Video game storytelling is always evolving, but narrative design especially helped interactive storytelling blossom in the 2010s decade.
Steam Detective Fest 2026 runs January 12–19, featuring mystery and detective games like Disco Elysium, Return of the Obra Dinn, and more.
A Disco Elysium mobile adaptation is coming, with the original devs reimagining the gloomy RPG to create pockets of compelling storytelling.
Disco Elysium is a genuine masterpiece, I'm happy if more people can play it regardless of whether it's PC, console or mobile.
TNS: "While it's easy to agree that Dragon Age and Disco Elysium have something to say, every game has its own politics. That's a good thing."
Really?
My favorite game is Microsoft Flight Simulator. Stop basing your headlines on shaky assumptions for effect.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard's politics are not the problem. Throw all the politics you want at me. I don't mind at all. Quite the opposite. I appreciate it. They give depth to storytelling when they're well written and well integrated within the world building of a franchise. There are tons of shining examples of that and Veilguard isn't one.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard's problem is that its writing is extremely bad, childish, and feels like a bad fanfiction written by someone who isn't a fan. Disney has more edge than this.
That kind of writing is pretty literally insulting not only to the franchise and its fans, but to the politics it presents and the people they're supposed to represent.
Yes. Most games that tell a story are political, and that's great. But the politics can be supported and enhanced by good writing, or weighed down by bad writing, throwing immersion out of the window. Veilguard is the latter.
Yeah, politics are life. Games are virtual life. Some do it well (Helldivers is full of political jabs, and they pull it off.). Others, like this, don't.
It's full of political imagery regardless of intent. You can fly past the statue of liberty, the new world trade centre etc. So yes, it's political.
Wow. This is the most desperate, pathetic excuse to justify a poor article's argument that I've seen in a long, long time.
That's literally part of the definition of the word as fortold by the writers of history aka the people who are going to outlive you and you 9 year old, frightened opinion of the word.
Just because the word makes you afraid, it doesn't mean that writers and critics aren't already winning.
You don't need to be a writing professional to identify writing that sounds incredibly clumsy and immersion-breaking.
Products are judged by their customers, not by professionals only.
@Abriel
What if its the inverse? What if its not clumsy writing, but an issue with the observer(audience)? Yes, the audience decides what they like and dont like, but there is a difference between “This is bad” and “I just dont like this”.
People dont realize they are deteriorating, this is a dangerous perception trap.
That's a pretty ridiculous excuse. There is plenty of fantasy available to compare this mess to, including the Dragon Age franchise before. The writing on this doesn't even come close to the low-grade fantasy-romantic thirsty novels for lonely ladies that already have third-grade writing.
As I said, it's basically at the level of fanfiction, only written by someone who isn't a fan.
@Abriel
An excuse? It’s only interpreted as an excuse from a bound perspective. Comparison, lack of understanding …no wonder people cant find peace.
One of my favorite games of all time is Tetris and it is not political. However I would have to agree that many great games in the industry do carry a political undertone or some form of social critique like Resident Evil, Mass Effect, Final Fantasy and Fire Emblem.
Agreed. Actually, I think most games aren’t even subtle. If people are missing the obvious political messages contained in games such as Final Fantasy VII, Resident Evil and Mass Effect, they are simply not paying attention at all to the story (which is fine, some people only play for gameplay).
I agree but a lot of people who said this only subscribe to this notion until something actually challenges their views, then it's problematic, outdated, need to be fixed...
"Everything is political" is one of the most emptyheaded statements I've seen in recent years. Not every story has a political message. Not everything needs one either. Let art be art and stop placing demands on creators to cater to your political needs.
"Let art be art and stop placing demands on creators to cater to your political needs."
The irony of this statement is palpable.
Funny how you didn't elaborate. It's almost as if you were hoping that pitiful attempt at a rebuttal would be enough all on it's own and that you wouldn't have to put any further thought into it.
Veilguard's worst problem is not politics, it's the HORRENDOUS writing and dialogue. It's a high fantasy game where characters say "Eat sh*t" and "This goes hard!" or one of the companions saying "Uh...this blight...is weiiird!" . I mean, what the actual ****...
Hypnospace Outlaw is an odd one. It will for sure have some influence on future "alternative" narrative story telling.