Balancing Cut Scenes and Gameplay
By: Eric Bakutis
Supervisor: Michael McCoy
Masters of Interactive Technology degree conferred July 12th, 2008
Thesis / Project completed: July 7th, 2008

This thesis examines methods for videogames to tell complex stories to players. This thesis examines the two most common storytelling approaches in today’s games, cut scenes and scripted sequences, and details the benefits and drawbacks of each. This thesis tests a large pool of testers to play two versions of the same story, one told through cut scenes, the other told through scripted sequences, and then draws conclusions about the best ways to use both storytelling approaches in today’s games.

This thesis suggests players best retain story critical information when games present that information in a cut scene. However, the best place to use both cut scenes and scripted sequences is at the start of a level, the end of a level, or at well-designed breaks in the overall gameplay narrative. Both cut scenes and scripted sequences damage player immersion if they occur during gameplay because they hinder player progress. Therefore, game developers should use both cut scenes and scripted sequences sparingly in the middle of levels if they want to keep players involved in their games.

When used properly, scripted sequences are less likely to break player immersion than cut scenes during gameplay and, in many cases, keep players more involved in the story. Provided developers keep their scripted sequences short and do not artificially hinder player progress, scripted sequences are superior to cut scenes for delivering plot twists and additional storytelling in the middle of a mission.

To conclude, this thesis suggests introductory and concluding cut scenes are the best way to relay story and game critical information to players, and short scripted sequences that do not hinder player progress are best for developing or changing a game’s story during gameplay. Developers who use both storytelling approaches properly and conservatively can best tell complex stories in today’s games.

Download entire thesis (.pdf)