Yes, it could be the question. But not for this blog. 
About a week ago I said I would talk about the work of Ian Bogost and Jane McGonigal, and why the concepts they’ve laid out are critically important to the design of persuasive games, and in my estimation, to game design as a whole.
But I’ve decided to take a different tact this week on yet another important issue in persuasive game design, one that always gets us game designers right here in the gut: the issue of storytelling in games. Should we or shouldn’t we? Does it matter? Who cares?
Well for one, I do. 
And you should too, if you’re into games at all. In fact, Gamasutra’s run a great interview with Rhianna Pratchett, lead writer for Mirror’s Edge and Heavenly Sword. First, I disagree with Rhianna on the issue of “sameness” in character development. Yes, they have their differences, but if any indication of human history and how we tell our stories is correct, then it’s far more similar and less so than we think. I’m sure everyone here has read Vogler’s “The Writer’s Journey” as well as “Mask Of A Thousand Faces” by Joseph Campbell and how there are archetypes that, while, they have different names and costumes, are nearly identical. Take a look at the stories in various cultures around the world and you’ll see what I’m talking about. For example, take tales of the Black Dog. Cultures from Northern Europe to Latin America all have some form of a black dog legend. Coincidence? Nope. There’s also Jewish Kaballisic tale called The Chains of The Messiah, regarding Asmodeus, ruler of evil and demons and his Queen wife, Lillith, who were able to transform into black dogs found to be living on Mt. Seir. Once defeated, the chains holding back the arrival of the Messiah would break and enable his arrival into this world.
Well, I’m Jewish and I’m thrilled that I can be green on St.Patrick’s Day with my fellow Irish bretheren. Likewise, I’ll wish them a good Mazel Tov and hope they do lots of mitzvot!
I do agree with Rhianna regarding using cut-scenes (or as they were called in the days of the NES, “cinema scenes”). One genre that does this wonderfully is the graphic-novel style game. Cut-scenes are built into how the story gets told. Without them, it’s just NOT a graphic novel. Let’s take Max Payne as our role model, which I believe to be the gold standard (kudos Remedy!). The story progresses in chapters (don’t they all?) and they way it gets from one to the next is through cut-scenes with comic book-style panes, and the word bubbles are read by the voice actor, Sam Spade style. Even along the way DURING gameplay, we hear Max reciting the thoughts in his head that propel the story forward.
Take a look at some gameplay here to see what I mean:
All in all, I think graphic novels get a bad rap as “not real literature,” but to those who would make such a claim I say look at the Watchmen’s Hugo Award.
