Stories are really based on lot of properties. Language, imagination, but most important for me is empathy, the ability to put ourselves in the shoes of someone else on screen. Actors are emotional avatars. We can inhabit that person and feel what they’re feeling. Film deals with this rich emotional palate because they have actors. Games tend to appeal more to the reptilian brain, the basic instincts of fear and aggression.

But games have a different emotional palate, not that they don’t have an emotional palate. Pride and accomplishment, guilt, these things are felt in games, but are not felt in watching a movie. I once beat the hell out of my creatures in Black & White, I felt terribly guilty. I’ve never felt guilty watching a film.

The circuit in our brain that makes stories appealing to us is empathy. Whereas in games it’s more agency, the fact that I’m causing what’s going on on the screen. Movie: What’s going to happen next. Games: Can I accomplish this?

I’d definitely recommend you read the whole thing if you’re interested in the future of gaming.

• Frogger: Helmet Chaos
• Zeitgeist
• Twin Eagle: Revenge Joe’s Brother
• Jumpman
• ASO: Armored Scrum Object
• Wild Woody
• Tech Romancer
• Princess Tomato In Salad Kingdom
• Beyond The Beyond
• Silhouette Mirage: Reprogrammed Hope
• Um Jammer Lammy
• PenPen Trilcelon
• Spanky’s Quest
• Cacoma Knight In Bizyland
• M.U.S.C.L.E.
• Sticky Balls
• 70’s Robot Anime Geppy-X: The Super Boosted Armor
• Punky Skunk
• Klonoa: Door To Phantomile
• Awesome Possum Kicks Dr. Machino’s Butt!
• Catechumen
• World Soccer Winning Eleven 5: Final Evolution
• Panic Restaurant
• Ninja Hamster
• Iggy’s Reckin’ Balls
• Booby Kids
• Yo! Noid
• Lee Trevino’s Fighting Golf
• Astro Fang: Super Machine
• Divine Divinity
• Eggs of Steel: Charlie’s Eggcellent Adventure
• Barkley: Shut Up And Jam!
• Tongue Of The Fatman
• Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
• Rosco McQueen - Firefighter Extreme
• Tobal No. 1
• Wargasm
• GOLF Magazine Presents 36 Great Holes Starring Fred Couples
• XEXYZ
• No One Can Stop Mr. Domino!
• Totally Rad
• James Pond II: Codename RoboCod
• Psybadek
• Nuts & Milk
• Huygen’s Disclosure
• Bad Dudes Vs. Dragon Ninja
• Pesterminator: The Western Exterminator
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Zeta Gundam
• If It Moves, Shoot It!
• Irritating Stick

You’ll want to read the full article to understand something about the story behind each of these gems, but the list itself does a good job of detailing the myriad ways in which a title can fall flat, including falling prey to cultural differences, suffering from a weak translation, or being overly punny, mind-numbingly descriptive, embarrassingly faddish, completely tin-eared, uncomfortably vulgar, etc.  All the more reason to celebrate a really good title! LINK