As an avid gamer, I often search and root out for new and interesting games to play. I often go for games that engage the mind and the player into the story, instead of the on-rails violence that is most modern video games (like first person shooters, for instance). However, aside from the RTS (Real Time Strategy) and puzzle games that I play on a regular basis, the ever humble RPG (Role Playing Game), and aside from the "Final Fantasy," "Fallout," and "Elder Scrolls" games that are synonymous with the genre, I tend to gravitate toward independently developed games.

While some may say that a game is made great by its up-to-date graphics, its multiplayer capacity, or quick, visceral gameplay, many believe the opposite — that a good, well-written, and well-executed story is what makes a video game great. Of course, some genres aren’t made for story; they’re made for mindless fun, like most games found in the first person shooter genre. However, one genre tends to do story right, and that is the ever-humble roleplaying game.

Games like "Fallout" have defined generations of RPGs with gripping stories and wide worlds through which we as the player can experience the story first hand. We’re allowed, in most cases, to create our character down to the most minute details for the sake of immersion. Immersion is easy to do because many roleplaying games have such amazing storylines. A good story is often kept simple for as long as possible. From the beginning, we’re given minimal pieces of the puzzle, and it is up to us as the player to go deep into the world and piece everything together, and it’s there that things are done well. It is simple because you have a driving goal, a quest or a mission to complete, and over time the story builds with engaging content, side quests, and the adventure through the world.

This simple model, while humble, may be the genre's cliché, but also its strength. And it works, especially when the concept of choice is thrown into the mix. And for this, I call upon a well-known game, known as "Dark Souls."

The game "Dark Souls" is well known for its masterful use of artificial difficulty, and has a story that is wound not only through its characters, but also through the items you find. All you know as the player is that your goal is to fulfill a sort of prophecy. The rest is spelled out in small expositions, but for the longest time, you are left in the dark. You explore twisted landscapes and fight your way through hordes of monsters until the end. Upon entering the final area, you can see your destination in the distance, and the music swells. All the time you suffered through the game, it’s lead to this final moment.

You sweep the basic foes aside with ease, and fight the final boss, and you have to make a choice. Do you fulfill the prophecy and do what destiny demands for the greater good? Or do you turn your back on it all? Do you leave and follow your own path? Every choice will lead to something different.

In my opinion, this is good storytelling. I weigh the morals and consequences of my actions through the entire game, often having done the most difficult things possible in order to keep certain characters alive. I become invested in these strangers, and one by one, I learn their stories, and how they in turn, can affect my character.

A good story in a game doesn’t give you everything at once. It allows you to piece together the broad image of the game's world over time and further your knowledge of your actions. It makes you feel emotion when a character dies or betrays you. A good story will stick with the player forever and can do what graphics and gameplay cannot. A story can inspire a person, and perhaps set them off on a path to accomplish a personal goal.

But that’s just my opinion. Think about it.