{"id":35676,"date":"2023-11-30T02:49:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-30T02:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=35676"},"modified":"2023-12-17T14:29:05","modified_gmt":"2023-12-17T14:29:05","slug":"baldurs-gate-3-became-the-surprise-hit-of-2023-by-upending-conventional-wisdom-about-what-gives-video-games-broad-appeal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/baldurs-gate-3-became-the-surprise-hit-of-2023-by-upending-conventional-wisdom-about-what-gives-video-games-broad-appeal\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Baldur\u2019s Gate 3\u2019 became the surprise hit of 2023 by upending conventional wisdom about what gives video games broad\u00a0appeal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

James Dawes<\/a>, Macalester College<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Few predicted that the smash hit video game of 2023 would feature old-school game mechanics, hours of brooding cutscenes and a vexing learning curve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet \u201cBaldur\u2019s Gate 3,\u201d a 20-year-old title based on a 50-year-old role-playing game, has already become one of the highest-rated<\/a> video games of all time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a very specific niche of game,\u201d admitted Swen Vincke<\/a>, the CEO of Larian, its developer. \u201cWe\u2019ve never been about the money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nonetheless, since Larian released the title in August 2023, the company has been raking in the money<\/a>. And it has done this with a rare focus on elements like story and character, upending the industry\u2019s conventional wisdom<\/a> about what it takes to create a blockbuster game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going against the grain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBaldur\u2019s Gate 3\u201d was underestimated, in large part, because it is old-fashioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s based on the oldest role-playing game around, Dungeons & Dragons. It features an out-of-style combat system<\/a> and a gobsmacking 174 hours<\/a> of narrative cutscenes<\/a>, which are akin to mini-film clips \u2013 and are generally considered pass\u00e9 because they interrupt gameplay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even more off-putting: There\u2019s a steep learning curve, which harks back to the bygone days of the arcade<\/a>, when games were designed not to sustain engagement but to present a challenge \u2013 and extract as many quarters from players as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite all of this, \u201cBaldur\u2019s Gate 3\u201d captured more than 25% of all playtime<\/a> on the gaming distribution platform Steam during the first weekend of its release, with gamers logging an astonishing 10 million hours<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Young
A cosplayer dressed as Asterion from \u2018Baldur\u2019s Gate 3\u2019 at New York Comic Con in October 2023. Roy Rochlin\/Getty Images<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Narrative gets a much-needed win<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To understand why teachers of game design like me<\/a> are so excited about \u201cBaldur\u2019s Gate 3,\u201d it\u2019s helpful to focus on a concept we use in game studies: namely, the continuum between narratology and ludology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Narratology prioritizes the storytelling aspect of video games, whereas ludology \u2013 from the Latin \u201cludus,\u201d or game \u2013 prioritizes gameplay and game mechanics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTetris<\/a>\u201d was pure gameplay, all geometry and timing, while the earlier, text-based adventure \u201cZork<\/a>\u201d was pure interactive storytelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most games involve both, but the narrative is almost always secondary. The thinking goes that you can have a good game without a good story, but you can\u2019t have a good game today without good gameplay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, the kind of story you can tell is limited by the kind of game you are designing. If you want to write a poignant little tale about somebody who really just needs a hug, you can\u2019t do it with gameplay defined by hacking evildoers to death with a hatchet. https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ToEllOW2r1Y?wmode=transparent&start=0 A brief history of \u2018Zork,\u2019 a game that\u2019s entirely centered on text and storytelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What distinguishes \u201cBaldur\u2019s Gate 3\u201d from the vast majority of games is that it is, at its heart, a narrative game. Players can spend hours clicking through dialogue options to trigger chatty cutscenes that flesh out backstories and advance character plots. They can flirt with a fiery barbarian devil, confront the racial prejudice of an extraplanar visitor, or help the emo priestess Shadowheart process her childhood trauma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of its most dramatic and memorable moments \u2013 spoiler alert \u2013 is when players get to give a hug to somebody who desperately needs one, even though the gameplay is defined by hacking evildoers to death with a hatchet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These moments \u2013 romancing, arguing, befriending, understanding \u2013 are the connective tissue that gives form and meaning to the otherwise skeletal mechanics of hacking and slashing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To ludologists, however, these kinds of cinematics are a design failure<\/a>. They interrupt the game. They force players to stop playing and start watching. They lazily mimic<\/a> what novels and films are better at doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ludologists take the writing principle \u201cDon\u2019t tell, show!\u201d and supercharge it for games to \u201cDon\u2019t show, play!