Now, I should admit that I’m already heavily against certain kinds of plots. Meta plots that specifically attack the player, or that play with the genre with a generally downbeat or negative ending are plots that I don’t enjoy. I’m much the same way with classic literature, movies, etc. While the plot may be interesting for a critic, it is not a plot that I want to experience. I think there’s a fundamental problem with telling a literary plot in a game.
By literary, I mean a plot that is more than a basic “this is why you are doing this gameplay” style plot. Literary plots will aim for themes, might comment on larger issues than the game universe, have gameplay that tries to force the player to make choices about these issues, and often aim to be a “deep” plot. A “literary” plot might be called artsy or edgy, depending on presentation and themes.
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