In 1972, the famous video game Pong was released and quickly became the first popular arcade game. A simple ping-pong based game with archaic graphics and controls. Thirty-nine years later we've gone from Pong to elaborate, narrative-driven Hollywood-style games like Call of Duty or Metal Gear Solid. Video games have gone from being simply games to becoming what some argue is a new narrative medium capable of telling a story in a unique way that is completely different from films and literature. Now Pong didn't include any narrative, but other early video games did. Mario Bros. tells the story of an Italian plumber who must travel through a magical kingdom to defeat a dragon-like turtle who has captured his love, the princess. A very superficial fairy tale that is only used as a backdrop for the video game icon. The classic game Space Invaders tells its plot from its title and gameplay alone. There are invaders from space that need to be stopped, and that's exactly what the game is about. The narrative simply gives you the setting of the game. (Juul n.pag.) This was the basic use for narrative within a video game. Current games like the Final Fantasy and The Legend of Zelda series prioritize and even sell their stories. The Final Fantasy series is a turn-based RPG with a huge focus on story and characters. Play and completion are encouraged through engagement and reaching the end of the narrative. The Legend of Zelda games move away from linear storytelling and use more open-world gameplay. This more or less means that the player is able to explore many things at their leisure and continue with the story whenever they want. Since it's now established that video games past and present tell at least some form of story, what... .. middle of paper .... objectives, player choice, immersion, involved narrative, exploratory worlds, and fun gameplay they are the lifeline of a new narrative. Ultimately, a game needs to be fun and engage the player to experience and explore this new narrative medium. Works Cited Bissell, Thomas. Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter. New York: Pantheon Books, 2010. Print.Kent, Steven. The definitive history of video games: From Pong to Pokemon: the story behind the craze that touched our lives and changed the world. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2001. Print.Ebert, Roger. “Video games can never be art.” Chicago Sun Times. April 16, 2010. Web. February 18, 2011. Juul, Jesper. “A Quick Note on Games and Storytelling.” GameStudies. July 1, 2001. Web. February 18. 2011.