Hi everyone!

I’m curious about how we players feel about narrative in games, especially in smaller indie titles.

As a developer (and also as a player), I often wonder where the balance really lies. On one hand, narrative can be a powerful tool: it gives context to the world, depth to the characters, and emotional weight to the player’s actions. A well-written story can turn a simple mechanic into something memorable, or make a quiet, minimal game resonate long after it ends.

On the other hand, I know that not everyone enjoys reading large amounts of text in games. Some players feel that too much dialogue or exposition slows the pace, breaks immersion, or starts to feel like they’re reading a book instead of playing a game. Especially today, with so many short-form experiences and gameplay-driven projects on itch.io, I imagine preferences vary a lot.

So I’d love to hear your thoughts:

• How important is narrative to you when playing a game?
• Do you enjoy reading dialogue, notes, journals, or lore if it’s well written?
• At what point does “story” become too much for you?
• Do you prefer environmental storytelling and subtle hints over explicit text?
• Are there games where the narrative really elevated the experience for you?

I’m not thinking about big AAA games here, but rather indie, experimental, or narrative-focused projects,the kind that are common on itch.io. Any perspective is welcome, whether you’re a player, a developer, or both.

Looking forward to reading your opinions! 😁

It depends. There are types of games where the story is very important and others where it isn't.

For example, a visual novel or interactive fiction will be good or bad depending on the quality of its story.

In games like RPGs, the story can make the difference between an average game and a memorable one.

In arcade-style games, the story is merely decorative.

It's impossible to give a single, simple answer because the importance of a story within a game depends heavily on the gameplay style, as player expectations change depending on the type of game they're looking for.

A general piece of advice: never try to force a player to read or follow the story. Try to be friendly and give each player the option of whether or not they want to read the story of your game.

For example, never force your players to read or watch an introduction that explains the story; always try to make it optional. Something I've noticed is that many games allow you to delve deeper into the folklore of the story through collectible items, etc.

For short web games, which is what I mostly play on Itch.io, stories aren't really necessary.

For longer games, they're often story driven and the story is an integral part of the game.

I agree with hechelion. Give players the option to skip the story.  Those that enjoy stories can read it, those that don't enjoy stories can skip it.

Thing I find annoying - which are personal preferences:

•  Spoken narrative that I can't mute - I will mute the game in those cases.  Because it interferes with my background music. (I turn off game music 100% of the time and listen to my own music.)
• Typewriter text - one letter or word at a time. It's NEVER at the right speed for everyone and more often than not too slow. Let me read at my own speed.

I think it depends on the situation. For some types of games, the plot is the core, while for others, the plot is more like a formality. I think the important thing is to find the right niche for your game.

How important is narrative to you when playing a game?

Do you enjoy reading dialogue, notes, journals, or lore if it’s well written?

Only if they are not too long and easy to grasp.

At what point does “story” become too much for you?

When story dictates and even overrides gameplay, it is too much. Gameplay should define story not the other way around.

Do you prefer environmental storytelling and subtle hints over explicit text?

Yes. Explicit texts are only needed if it's too hard to explain narrative with environments.

Are there games where the narrative really elevated the experience for you?

Of course there are. Short narrative telling me that I'm invading enemy's headquarter elevated my experience, for example. Without the narrative, I'm not sure why I'm at this headquarter or worse I won't even know that the place is a headquarter.

I mean obviously ‘should’ and ‘must’ only apply when talking about the best way to make as widely appealing a product as you can. Beyond that, you can do anything.

But yeah, either or. For example, we made Robotron, which pretty much has no story because it doesn’t really need it. While Killing Machine Movement is hugely about story - to the point where we’re parodying how important story is.

Personally, I’ll skim or even skip most notes or journals on a first playthrough. If I like the game enough to play it again. Perhaps the third time, I’ll actually read the notes with conviction. This was the case for me with Deus ex. When I did get around to reading everything in Deus ex, I did enjoy it. Extra character and lore and aha moments and those Chesterton exerpts were great. So dramatic. Funnily enough we also take the piss with this in KMM by putting in 400 page books for the player to find and giant 50 page lore dumps/fan fictions.

Dialgoue on the other hand is a different thing. I love dialogue. If there’s no voice acting though I may get impatient with it if it isn’t great.

If story is part of the game, I always have time for it.

I think environmental storytelling is brilliant and generally preferable to texts for sure. But I’m not one to shun dialogue or cutscenes. I don’t always necessarily agree with less is more or show don’t tell. Stylistically, the opposite can have its place and be pretty refreshing. But environmental storytelling is indeed admirable and something that should be pursued whenever attainable. Look for opportunities to do it. But don’t take for granted, this indoctrination to saying more with less is a result of industries trying to get their products to as wide an audience as possible. And if the largest audience possible must accommodate people with low patience and low tolerance, then you must tailor your product accordingly. That’s not to mention products are sold wider internationally. If you can connect with people’s emotions without words and thus circumvent the barrier of language, that’s more accessible and cheaper.

Are there games where the narrative really elevated the experience for you? Yes.

(btw multiple people use this account. I’m just one of them. Kador isn’t just one wanker)

I think story is what makes a good game a great game. I would strongly recommend narrative. I did so with my game, but at the same time I would also make sure it’s possible to skip. I know some people don’t care for it and also someone might be replaying and know the story already 

READING? IN MY FREE TIME!?

Yeah I'm not a big reader in games. But I guess a story sometimes can add to the experience. As long as it's short and respects my time (should be quickly skip-able). I like it when the gameplay tells the story (especially emergent gameplay).

For me, narrative can be really helpful to understand what the game is about, as long as it's well written. It gives context to the world and the situation.

I also really like environmental storytelling. Sometimes just being in a place and noticing small details can already tell you a lot about what's going on without needing too much text.

i think it really depends. i love stories in games, most of the time i play games for the story, but i also mostly play horror games where you need a story to create anything scary. i think it really depends like hechelion said.. depends on the genre of your game and what you want to create for your player. are you trying to create an experience that guides the player through a world and that is the entertainment? or are you trying to create an experience that entertains them through challenges and building their skill? u just gotta think about what is important to you in your game.