I think this highlights the big problem with Op’s question: it’s not all about plot, character development can be as satisfying and as important even if the world objectively doesn’t change.
Comment on Games Where Nothing Happens (SPOILERS for various game plots)
Honytawk@feddit.nl 1 day ago
The Last Of Us.
The entire plot is about getting this girl to a location, only to get there, kill everyone and leave again. They could have stayed at home and the result would have been the same.
Same with The Mandalorian, the ending in Boba Fett completely invalidated the entire show. But that isn’t a video game.
pirateKaiser@sh.itjust.works 16 hours ago
Englishgrinn@lemmy.ca 1 day ago
I mean you’re right, but it makes sense in context in both cases because the plot, or maybe better to say the driving motivation for action by the characters, isn’t the real story.
TLOU isn’t the story of two survivors trying to reach a goal- thats set dressing. It’s the story of a man who lost his daughter being given a chance to confront his grief and grow close with another young woman who would be the same age. The relationship growing, their mutual guilt and relief and joy in finding that familial connection in a dying world IS the story. And the climax isn’t Joel shooting 50 more people, it’s when he chooses her over the whole world. Even when thats obviously the wrong choice.
From a plot view, nothing has changed. What actually “happened” was entirely between Ellie and Joel. But lots of stories are like that. If you released a movie where a grieving man connected with his adopted, formerly abused or neglected, daughter- that could be a good movie and you wouldn’t say “nothing happened” because it would be honest and upfront with its stakes. But fewer people would play that as a game so they have to obfuscate their actual story with apocalypse and zombie trappings.
Blueberrydreamer@lemmynsfw.com 1 day ago
Didn’t play TLoU, but if you didn’t catch it from the start, the point of The Mandalorian was clearly always about Grogu becoming ‘the Mandalorian’. Just cause it didn’t go the way you expected doesn’t mean nothing happened.
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 14 hours ago
The Last of Us was more about Joel and Ellie’s relationship growing during their travels.
Had the hospital scene occurred within the first like ten hours of the game, Joel would have had no problem sacrificing her for a potential cure.