Why Are Videogame Introductions So Bad?

WHY ARE VIDEOGAME INTRODUCTIONS SO BAD?

A rebel cruiser is pursued by an Imperial Star Destroyer. James Bond, pursued by enemies of queen and country, makes his escape by skiing off of a cliff and parachuting to safety. Some of the most exciting moments in films occur in the opening sequence.

Of all the genres, the action film best lends itself to videogaming. There is a good reason why, and it has the fact that playing videogames involves pressing buttons. Therefore, it best lends itself to situations in which reactions take over. So in videogames one finds themselves doing a lot of 'action guy' stuff such as driving fast cars and shooting the enemy.

But, whereas opening sequences of action movies are often high-octane affairs, the same often cannot be said of the introduction levels to videogames. On one level, this is understandable. A videogame's beginning is where the player is introduced to the mechanics of the gameplay for the first time. Even if the title is a sequel, and therefore quite likely to be played by people who have grown accustomed to its mechanics by playing through the previous instalment, it still has to be assumed that there will be novices cutting their teeth on the game who would not want to be left feeling frustrated by too-steep a learning curve. So, quite often a videogame starts with a sequence that eases you into the basic game mechanics, teaching you how to look, move, shoot a weapon and other basic stuff.

However, sometimes videogames take things one step further than easing players into their role as action heroes. Some videogames seem to seek to turn players off of their games, such is the dullness of their opening levels. This is particularly strange, given that these can be games which, in general, are among the best ever made.

Take Grand Theft Auto V, for example. This is a franchise that has been refined over several instalments to the point where it has become an almost perfect balance between script-led action and nonlinear gameplay. It's brilliant fun, but it does not start as it means to go on. How it should start, of course, is with you, a vehicle, and an open world where you can go wherever you want and do whatever you want, perhaps with some nudging to influence the player into taking actions that will progress the plotline (like, say, Michael's house as an obvious destination that you might want to head for). Or, maybe, with no vehicle but the same opportunity to acquire one that you generally have when playing a game in this franchise. But that's not how it starts at all. Instead, it begins with a slightly dull introduction involving a heist gone wrong, set in the past and in a location you won't see again until much later and probably would never care to see ever again.

(Image from GTAV by Rockstar North)

But when it comes to an introduction that seems determined to make the player hate the game, the top prize has to go to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Like GTAV, the majority of the gameplay is fantastic. This Metal Gear is the one you imagined one day being able to play as you worked through previous instalments on lesser machines not powerful enough to do the premise of tactical action gameplay full justice. It's your character, an open environment, and missions that can be accomplished using a variety of styles from stealth to full-on assault. Hideo Kojima does love his cinematics, so it's perhaps too much to ask that no cut-scenes interrupt gameplay, but why not begin this game with a sequence showing Snake and Revolver Ocelot riding together on horses through Afghanistan, and Ocelot exclaiming 'let the legend ride again!', as the music swells and thereafter the open environment is yours to do with as you will.

Something like that does actually happen, but not for quite some time. Before you are finally let loose to be a one-man army, you must endure this horrendous beginning. For the first several minutes you are confined to a hospital bed where all you can do is look around. And when you finally do get out of bed, your character has no strength to stand and must therefore drag himself along on his tummy, occasionally attempting to gain a more upright posture whenever furniture provides support, only to fall back down on his stomach. The first hour of the game is like this, and it is a completely on-rails hour where you have almost no freedom to choose where to go, or how to progress when you get there. I can quite easily imagine players quitting this game after a few minutes of this turd of a level, if they have not heard about how amazingly accomplished the rest of the game is.

(Image from Metal Gear Solid V by Konami)

The big question is why. Why should designers sometimes go out of their way to turn players off of their games? The belief that the first level should ease novices into the basics of gameplay explains why intro levels cannot have the breathtaking action of high-octane movies, but it does not explain why the introduction should sometimes appear determined to turn players off. And, frankly, I have no explanation for why that happens. Well, whatever, I am past those levels now and thoroughly enjoying the rest of the game. For those of you playing such games for the first time I can only offer the same advice that Rufus gave regarding Bill and Ted: They do get better.