Stop Saying Telltale Games Aren't Games

What makes a game a game is often debated, but there should be no debate in the case of narrative heavy games like The Wolf Among Us or Life is Strange.

[Eonjay]

Stop writing article to the 5 trolls who actually say this.... who actually says this?

[MRMagoo123]

I love tell tale games myself but I think it's cos they remind me of playing broken sword as a child. Still great games imo tho no matter what. Games don't need risk of death or loss to be games.

[Hasswell-NeverCold]

First Broken sword is totally awesome and these cinematic adventures aren't the same at all in my opinion. In Broken sword you had actual puzzles and problem solving.

I do still like Life is strange and Tales of the borderlands for what they are. A good entertainment.

[Ezz2013]

Do someone here remember Dracula games on Ps1 ?!

To me those games done Point and Click right and better than TellTale games.

[Bimkoblerutso]

At the end of the day, what does it really matter what it's called if it's entertaining?

This is what has always pissed me off on BOTH sides of this argument here. For whatever reason, people feel like everything has to fit nicely into categorization, but in my opinion, if it works it works. Entertainment is not obligated to fit any form of categorization.

[Erik7357]

Dude there not games

[Sureshot]

Where not games?

[IAmLee]

It's more like interactive cutscenes

[SoulMikeY]

IAMLee, word.

And why do people care what other people say? If people are weak-minded enough to base an opinion on what someone else says, then they will have an uneventful, lame life.

Just like how everything is "offensive" now days... makes me wish Eminem was young again. Just spit in people's faces and flip 'em off. No apologies.

Fries1223:
There; "look over there"
Their; "that's their shovel"
They're; "dude, they're not games"

Between that, and people saying "would of", the Internet dwellers' grammer could kill me...

[AudioEppa]

Too many people say it, but thankfully nobody listens to them lol

[Genuine-User]

It's usually the sort of people that can't wrap their head around the diversity of genre's and game mechanics.

Off-topic: Life is Strange is a absolutely fantastic. The atmosphere and drama is spot on.

[isa_scout]

I agree 100%. Also, I'd just like to say that Life Is Strange is the only game to ever make me cry. I may be a 30 year old father of two, but with that ending and such a good song accompanying it my eyes stood little chance.

[Genuine-User]

Yep, it was an emotional journey.

Spoiler alert!!!

Episode 3 ending got me.

[Gatsu]

I've enjoyed Life is Strange way more than MGSV, which used to be my most anticipated game ever. LiS blew my mind and absolutely love it <3, I still can't get it out of my head when finished it few weeks ago. So need to replay :D. The OST is really beautiful too.

I have never cried so much when playing and that's the most important thing I search in games ;), them feels! Imo it's truly special for a game to make us shed some tears.

[MegaRay]

"Stop writing article to the 5 trolls who actually say this.... who actually says this?"

To answer your quetion, the five trolls

XD

[jivah]

The final destination 3 dvd would play out and at certain points would give you options to control the story. The deaths at least. You press a button to choose and itll play it until the next prompt.

Would that be considered a game? How are these studios work any different

[DarthZoolu]

I remember that DVD. I played TWD the other day, it was my first Telltale game. It was super boring and I instantly though about how much better that FinAL Destination 3 DVD was.

[Godmars290]

They're too much of the same game. Ones which both don't see improvements, and repeat mistakes. As if they're being crapped out one after the other.

[Sir_Simba]

They actually are 😂

[iceman06]

Like most popular games, they picked a winning formula and stuck with it.

[rainslacker]

Think the stories tend to be more important to these games than the game play. While I wouldn't mind some diversity in the game play from them, I don't play them to have a mind blowing experience from said game play. I take them as basic adventure games, with strong story's to enjoy.

Granted, not all of them are equal in terms of story, but they are rarely outright bad. Just varying degrees of quality.

[jb227]

That's the legitimate criticism of TellTale's work...they are most definitely "games" but they've just grabbed too many licenses. They should take their time to iron out their engine (no real reason a game that is seemingly not that technically demanding should have so many glitches & issues) and trim down their output by a fair margin.

I am pumped to continue the TWD story and yet it got pushed aside in favor of pointless stuff like Minecraft Story Mode...then I was super excited to play their Marvel game in 2017, but they announce a Batman game at a later date for an earlier release? Super excited to try that out as well (although the Batman mythology is starting to get a bit threadbare in the gaming space as the Arkham series has ran through most of the seminal work) their roll out is just strange. Really hoping that TWD Michonne delivers (love the potential to fill in a story gap from the comics) but if they keep pumping out so much content, they will end up in the same boat as series like CoD & AC.

[Free_Fro]

I don't see them as games. That doesn't mean I'm right.

When there's too much passivity going on, to me it's barely a game.

--
naturally opinions will vary.. It depends on what you're looking for in a game.

