Guild Wars 2

I recently saw two interesting videos that were linked together both talking about mechanics in games and how they work together with the narrative of the game or grind against them. I heartily recommend that if you are interested in this forum thread and/or interested in game design they are both a good watch.

Idea Channel “Are Videogames About Their Mechanics”
Extra Credits “Mechanics and Tone – How Does Gameplay Relate to Story”

The extra credits video is especially poignant as they talk briefly about MMOs in general. Personally I enjoy Guild Wars 2 ‘Living Story’ as I enjoy plot but even I find that the games mechanics are often simply put aside for story. When we play the living story we have to stop to read text as the characters talk to one another and you are not really interacting with it even though your avatar is involved in the conversation. I discovered a lot of people will simply skip through all the writing to get to the action.

This a contrast to the mechanics helping narrative when we have ‘Random Events’ where we use our knowledge of the mechanics and skill to help a narrative without needing to stop and read. You also get the feeling you are physically helping the world. This is why I like when the living story has us engage the narrative openly, like the fortresses in The Silverwastes, rather than the parts were we go into personal instanced sections.

Still, I would like your thoughts of Guild Wars 2’s mechanics and narrative. Where do you think the game’s mechanics and narrative do well together in harmony? Or where they don’t where you can remember every detail of that epic fight but you cannot remember why you were in that fight to begin with?