Why video game cutscenes should be eliminated

I don't know about you, but after playing through countless hours of video games saving the world in more worlds than I can count, I've grown tired of the same old thing. I can live with sword fights and looting, but more than anything else, I'm sick and tired of cutscenes that break up the action.

Can anyone give me one good reason for why cutscenes are really that necessary? Sure, they help move the story along and I can appreciate that, but I don't need fancy renderings of my pixelated heroes talking to each other when all I really want to do is slay some more beasts.

Bioshock does it right.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

As far as I can tell, this idea of cutscenes, which was made brutally unbearable by Hideo Kojima in the Metal Gear series is nothing more than an attempt by game developers to display their graphical prowess and make a video game feel more like a movie.

I don't want a movie. I want a video game.

More than likely, some of those who enjoy cutscenes in games will say that I don't appreciate the art that goes into gaming, but it's actually quite the opposite. In fact, I consider video games a unique art where the viewer can actually participate in creating it. But because I feel that way, I think I should be interacting with the title in order for it to be considered a full-fledged piece of art.

And although I feel this way, it's quite apparent that I'm in the minority. As I see it, more and more games are utilizing cutscenes that tear you away from the action in order to push the story forward.

I think it's a mistake.

Part of my love for video games resides in my desire to be immersed in the world I'm interacting with. Unlike a movie where I'm nothing more than a spectator looking at a screen, video games provide me with the opportunity to be the hero (or villain) and become the star of an on-screen performance. In essence, I value immersion more than anything else.

But when a cutscene drags me away from that world and forces me to watch, well, me, interacting with others, fighting in ways that I'm incapable of or doing things that my own controls won't allow, I'm taken out of that experience and made a spectator. And while it's nice to see that the characters look great, I couldn't care less -- I want to be put back into that environment.

Now, I know what you're thinking: "But there are a bunch of games that play cutscenes in-game." Surely some of you would say Halo does that to some extent and others would argue that Call of Duty 4 has some of that as well. And while that's true, there's really only one title -- Bioshock -- that has done it enough for me to justify saying that that title has what I'm looking for.

If you haven't played Bioshock, you owe it to yourself to do so. But if you have, you probably realize that throughout much of the game, you're able to walk around, look around and do almost anything you want during cutscenes. And although the story is being moved forward during this time, it's allowing you to stay in character and play as if you're being spoken to or directed.

But alas, Bioshock is by no means the norm and unfortunately, most games still force you to play for a while and then stop before action resumes.

No one is sure what the future of video games will look like, but rest assured that until cutscenes that take me out of the action are eliminated, I will not be happy.

And neither should you.

[wolfwhite99]

Halflife 2 did that great also

[istarman]

While the rant against cutscenes in videogames goes back a long way, it's by no means as evil as people say they are. It's the offenders like Xenosaga (which was one giant cutscene in itself) that really messes it up for the rest of the genre.

For example: Final Fantasy X had some of the most beautiful cutscenes ever made. Does it distract from the story? No, because it allows you to take a break from the controller and just watch a short clip. The clips themselves aren't parts of the story you need to interact with.

What actually bothers me is when you're in a game and you have to press X countless numbers of times to move the dialog forward.

"How are you, Snake?"
Click
"Fine, sir"
Click
(and this goes on for 3-4 minutes. Click click click)

So, I do see your point, but IMO, cutscenes have their place if they're used properly.

[eurotransient]

Amen to the mention above about Half Life. I still remember playing the original game for the first time and realizing that even though I was controlling Gordon Freeman, I was still being treated to a cut scene. The excitement I felt at that level of immersion was palpable and really opened my eyes to what video games could and should go on to do.

Of course, it's been nearly ten years since I had that first experience, and it's really upsetting to think about how little I've been able to experience I game in that way since. Bioshock is a really outstanding example, as is Half Life 2. I'm sure there are some others, but the list is short enough for it to be considered a real issue.

[purpleLightning]

Why does it always have to be all or nothing in these types of arguments? Everything in moderation. Don't overdo it with cutscenes and they work perfectly well as a way to forward story or character development (not just as an excuse to show off purdy graphics, Mr. Reisinger) and assist immersion in the process, believe it or not.

And the problem with fully incorporating the info from non-interactive cutscenes into interactive gameplay is that it makes it possible to miss information important for advancing the game, if you happen to be doing something else that distracts you. Audio cues in a world of 5.1 surround sound game environments are particularly prone to be missed.

[compudoc318]

All I ask with cutscenes is that if I don't want to see it, let me hit a button, and skip it. I agree about final fantasy 10 having beautiful images, but after youve beaten it a few times, the cutscenes are useless and you can't skip em. Thats all I ask, if they are there, give me the choice if I want to view them. One gripe I do have though, is every commercial I see on t.v., shows only cutscene footage, never show actual gameplay.