[cmgs]

If your interaction with game has results, it definitely is a game. In this sense adventure games are all undeniably games, but you can place them under a different category if you want. Adventure games / text adventures are some of the earliest forms of digital gaming, but they are still games in the means of their interaction.

[rainslacker]

Telltale games don't have strong interactive game play elements, but they do have interactive game play elements which makes them most decidedly games in themselves.

Whether one appreciates those elements, or is entertained by them is rather moot to the classification of if this is a game or not.

The basics of what is considered a game are covered within their game play presentation, so there is really no argument over if they are games...just if they are good games, and that boils down to people's personal preference and expectations over what makes a good game.

I'm not a fan of FPS games in general. I don't enjoy the game play mechanics presentation of them. But I don't go around not calling them games because I don't enjoy them, because I know they have all the elements of what classifies a game as a game.

[-Foxtrot]

No one says they are not gamers, that's not really the issue with TellTale.

The issue is that they are pretty overrated and each new one offers nothing new...the genre can't evolve and they've done so many they are look the same except for the huge franchise they've managed to do a game on. High scores and praise wouldn't be flocking in if they did their own stuff from scratch...something they've NEVER done.

[YinYangGaming]

Life is Strange isn't a telltale game

[Kenshin_BATT0USAI]

It's the best telltale style game and it's not by telltale LOL

[Kalebninja]

i still find TWD to be better.

[SolidDuck]

I thought until dawn was more the direction I want to see telltale games go. It was like a telltale and quantic dream game mix.

[YinYangGaming]

Yes I completely agree, as a long-time fan of the Telltale games, once I was introduced to Life is Strange I was blown away by it! Hopefully the guys at Telltale learn a thing or two from Dontnod but I can't wait for Life is Strange 2

[skratchy]

You guys need to play the new King's Quest. Best point and click I've played in forever. Tons of gameplay variety.

[rainslacker]

I'm waiting on a compilation physical release...or at least waiting on all the chapters to be released. Not a big fan of episodic game play since I like to complete a game all the way through.

Was really into KQ growing up. Been avoiding anything about these games since announcement so I can enjoy the game without the spoilers.

[PixelGateUk]

It's kinda depressing people think TellTale invented point and click. all they did was dumb down the puzzles and throw in QTEs

[AudioEppa]

Nobody thinks that, they don't need puzzles and I'm sure with the success of their games people like QTEs lol

[Captain_Wormy]

You can't tell me what to do.

[showtimefolks]

this is my problem with their games. they made one point and click adventure game than didn't change the formula what so ever and just keep making the same games with different names

until dawn proved that there is a market for these sort of games but telltale needs to move forward a bit

especially in gameplay department

why is it that when someone criticizes a studio that all of the sudden so many want to defend them? why is asking them to make more progress being looked as a bad thing?

life is strange is another good example

there is a place in gaming for these sort of gaming experiences but like we expect FPS,Action adventure etc, type games to move forward than why are we stuck in asking for change

so when activision or ubi keep making sequels with same formula they are milking their franchises but when telltale does it it's master piece

double standard much?

[Kalebninja]

the difference is that with activision and ubi its the same series over and over but with telltale theyre completely different franchises each time with only the walking dead having a sequel. The games they make use the same system but if you actually play them they are each completely different from each other.

[showtimefolks]

that's what i said their games remain the same but under different licenses

[Gatsu]

The difference is that these games like LiS make you feel stuff, Ubisoft and Activision make soulless games.

[showtimefolks]

i don't know man there are other games that have made progression where you feel stuff too

they are not making bad games and they are not making great games. they are making good games and they are happy with it

[rainslacker]

The criticism is fair, and I even agree with a lot of it because while I like their games, I would like to see more variety in the game play. The stories are the only reason I play the games really, the rest is just a means to progress the story.

That being said, I don't think it's fair to say they aren't games because they aren't changing their formula, or their game play is simplistic. It's not a fair criticism, and comes across more as a way to discredit their success by making it seem they aren't actually producing games, but rather, interactive stories.

They're game play mechanics are basic to be sure, but having them in the first place is what makes them games.

That being said, while it would be nice for them to move forward to create better game play experiences overall, the fact remains that there is a market for their brand of presentation. Those that enjoy it should be able to enjoy it without being criticized for enjoying them for what they are, and what they have to offer.

[zerocarnage]

I don't think there games, I think there graphical books. I can't stand there graphical books, although others like them, if I wanted to read I'd play a game like the witcher, Dragon age or fallout, elder scrolls you get the picture, more in depth storyline..

[Gatsu]

Deep storyline and elder scrolls or Fallout don't fit together well.

[skratchy]

"If I wanted to read I'd play Witcher or Dragon Age"

Wow. Just wow. I don't think I've facepalmed so hard.

[ExplodingJuice]

It is a game. You purchased this item to PLAY it on your console of choice. The end.

[LightofDarkness]

That's the most specious reasoning ever. What if you purchased a DVD to PLAY on your console? Is that a game now too?

