Okay, so you knew this post was coming at some point. You can’t have a part one without a part two right? It totally violates the laws of common sense, and the laws of storytelling!

The reason I’m so delayed in this post largely has to do with the fact that for the past two weeks I’ve fully immersed myself in a world full of storytelling. No, not the world of theatre as you might think, but the world of video games! Okay, so the last storytelling post talked about video games too, but this is about a particular new game called Dragon Age: Origins, and the game world in which it exists.

“What!?  Video games aren’t about storytelling!” I can hear you say, and for the most part I’d tend to agree with you, but as I mentioned in my last post on the topic, occasionally a game comes along and defies the mode of “your mission is to kill as many of the evil guys as possible.” I mean, sure, all great video games have that in bundles too, but the great ones, in my humble opinion, have a great story to back them.

I’m happy to say that Dragon Age: Origins doesn’t disappoint. I’d become excited about the game when I read about it over two years ago, and had counted down the days to it’s continually delayed release date (which ended up being Nov. 4, 2009), but it wasn’t until a friend allowed me to borrow a couple of books by the game’s lead writer, David Gaider, (written as prequels to the game) that my excitement became an obsession. After all, how can you not be excited when the author writes acknowledgements to his books that look like this:

First off, a big thanks to my cheerleaders Jordan, Steph, Danielle, and Cindy. Without you I would not have persevered. Also thanks to my parents for being so certain that all those games would never lead to anything useful yet letting me get away with playing them anyhow. You encouraged my imagination, and that’s more important than anything. I will always be grateful to you both.

Thanks cannot be said without acknowledging the hard work that the Dragon Age team has put into bringing this world to ilfe. Each day I spend in the company of such visionary and creative people makes me more proud of what we’re creating. You guys have made my job that much easier.

Also, one last thank-you to BioWare for giving me such a fantastic opportunity, and for being the kind of game company that believes writing is something worth investing in.

[emphasis mine].

This guy has it all, a support network, a fantastic creative team to work with, and an infrastructure that believes in the importance of storytelling enough to invest in the game’s writing. I might be a little, no, make that a lot, jealous. But the results are a dynamite game that I’d recommend for every RPG fan out there.

One last note: BioWare has a history of excellence in role-playing games, and it’s because they understand that RPG fans value storytelling. It’s not just about what you do, but how you do it, and whether you care about the people you are working with. Sure it may not be irl (in real life), but it’s a great escape which, as Mr. Gaidin said, stimulates the imagination “and that’s more important than anything.”