It’s a phrase thrown around constantly in development cycles and boardroom meetings to justify cutting corners. But let's be completely honest for a second: the people who say nobody cares about narrative, stories, and character backgrounds in games... usually just can't write great narrative, stories, or character backgrounds.
It is a tough pill to swallow, but blaming the audience’s attention span is much easier than admitting your writing is disjointed. Yes, players will absolutely mash the "skip" button on a ten-minute exposition dump that brings their momentum to a grinding halt. But that isn't a rejection of storytelling. That is a rejection of bad pacing, clunky delivery, and a fundamental lack of respect for the player's agency.
When a universe is built with intention, players don't just "care" about the lore—they devour it. They will read every terminal, study environmental storytelling, and spend years debating character motives.
Here is the reality of what narrative actually does for a game:
It Gives Mechanics Purpose: A tightly coded combat loop is mechanically satisfying. But knowing exactly why you are fighting, understanding the grim stakes of the universe around you, or feeling the weight of a neon-drenched dystopia—that is what elevates a game from a simple distraction to an unforgettable experience.
Context Builds Communities: Players rarely form lasting, decades-long communities strictly around a double-jump mechanic. They build communities around shared worlds, intricate lore, and characters they feel deeply invested in.
It Amplifies Agency: The best writing in games doesn't force the player to feel a certain way. It builds a robust, logical architecture that allows the player to experience those emotions organically through their own choices.
Narrative isn't just a wrapper you put around the mechanics right before shipping. It is the lifeblood that makes the mechanics matter. If your players don't care about your story, they aren't telling you they hate reading. They are telling you the story isn't working.