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaving money on the table<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But the risks \u201cBaldur\u2019s Gate 3\u201d took by leaning into the story go far beyond the doomspeak of ludologists. The gaming industry has shifted away from narrative in recent years as it has evolved from a niche entertainment into a force to rival Hollywood<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As video game journalist Ben Kuchera explained<\/a>, \u201cWriting doesn\u2019t translate into dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is narrative seen as a bad bet for game studios? And why did Larian decide to make that bet anyway?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first argument is that narrative has a low \u2013 even negative \u2013 return on investment. Larian invested heavily to develop multiple side plots and branching narrative pathways, showcasing 276 mesmerizing voice actors<\/a> and devising a reported 17,000 variations<\/a> of the ending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because choosing one path means closing off another, most players will never experience the vast majority of this carefully wrought content. You can replay the game, but with standard runs taking an estimated 75 hours<\/a>, even hard-core gamers will still miss out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Larian will too. Larian does not make money on player retries. From a financial perspective, undiscovered content represents pure loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A narratologist, however, would argue that this kind of \u201closs\u201d is precisely the point. In \u201cBaldur\u2019s Gate 3,\u201d choices have costs. You can make decisions you will regret. And that is why you can also experience regret\u2019s opposite: delight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second argument against narrative game design is structural. Narrative games leave money on the table because they are designed to end. \u201cBaldur\u2019s Gate 3\u201d is structured as a three-act plot with an inciting incident, escalating action, and an appalling and beautiful climax. It leaves players satisfied. And that\u2019s precisely the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The games that make the most money today are designed to never end. Narratively shallow games, such as the first-person shooter \u201cFortnite<\/a>,\u201d can keep a player hooked for years, inducing them to spend money on microtransactions<\/a> that far exceed the one-time purchase price of a game like \u201cBaldur\u2019s Gate 3.\u201d They are desire treadmills, always holding off the promise of satisfaction with the lure of another thing to buy: next season\u2019s loot boxes<\/a>, next season\u2019s battle pass rewards<\/a>, next season\u2019s skins<\/a>. They transform play into shopping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBaldur\u2019s Gate 3\u201d has none of this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe believe in providing a complete and immersive gaming experience without the need for additional purchases,\u201d Larian wrote on the game\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gamers and reviewers reacted to that announcement like swimmers taking their first snatch of air<\/a> after an overly aggressive dunking at a pool party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond button-mashing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The third argument against story-driven games is that they don\u2019t appeal to a broad audience. The thinking goes that most gamers tend to be hyperactive button-mashers who lack the attention span for complex stories. And because developers can spend tens, even hundreds of millions<\/a> to bring a game to market, they cannot risk limiting their appeal, so they instead follow established models of success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even before the ascendance of the \u201cFornite\u201d business model, that often meant shying away from story. In a 2007 interview<\/a>, game designer and producer Warren Spector griped: \u201cYou don\u2019t want to know how many projects I\u2019ve been told to \u2018just go make a shooter.\u2019 I had one publisher tell me \u2018you\u2019re not allowed to say story anymore.\u2019 It\u2019s a constant battle to do something other than what everyone else is already doing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, the gaming industry has dubbed \u201cBaldur\u2019s Gate 3\u201d a unicorn to admire rather than a model to follow<\/a>. Larian can do what others cannot because it is a privately owned company that doesn\u2019t have to compromise artistic choices due to financial pressures<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That may be true. But the game\u2019s surprising success is a much-needed reminder that in the video game industry, making art and making money aren\u2019t mutually exclusive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James Dawes<\/a>, Professor of English, Macalester College<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

James Dawes, Macalester College Few predicted that the smash hit video game of 2023 would feature old-school game mechanics, hours of brooding cutscenes and a vexing learning curve. Yet \u201cBaldur\u2019s Gate 3,\u201d a 20-year-old title based on a 50-year-old role-playing game, has already become one of the highest-rated video games of all time. \u201cThis is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":35677,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8025,7],"tags":[4619,14901,1165,14902,14461,2257,1715,14903,14904,559],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35676"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35676"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35676\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35709,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35676\/revisions\/35709"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}