Narrative vs. Ludic?
The psx opened up the gates of pop stardom to the nerdy medium video game, but the gates to the the "things in heaven and earth that even philosophers never dreamt of" will likely stay closed forever.
The reason is simple: Interactivity is a natural enemy of any good story.
Let's take The Last of Us as an example. A game highly celebrated for it's story, a revelation, which apparently is the China Town of video games. Among video games it stands out, sure, among movies however it's just another b-stock zombie apocalypse. A Hollywood-style presentation does not automatically make this game a good film. The player's deep emotional bond with Ellie does not automatically mean, it has a deep story to tell. And the fact, that The Last of Us thinks outside the usual lootbox, certainly doesn't make it a China Town.
Imagine China Town being 16 hours long, with a story cut up in unlockable nibbles. Each time, you'd have to solve the usual gameplay errands to see what happen's next. It's a tension killer, to say the least. With each gameplay-mechanic offering the player more freedom, the logic of the narrative is more and more surrendered to the tedious side-quest logic of an open world.
I think it's the wrong route anyway, but maybe in future video games will come by a sensible compromise between a stringent narrative and a compelling ludic. Until then, playing like a movie won't be on par with actually being one.