[AudioEppa]

Not this

[AudioEppa]

This

[Gatsu]

Exactly

[slappy508]

Life is Strange was an awesome game!
Oh wait, that wasnt by Telltale

[yuukiliu]

Beyond 2 souls, heavy rain and until dawn are amazing cinematic games. I have only played the 2 walking dead games and they were both great as well. Waiting for an until dawn sequel!

[ziggurcat]

uh... life is strange isn't a telltale game... why is it used as the image for this article?

[yewles1]

"Stop Saying Telltale Games Aren't Games"

Never saw whining like this with certain OTHER games...

[LightofDarkness]

They're basically interactive stories. There's very little of a game to them. They are more akin to a choose your own adventure story than a game. Do you feel so strongly about visual novels? They are told in the same manner, just with less recorded dialogue and animation.

[dreamoner]

I call em as I see em. They are interactive storytellers.

Take a game like Witcher 3, strip it from most gameplay features; combat, expansive inventory, stats, skills etc etc only when there is only the main story(which should be chopped to bits as well) with a few choices and small locations for it to be told. Now you have a telltale/LiS kinda "thing" in your hands.

[Roccetarius]

Indeed, that's pretty much what TellTale is doing with the popular names they make interactive stories for.

And even then, the decisions are illusions of choice at best, because it's all the same in the end.

[PhoenixUp]

Why is a game created by Dontnod being used as a thumbnail for an article about Telltale?

[Gatsu]

Life is Strange is a masterpiece art to me. Best game I have experienced in many years, no other game have delivered the same kind of feels in a long time.

But who says this stuff in the headline? It's like ppl saying MGS4 is a movie.

[AudioEppa]

Yeah I remember when people were trying to call mgs4 a movie like it was an insult lol I love the cutscenes in that game and it is my favorite metal gear.

[Gatsu]

Yeah they're all games, but it seems some don't know what is a game.

[rainslacker]

I see these kinds of comments, TT games aren't games, MGS4 Heavy Rain, Beyond, The Order is more movie than game, by people who seem to want to discredit anything that is popular by reclassifying into something it's not, which covertly dismisses anyone who does enjoy it as not up to date with what is considered popular and trendy as if they alone somehow can decide what is trendy and worthwhile.

I believe the term used for such people outside the gaming space is hipster. In the gaming space, they're called haters. Oddly enough, the haters seem to be more complacent and apologetic towards stagnation than hipsters are, but they're just as pretentious.

[Hold_It]

Telltale products are more like interactive/visual novels, kinda reminiscent of those Goosebumps books that were out mid 90s, that let you make choices and then you turned to [insert page here] for the story to continue down the route you chose. Same thing with David Cage's products, they are interactive books so to speak, and less gamey. I also think The Last of Us falls into line with this as well. I think if you have to question whether you're playing a game or watching a movie, it's not a game.

Where a lot of people would say if you had a "game" with almost nothing but QTE's (Asura's Wrath), I would call that an interactive movie, not a game. For me QTE's take away from the immersion, they don't add to it. I do enjoy the Wolf Amoung Us, and hopefully they come out with Season 2 soon instead of trying to make too many new IPs and forget the cliffhangers in their older games that need to be resolved.

[rainslacker]

QTE's, if done right, can be very effective for offering cinematic game play. Dragon's Lair or similar games come to mind. Back in the day, they were perfectly acceptable forms of game play, and no one said they weren't games because they offered QTE's, and limited interaction.

TT games do go a step beyond this by offering ways to explore the world a bit and interact with the environment, and a step back in this method by using their choice system to determine cinematic outcomes, but they still possess the basics of what is required to classify it as a game.

One's like or dislike of those elements is more a personal matter, and not worthy of consideration when it comes to classification, but are worthwhile to discuss if the games are considered exemplary for what it offers on that front.

I don't consider TT games shining examples of innovative game play, but consider them good examples of games that can present a good story through the use of game design principals.

[Npugz7]

Telltale games aren't games!

[jjb1981]

That's like saying Myst on PC isn't a game. It's interactive, electronic entertainment. That's a game.

[Skankinruby]

If you play it, it's a game......just sayin

[Hold_It]

@Skankinruby

That's like saying all people with tan skin are Puerto Rican.

[Skankinruby]

Lol no...it's not. It's like saying all people with tan skin are still human.

[Relientk77]

Telltale Games games are definitely not for me

[skratchy]

Seriously. I have been digging them lately. Plus Dontnod's Life is Strange and Sierra just bringing back Kings Quest. I really don't see the big deal. They're fun, with lots of Replay value and they're cheaper than most the garbage kids are buying these days.

[WickedLester]

Who cares how they're labeled. All that matters is are they entertaining and do they provide you value for your money.

[Lennoxb63]

Its more of an interactive movie than a game. Or one of those books where you choose your own path. Just that its on video now.