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As a lifelong gamer, I’ve had the privilege of experiencing the world of video games from the Atari all the way up to the current generation of consoles. I’ve played games from simple pixels that bleep and bloop all the way to games like Arkham City, which is essentially a long movie.  The line between virtual and reality has now been blurred to a degree that I never thought would be possible.
 
As a person, I’ve always been the type to intentionally lose myself in whatever I’m doing; whether it’s work, a movie, a TV show, or music. I’m not the type of person that can simply watch a movie; I must allow myself to become completely sucked into it. I must allow myself to feel as if I am a part of the movie. The same goes for music; I can never just listen to a song; I must be allowed pick it apart, listen to the different layers, and appreciate every tiny little thing that a song has to offer.
 
Games work the same way for me. I love getting sucked into a narrative and actually feeling like I’m the protagonist of a video game. The stronger the story, the better the experience. I don’t like feeling detached from a character, which could explain why online competitive multiplayer is not really my cup of tea.
 
The SNES was a golden era of video game storytelling. Games such as Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy IV told fantastic tales and offer experiences that are still considered phenomenal to this day. These games were so incredibly powerful because of the story. Story is what made these games the future classics they now are. Story is what brought these characters to life. Story is what turns a game from a simple electronic plaything into a work of art with emotion.
 
So why are there so many people who complain about a game being too linear?
 
Linearity, after all, is a necessary component of storytelling. A good story follows the three act structure: a beginning, a middle, and an end. Star Wars (the original trilogy) had a beginning, middle, and an end. The Lord of the Rings had a beginning, a middle, and an end. Back to the Future…well, you get the point. Without a structure, all you have is a jumble of information for no other purpose than to have this jumble of information.

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