[Snowy016]

Completely disagree. I don't want to run through a shooter nonstop without end -- that's what consoles are for. Cutscenes, to me, are a reward for my work and a chance to catch my breath and feel that I've accomplished something. That said, compudoc has a good point -- there should be a way to skip it if you don't want to see it and, off hand, I can't think of a single game that doesn't have that option.

[defuniak]

Since "No one is sure what the future of video games will look like", I'd much rather people come up with ideas of what it will be, and not what it will NOT be.

Cutscenes is but one tool used by game developers in delivering an entertaining experience. Just like dialogue, gameplay, level design, music score, they all help to either immerse you, or to invoke/provoke a response that the developers deem appropriate. Sure there are times when these tools are abused or used clumsily to the opposite effect, but that should not invalidate them as a component of game design.

I don't really see why one would prefer to have the ability to walk away (not out of the room mind you) and swing a crowbar at a wall while a character is speaking to you, over a cinematic cutscene? It really isn't like you were robbed the opportunity to change the narrative or anything?

As for players helping to create the experience, well, books literally dictate every word of the story to its audience, and yet people with imagination still tailor-design their individual version of the story in their minds. Just because cutscenes are employed, it doesn't make a game's narrative any less personal.

But yea, as you said, no one is sure what the future of video games will look like, but according to you, it seems that it should be about making you, the admitted minority, happy!

[compucrazy12]

I personally don't mind short cut scenes but i am constantly tortured trying to skip through the excruciatingly long cut scenes (which ironically are usually the ones the games wont let you skip). When i play games, honestly, all i have time to do is actually play the freakin game. I would go get dinner during stupid metal gear cut scenes.

[itstheoldindy]

Meh... it's something that can be done well or poorly. I got sick of the later Final Fantasy games because it felt like there was more movie than game. It was like those old record books where you read along, wait for the cue, and turn the page.

On the other hand, I adore the cutscenes from Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, and some of them I will watch every time I play through. That's a game that definitely needed the breaks at those points, and it filled in backstory in a way that NPC blather couldn't do.

[Drizzt3]

I couldn't agree more with his perspective on cutscenes. BioShock did a great job, because they were short on ones you were forced to watch or they were ones where you could continue to play while the cutscene was going on which was very cool (very natural)

I play the video game to escape reality for a brief while... and find myself getting frustrated during cutscenes like in Lost Odyssey (they were forever... and numerous). I stopped playing it because I couldn't stand all the scenes and dreams. After a brief fight in the beginning, the next hour of gameplay was spent watching cutscenes / dreams and walking around the city talking with people (although the story is very linear so talking was pretty useless).

Call of Duty 4 did a good job with the cutscenes as well... because they are short and could change your perspective during them (i.e. move your head).

My opinion: Keep the cutscenes to a minimum or execute them like Bioshock, else you lose people. In fact, during most cutscenes that is a good excuse for me to grab a drink, a bite to eat, or use the restroom. But why? Just make the game and let me pause it if I want to watch a movie I will turn it on HBO.

[Faztang]

cut scenes are a scam. almost every video game commerical shows cut scenes instead of actual gamplay sceen shots. they do this to make you think the graphics are so amazing when in reality they are sometimes not.
i don't mind a short cut scence now and then to help create a story line but too many that are too long are a waste of time

[tantoedge]

The author of this article is obviously forgetting the several moments in BioShock where the action is halted and the player controlled for the purposes of storytime.

Crysis does this too.

One thing that gets me is when a fake wall is in the way until the cut scene is complete.
Example: During the scene wherein you first meet a Bouncer and it's girl, the bouncers beating the crap out of the splicer who tries to grab her. Great, after it's all said and done, the padlock illuminates and you smash through.

Why couldn't you smash the padlock beforehand? Because it wasn't time yet.
This is just as bad, if you ask me.

[santihossni]

The whole point of Hideo Kojima is to "direct" MG as a movie..

[Jaybilal]

Although I can understand how cutscenes good getannoying, I really disagree with you Don. Like many people and someone mentioned here I really see them as a reward for my hard work and a break form the action. I also believe that they do help immerse me in the story something that gameplay really doesn't do. Think about the cutscene when Sephiroth killed Aeris in Final Fantasy 7. Didn't that really make you hate that guy? There are things that must happen during the story of the game that can't happen during regular gameplay. Continuing my example you could have healed Aeris if Sephiroth tried to kill her during regular gameplay. As you can tell I'm a fan of the Final Fantasy series and their cutscenes are never wasted. They do give the experience of playing a movie and I want that. Now if there are cutscenes just so someone can say "hello" or "that smells!" then I'll pass because that can be included as voice over during gameplay. But I love the cinematic cutscenes and won't play a game without it.I think we can all agree that once you beat a game then you definitely want some type of cutscene.

[floppyhat]

Right on, cut scenes are the worst. If I want to watch a movie, I will rent one. Metal Gear for PS2 was the absolute king of cut scenes and it drove me completely insane.

