It's going to be genre specific, but I'm interested in what the community think about the importance of a game having a story. I personally don't really care, whether it's an FPS or RTS I just want to play the level rather than go through some (usually trite) backstory.

From a game-making point of view, creating animated cut-scenes is way beyond my means so I'm looking for a way to avoid needing stories, since a wall of text is pretty dull.

I was thinking about that old classic Dune 2, and how the story was virtually non-existent beyond setting the game in the Duneiverse at the start. I like that, but do most game players want to see a story about why you're shooting 4-armed zombies, or what the turban-wearing terrorists have done do deserve being assassinated?

It's all about the genre. I think most games should have a story. The story is very important in point-and-click/adventure and RPG games. It's less important in platformers and RTS games but it needs at least a little story to motivate what we are trying to accomplish. Same with FPS in single player mode but in multiplayer no story is needed.

In the old days, all you needed was

"Girlfriend is kidnapped, go save her" .

In the old days, all you needed was

"Girlfriend is kidnapped, go save her" .

That's what I was thinking. :)

The way the story is told is more important than the story itself.

The poll is fatally flawed since it does not include an "it depends" option.

"The Last Of Us" demands story.

"Tetris" should never come anywhere near story.

GTA games demand story.

Sudoku games should never come anywhere near story.

I don't even think GTA "demands" a story. It requires a series of missions but I have no interest in watching cut-scenes or following the story which gives rise to the missions... I just find the fun doing the mission. I'm interested if I'm typical or atypical in this regard - are the stories in games as important as the stories in porn films?

I personally prefer games without story, because if there is a story i will simply want to complete it as quickly as possible, since i see completion of the story as the goal. Although the story might be enjoyable and make the game last longer, it tends to feel like a grind of sorts too, taking so long to complete.

Maybe it would help if i didnt have such an important role in the story, such that my own actions dont drive the story but merely direct it or similiar.

Also story based games seem limited to me, while more sandbox/pure gameplay ones usually are somewhat neverending. So id rather play a game where the focus is on the non-story part.

Here is a case of good story that saved a very dull game: BioShock

If you have the time, read the book. It's very good!

I don't even think GTA "demands" a story. It requires a series of missions but I have no interest in watching cut-scenes or following the story which gives rise to the missions... I just find the fun doing the mission. I'm interested if I'm typical or atypical in this regard - are the stories in games as important as the stories in porn films?

The stories in porn are as terrible as possible, and the whole reason I read steamy romance novels instead - if porn movies had actual good stories I would watch them. I haven't played GTA V yet, but any given MMO or something like Skyrim is comparable - there is nothing inherently interesting to me about traveling across the map or slaughtering enemies. Those kind of games rarely contain the gameplay I actually like. (puzzles, tactical battles, time management, and building things) But I love MMOs that have good quest stories and I played Skyrim for 300 hours because I wanted to find all the pieces of story associated with each dungeon and the main plot line.