As a follow-up to yesterday's post about the intersection of passive and active media in games, I'd like to defend the humble cutscene, for when used in moderation, cutscenes can enhance the experience of play. The way I see it, Blizzard has mastered the cutscene. They are brief, infrequent, and they pack a wallop. For example, the epic scale of the battles truly comes alive here:
Wow! Look how huge that battle cruiser is! Did you see that zergling rush at the end? Here we are given a dramatic representation of what presumably goes on behind the familiar sprites during the game's core play experience. We see the panic in our soldiers' eyes and the callousness of our generals. The film does more than just further the story, it enhances the game. It grants players a sense of empathy by creating an emotional connection. It's much easier to relate to a marine than before, when all we've seen of him is this:
This sort of cutscene plays the same role as the elaborate, lavishly illustrated booklets that sometimes come with games. Thing is, today's technology has all but eclipsed the need for this sort of pre-rendered 'fleshing out' of the virtual world. Half Life (and more recently, Bioshock) didn't need cutscenes to tell a dramatic story. There are increasingly few excuses the existence of cutscenes.
And finally, because the internet loves lists:
The 6 Commandments of Cutscenes
a list by Cole Stryker, conceived in 10 minutes.
- Always let me skip through.
- Never resort to a cutscene when you can accomplish the same thing in-game. See Half Life for examples of how a ton of information can be conveyed in clever ways. Show, don't tell.
- Cutscenes should be short. If I can make myself a sandwich, cut 'em down. Pacing is key.
- Never use cutscenes as an excuse to show off pretty special effects, only for scene setting. See Fallout.
- If cutscene development comprises more than 10% of your overall budget, especially in today's world of machinima, you are copping out.
- Never try to make up for your boring cutscenes with 'quick time events'. This feels like punishment.
Feel free to add more in the comments.