Your views on mechanics vs story?

[Spitfyre1085]

For me, the answer is heavily dependent on the genre.

I would prefer story over mechanics if forced to choose in an RPG or Adventure game.

It would be the opposite in most other genres like FPS and racing etc.

[Cyber]

There is no universal answer, it depends on the game.

There are games that are completely story driven with almost no gameplay. There are games that completely focus on their mechanics with no story. Both can be great. What is more important depends on what on what type of game it is. Some games I play for their story, some for their mechanics, and some for a combination of both.

[Aidy]

It's mechanics and playability all the way, but when a game has good story too that's when it raises a level to being memorable and special, so your WItcher 3's, GTA's, Max Payne etc.

[metalspider]

gameplay is most important to me,im here to do stuff not watch passively.if there's also a good story then great but most of the time thats not the case and you're just waiting to get back in to the action.

[Hadley]

On a scale from 1 to 10, 10 being critically important and 1 being complete non-factor:

mechanics: 10
story: 1

It's not that I don't appreciate a good story. I love movies and books. It's just that when I sit down to play a video game, I sit down to play a video game. Story has always been an obstacle for me in games.

[XENO-PUNK]

Gameplay over story 100% of the time for me. A game without good gameplay isn't worth playing no matter how good the story is. If all a game has going for it is the story I'll just watch it on youtube if I'm interested. Stories can be cool but they aren't required for me.

[Polinin]

I'd argue that mechanics are at the very least the easiest way to destroy a game, no matter how devoted it is to telling a story. Poor inventory management, clunky controls, etc can rip the player out of the game and make them more likely to quit the game in frustration than a less-than-stellar plot - though a sufficiently poor plot will get players to quit as well, especially if it forms any major part of the experience and can't be ignored.

[JHaller]

I switch what I'm looking for in a game based on my mood all the time, and I think it depends on the game genre a lot of the time.

For mechanics I think of a game like Metal Gear Rising for it having somewhat challenging but fun sword/fighting mechanics and over the top boss battles while not really caring a whole lot about the story (GOTTA SAVE THE KIDS DAMMIT!) The story is there and has some meme worthy/good moments, but ultimately that's not what I end up playing through the whole game for. Other games in genres like Strategy or FPS are probably going to prioritized gameplay over story too.

For games where I'm looking for a good story, I'd look to RPGs or the visual novel genres, where the story is usually the main hook of the game, and you hope for good mechanics as part of it. I can think of a few RPGs that have very fun battle mechanics involved that make them much more fun to play on top of getting a good story making them a unicorn of sorts in the that respect (Trails of Cold Steel, Grandia)

[Zaiven]

Really depends. If I'm picking a "pure story" game or "pure mechanics" game, then mechanics win. However I don't really care much for RPG's or Adventures with bad/boring/uninspired story telling for example. Before I started my moving process I played A LOT of HOI4, that's just a WW2 grand strategy game, no story at all. Generally I think I have a higher tolerance for bad story telling than bad mechanics and game design though.

[JackofTears]

They are both important, a game with good mechanics but a shitty story quickly gets old, while a game with great story and bad mechanics won't be able to keep you playing for long. Video games are games and therefore must provide an enjoyable play experience, the import of the story depends on the type of game. You can have a good game that is only mechanics and virtually no story - Tetris is a great example - but a story with shitty mechanics is unlikely to keep you around long enough to finish.

[Caeruleu]

I primarily play RPGs, which are story and narrative heavy games, yet I still think that the mechanics come above everything else. Music, art direction and story all should serve the gameplay for the simple reason that if your games mechanics are poorly thought out then I'm not going to be playing long enough for your story to take flight. Gameplay is the back bone of games, just how cinematography is the back bone of film, use them well and you accentuate the supporting arts, use them poorly and they clash so horribly that it becomes difficult to enjoy either the gameplay or it's supporting music, art, and story.

I see gameplay as more of a science than an art. It's a foundation in which the arts can then be built upon for the purposes of expression. Beautiful music, breath taking scenery, and a gripping story are all things you should strive for, but only on top a solid foundation.

[ethansito]

Game mechanics are more important than a good story. If a game isn't fun to play, there's no point in playing it even if it has a good story.

[isturbo1984]

I like both and don't see why I can't have both. The truly great games do both well. But a good story does not equate to a good game... meaning a good game has to have good gameplay. Period. I challenge anyone who thinks otherwise to give me an example of a good game with inherently bad gameplay.

[Darkenshade]

I think there's a balance to be struck.

I play "Walking Simulators" regularly. If the story is good I am more than happy to accept it for what it is. Having gameplay and mechanics are required for it to be more than a movie or painting.

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is one of my favorite games from 2014. It has gameplay sections in each chapter all mostly different from the last. They are not world changing or unique in any big way. But the whole of the game is an experience I enjoyed very much. Each chapter gives a different story that does not quite mesh with the others. There is a theme to it but drawing direct links is difficult except in 1-2 cases. I may be an outlier but I enjoy games that make me feel emotion.

I mainly play games for the experience of it. I get invested in storylines and characters even admittedly bad ones. I currently play Destiny 2 and Warframe. These are games with set gameplay and tasks. What I enjoy most in these two games is the lore and story of it. I have had multiple hours of theorycrafting with friends about what things could mean and where the storyline could be heading. That is just as important to me as a gamer as the shooting of bad guys and blowing stuff up.

It is not for me or anyone to gate someones enjoyment with labels. If you like the gameplay mechanics of a game and don't pay any attention to the story, background, or lore of it. I will not look down on you or ridicule you. Do what makes you happy. But I feel you may only be getting a tiny portion of what the creators wanted you to have. Open yourself up to the world you are interacting with. You might find something even better than "Press button to shoot gun".

Just my opinion, take it or leave it. I'm easy.

[Aimway921]

I'd say it depends on what kind of game it is. Online FPS games, I'm gonna roll with mechanics. Single player RPG game like Skyrim? I am all for story. In fact, I hope the next TES game would sacrifice some of the game mechanics to make it a better story and better immersion. Cuz I really didn't like that in Skyrim the biggest city is no larger than a slightly oversized castle.