be.
There are certain benefits to cutscenes — you’re able to control the pacing and the focus of the audience, and thus better communicate your ideas. However, titles such asHalf-Lifehas been groundbreaking in their ability to successfully chart an engaging story without ever taking us out of the game.
Cutscenes are still a big part of gaming. Some people don’t mind that, others feel the medium cannot grow while we’re stuck in the “old” ways of delivering narrative. So the question this week is — what do you think of cutscenes? Are they a valid part of a developer’s toolset, or are they a narrative relic, only to be used by lazy or unskilled creator?
