Not every story is a good one. Even though that is as obvious as gravity, it needs to be said because that doesn't stop it from being enjoyable. Trying to create something that is the right amount of "campy" without it becoming cringe-inducing is an art unto itself. The easiest way to find examples of what I mean is by talking to parents, and letting them regale you with their most hated thing their kid loves, or listen to a dad talk about how he wishes his kids would just watch Power Rangers. When it comes to video games, not every single one is a winner either. A lot of video game stories have to either explain the game and its logic or completely ignore the game part and be good on its own. Many of the games I love to play have some of the most nonsense stories ever created, and I have found it to be inspiring.
A good game doesn't mean it always has a good story. A good game, if you ask me, is an entertaining experience even if the other aspects lack luster. Like a sport can be entertaining to watch and have a deep and rich history, but if it's boring to watch then it's not going to be popular. When you have games like Pizza Tower that are so fun to play and so well crafted, the last thing I'm thinking about is "what is lore?" I just recently watched a video from someone recently doing a challenge run to see if you can play through every level in Mario, the first one on NES, and that game still looks fun! (Video Here) The story boils down to saving the princess from the king of turtle people-things but it's a simple premise that has worked for literal decades. As a writer though, it makes me laugh when it's obviously played up to be funny, but when a story is truly bad, it makes it unplayable.
Recently I started playing through the different stories of fighting games, and some of them are there just to give you a reason to fight the other person, and some of these ideas were just terrible. Like OG Capcom games might have a misspelled word or two during your win screen, but even looking at a game like Vampire Savior the screens are there to give you a good feeling after having to beat up the world and lose most of your quarters to the end boss. Playing games that have great gameplay but silly stories is some of the most fun you can have as a writer in my opinion. While I'm enjoying playing Devil May Cry from the HD collection, I play it to laugh at the campyness and deliveries of lines in a game that is the birth of my need to get a combo in any game with a giant sword! What do you mean I can only swing twice in Dark Souls before I'm tired? If Dante was here he'd have already comboed Gwyn to death and had to fight the devil or somthing. DMC wasn't always the best with why you were suddenly fighting Beelzebub, Japan loves the fly guy and will put him in there with an obvious reference to Beserk, get over it! Funny enough, so would Dark Souls...
Thank you for reading another one of these little pieces that help me decompress. A lot goes on behind the scenes of trying to create something that is unbiasedly and objectively "good" because what is good? Tragedy is obvious, comedy is subjective, and good relative to what? I truly believe that the Bible is one of the most interesting and well written "books" in the world, maybe even the perfect story depending on your beliefs, and some ancient stories exist because there is a core commonality; it's a good, well written story. I want to write something that doesn't waste the reader's time, but even the most campy story can feel worth it if it's a good but campy story. Let me know what you think below and follow the social medias, so I can keep getting a chance to give y'all something good to read.
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