I may dislike the sheer stupidity of Fallout 3 with a burning passion, but I can't deny the fact that most RPGs I played in the early 90s had far inferior writing (notice I don't say game mechanics... or graphics...) The reason? The gaming industry only started paying attention and hiring actual writers a little bit more than a decade ago. Before that, the vast majority of game writing had only been done by regular programmers, artists, producers, and so on - that is, by what was essentially a bunch of complete amateurs with little or no formal educational background in writing, English, communications, journalism, or any other literary field. The adage you mentioned is correct, but it only applies to actual writers, doesn't it?
To put it another way, what I am saying is that, until recently, game writing was more of a part-time hobby and less of an real, distinct profession. Anyone who wishes to make a fair comparison between the writing of Fallout 3 and that of any other game should bear that little fact in mind. Other than that, I agree with you. Graphics are no substitute for storytelling.
[Y]ou might want to actually play older games instead of cherry picking examples from the past... Go grab scenes from PS: T...
As for my supposed cherry-picking, Planescape: Torment is a comparatively recent 1999 game. When I asked you to look at any game from the early nineties, I meant practically any well-known RPG from
the actual early nineties. Final Fantasy I-V, Wizardry I-VI, Daggerfall, Might and Magic I-V, you name it. I won't ask you to play them, but I suggest you look some of them up on YouTube. When it comes to telling a story, Final Fantasy I is no Grand Theft Auto IV. Not by a long shot.
Humour & Writing haven't progressed since maybe Rome was in power. There is a famous quote "There are 6 stories and we have been retelling them since the dawn of time." Technology helps you tell the story, but doesn't create the story. Shakespeare's writing isn't better because the lighting is better now on stage.... his plays' might be better due to the fact you can see & hear the actors from the back row.
Missing my point. A writer is a writer regardless of their medium. Besides you might want to actually play older games instead of cherry picking examples from the past. There have always been good stories & bad ones. The strength of computer games isn't the story, but how you can be *in* the story which as technology improved became easier to do. Go grab scenes from PS: T and tell me that the dialog has gotten better over the years. It hasn't because good writers are few & far between.... worse yet the computer game industry isn't hiring good writers for the most part.