[highlander2000]

What if life is just one giant cutscene...
WHOA that was a trip

[tubajoe]

I am ashamed to admit that anger boiled up inside me as I read this article, I love cut scenes in games (I have recently enjoed them in such games as Gears of War and Lost Oddessey). I feel so much more connected to the game world and characters when I see what the developers intended effect was. A cut scene provides vivid detail that nourishes the imagination when normal gameplay resumes. Even though a game is interactive, the highest rated games consistantly have wonderful stories to tell. I have played many games that try to make the player go through a certain event so that the story goes exactly as planned, and found it quite frustrating. In these cases I often wish that I could have a couple of minutes of prerendered precise footage. Think of what games would be like if the player was forced to play through sequences instead of the gorgous detail that can be found in prerendered scenes. Times when a character does a feat that would be extremely frustrating to control (think of final fantasy X when the party rides the wires from the airship to Bevelle) would be frustrating and unrewarding if they were to be performed by the player. A comprimise between the points I have made is quick time events in games such as Shenme and Resident Evil 4. Camera angles don't impede controllability, and the player gets the satisfaction of moving the sequence forward. To be frank, cut scenes are a tool. They are not inherently good or bad, what matters is that the gamer enjoys the game world and is continually motivated to seek a certain resolution. I agree that the gamers immersion in the world can dwindle as scenes go on for too long, but that doesn't mean that cut scenes have lost thier usefulness in storytelling and expression. I rarely feel that I am being "torn away" from the action. I normally find that these scenes redirect me to a path of fruitful gameplay. By the way, this article reminds me of a rant from one of the producers of Bioshock that I read a while ago, in which he stated that video games kill storytelling. Apparently the Bioshock story was intended to be years long but was shortened to its one day epic due to the constraints of having the player do everything. I would have preffered to have all the same great gameplay and also have the opportunity to see the world develop over time. But too bad, apparently cut scenes are evil and violently rip poor unsuspecting gamers away from the worlds they are trying to enjoy.

[Aelwrath]

Wow, you really are an opinionated man, Don. I greatly enjoyed your RIAA articles, but you seem to have no problem pressing your views onto people harder than high school history teachers.

"No one is sure what the future of video games will look like, but rest assured that until cutscenes that take me out of the action are eliminated, I will not be happy.

And neither should you."

Uh, cutscenes in games are how developers advance the plot. Obviously there are some games that take it a little overboard, but even the original Metal Gear Solid codex cutscenes were completely tolerable and interesting for anyone playing that type of game in the first place. Unless you want to keep playing games with uninspired storylines, then you need cutscenes in your games. It's just a kind of ridiculous statement to say that cutscenes in games are pointless. What are you going to write about next week, how ignorant it is for developers to put any dialouge at all in games? Most true gamers are just as much about the background story in single players games as the action itself. Can you imagine Metal Gear Solid or Final Fantasy VII without cutscenes? Would that be your idea of a great game? I seriously hope not.

[blackwingedangel17]

Alright guys, I think we all need to stop putting each side of this issue to one extreme or the other. Personally, I have always found things like this slightly immature. If you don't like cut scenes, then don't play a game that has a whole lot of cut scenes. If you honestly have that much of a problem with it, then go play World of Warcraft or something. And if you love cut scenes, then go play Final Fantasy. Honestly, if you are going to play a game and get angry when there are cut scenes, or when there aren't any for that matter, then it's your own fault for not doing the research. Before I buy a game, I either rent it or I do a lot of research online to know whether I'll like it or not. If you start playing a game that you end up hating this much, then it's your own fault. And I'm sorry if there aren't as many games in the "category" that you prefer but usually what's more popular wins. I'm not angry that you hate cut scenes or love them or blah blah blah, I just happen to find it very annoying that instead of submitting your opinion in a more professional way, you decide to not only bash a very large chunk of games, but then decide to degrade yourself even more by sounding like a complete child about it. "I will not be happy. And neither should you." As soon as I read your article, I was already convinced to not even consider your side just because of your immaturity. I don't care what you write on a regular basis or not, your article was just provoking an argument. And if that was your aim, then good job, I clap for you, you passed with flying colors. But if you want to get anything changed, sitting around, typing and ******** about it isn't going to get anyone anywhere. If you honestly want to change anything, then at least make it so that every adult, no, not adult, mature person in general, doesn't think you're just an angry teenager. I don't care how old you are, that is what you sound like. Bashing something like that only causes arguing and fighting to continue on the battle field, so to speak. If you had presented your side in a civil manner, then I would have no reason to be so disgusted. If all you wanted to do was bash cut scenes, or those of you who were bashing games without cut scenes as well, then don't go on about how you won't be happy and no one else should be until whatever it happens to be changed. It's a horrible way to present yourself and you will gain far less support and many more enemies. This is a waste of writing in my opinion because it's obvious you've had a lot of practice Don, you're just not executing it well. Next time you present an opinion, keep it to your opinion, don't bash everyone else's. And don't press your views on others, it's very unprofessional and extremely childish. You don't have to agree with me, you can get as angry as you want, but perhaps you'll take these points into consideration before you let the lion out of the cage next time.