Stars of gaming's golden age

Video game storytelling and characterisation are evolving fast: the latest releases show new levels of ambition. But can games ever develop the complexity of films or books?

THE OPENING credits of Red Dead Redemptionsay more about the Wild West than many films on the subject. We see a shiny new invention, known as the automobile, sitting on a dock. We hear old women talking about the taming of the local "savages". And we hear a young woman expressing confusion about the morality of ethnic cleansing. This is before a word is said by the lead character, a reformed criminal who goes by the handle of John Marston.

Red Dead Redemptionis a good example of how scale and ambition have evolved in video games. The game's developer, Rockstar Games, is best known for the gleefully amoral Grand Theft Autoseries, but in Red Dead Redemptionplayers are encouraged to help strangers in need and to kill only if necessary. The man's-gotta-do morality of the traditional Western is a neat fit for a video game, with a player's actions affecting how he's perceived by others. The character's "honour rating", and indeed how morally he lives his life, is changeable in the game, according to how it is played. Estimates of the game's running time vary, from 20 to 40 hours, which is more than enough time to build on John Marston's personality.

This blend of action and characterisation is a natural progression for the commercial gaming industry. In the early days, gaming characters and avatars were defined by their actions. The name Space Invaders, for example, told you all there was to know about the game's protagonists, and one of gaming's most iconic characters, Mario, was originally called "Jumpman".

Gaming has had a similar early history to that of another relatively youthful art form, cinema. Just as the first movies were no more than demonstrations of the medium, so early games were simple, repetitive tests of speed and co-ordination. And just like cinema, which entered a golden age in the 1930s and 1940s, gaming has been making a quantum leap in its fourth decade.

Building on speedier engines and sharper graphics, developers were initially competing in the fields of game play and graphic innovations. Even modern classics, such as Haloand Gears of War, are quite thin on characterisation. But with improvements in animation, rendering (especially of facial expressions) and size of gaming landscapes, game writers have a more sophisticated set of tools at their disposal. Just because their creations are animated avatars doesn't mean they can't be well-drawn characters.

Released earlier this year, Heavy Rainwould best be described as an interactive film noir. It is constructed around a missing-child story; the gamer controls four characters: the boy's father, a crime journalist, an FBI agent and a private detective. The game play is based more on moral decisions than button jabbing, and, as in Red Dead Redemption, characters evolve according to the choices made. Will you intervene during a robbery, or walk by? Will you help an innocent man escape from police custody? Would you harm yourself for someone you love?

Another recent hit, Alan Wake, delivers on traditional action but also provides atmosphere and a memorable central character. The eponymous avatar is a writer (partly based on Stephen King) who, we see, has marital difficulties, discomfort with fame and writer's block. We even get to read some of his novel and see him in a talk-show interview. It's a far cry from an anonymous figure who shoots space invaders.

It can't be denied that the shallow stereotype of the game character has a basis in reality – the industry has more than its share of tough-as-nails marines and buxom action girls. But there has always been a corner of gaming more interested in real people than in gun-toting ciphers. The CVs of avatars now include architects ( Heavy Rain), authors ( Alan Wake), game-show hosts (Buzz) and flower petals (Flower). Even in war games the supporting characters are getting richer. In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, much of the time is spent fighting alongside the colourful Captain Price. When Price sustains a potentially fatal injury near the game's end, it is strangely moving. Red Dead Redemptionalso pays attention to its supporting cast, and the tiniest bit-part players have the ability to surprise. In one scene a stranger on the road asks for a ride into town, but then steals your horse when you dismount. The lesson is clear: be moral but not naive.

Video games have some way to go before they reach their full potential. Admittedly, the best films, plays and books are more mature and sophisticated than the best games. But games are developing at an extraordinary rate. Indeed, with big-budget films becoming safer and more conservative, it's fair to say that the marquee games have surpassed blockbuster movies in characterisation. Much more thought has been put into the lead character in Grand Theft AutoIV than, say, in Transformers, while many sub-par film adaptations of video games have done the younger industry no favours.

The most encouraging trend has arguably been among gamers themselves. Games with rich characters and strong stories often require more patience than their more kinetic forebears. But instead of being shunned for their creativity, they're often embraced. Heavy Rainhas sold more than a million copies (and a film adaptation is rumoured to be on the way) and Red Dead Redemptionis already a runaway hit. As an art form, the video game might have a long way to go, but it seems to be heading in the right direction.

Raising their game Story, characters, action

Looking for a game with story and characters that complement the action? These titles should get you started.

Red Dead Redemption

On the surface this Western looks archetypical: a former outlaw, left for dead by his gang, seeks retribution. But John Marston’s journey, which brings him into contact with (among others) a female rancher, a conman, a jaded sheriff and Mexican revolutionaries, is far from straightforward.

Heavy Rain

The weather plays a pivotal part in this story of a missing child and how it affects the lives of a bereaved father, an ambitious journalist and those investigating the case. There are dozens of endings, which can range, depending on how you play the game, from joyous to tragic to bittersweet.

Grand Theft Auto IV

The hugely popular series of crime simulations is divisive, but there's no arguing that Rockstar Games (which also developed Red Dead Redemption) has a knack for characterisation. The lead in GTA IVis Niko Bellic, a veteran of the Bosnian war who tries to build a new life in the US. Emotionally wounded but dryly funny, Bellic is dragged into a life of crime by difficult circumstances and the world's worst cousin.