Does Story Matter?

yes,it does matter.
i really like zenonia, a main reason is for its story.
if jetpack joyride has a story mode,it would definitely be better to me.

 

It has one. "Steal jetpack and get out!"

 

Yeah

 

Of course it matters, without story and progress the game gets you bored very quickly !

 

It depends on the game. If you have a sports game or a casual game - I don't care. If you have something bigger (RPG / Adventure) it sure does.

 

I've never paid attention to an iOS game story I don't think.. I paid attention to pokemon because.. Well how can you not? But I don't think any iOS games have really forced me to read the story.. Maybe "shantaes revenge" but that's about it.. I don't think story lines matter to casual gamers.. I'm sure RPG/adventure buffs would .. But I mainly play assail puzzle games that rarely hVe a story.. And when they do it's a silly basic story that makes no sense and adds nothing extra to the game (ie droopy blocks, story was something about the blocks melting, I thought it was silly and unnecessary but I loved the game..) My pet hate is cinematics though, they add so much bulk to the file size and add little entertainment! Id much rather no story line and a small file size rather then vice versa

 

but what about a game with unlimited levels. But each are short bursts. Does that get borinng??

 

i don't care much for stories. i think that a good game tells the story using the gameplay atmosphere (graphics and sound). i usually skip story cut-scenes unless they are really spectacular. meaning: i skip all dialogues in RPGs

 

There are certain games like RPGs, action/adventure and point-and-click, that NEED a story or they will get boring very quickly.

Most casual games like match-3s, physics puzzlers, DDSs and the like don't need a story as long as the gameplay hooks you in. Look at Beat Hazard, there's no story but it's addictive as hell.

That's not to say that a story wouldn't help keep your attention in a casual game, particularly platformers. But there are quite a few casual games I've played that did have stories and I didn't really even pay attention to them.

So basically, it just depends on the type of game. Sometimes you can get away with out it and in others it's almost a necessity.

 

I dont think there's a single mobile game that i've paid attention to or cared about the story.

Except for maybe Dead Space and Hector

probably because the majority of my games are only quick 5 minute type casual games

 

Story matters to a much greater extent in console and PC games. My love for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Fallout comes from their marvelous amount of lore and story. There are hundreds of side stories and subplots embedded into these extraordinary games. However, now that iDevices have seen many more profound and "hardcore" games, story is beginning to be a factor to be considered carefully. I enjoyed following the stories of Aralon and Ravensword. And Fruit Ninja has an incredible and often overlooked narrative!

 

Stories in games are a bit of a bug bear of mine. As EfratBarTal says, a good game should tell its story through its gameplay. Unfortunately, most go for badly acted, poorly written cutscenes. And if I want to watch a crap story story, then I'll watch a crap film.

I do think a context and setting are important, but I don't believe games are best used when they're trying to tell a story.

The perfect example for me is GTA San Andreas, which from what I could tell, is a story about a man trapped by his surroundings. How many players actually felt any connection to CJ, or sympathised towards his plight? How many even noticed?

 

In response to OP, depends on how the story's told. I don't enjoy large epics on iOS.
But I did enjoy games like "Ellie... help me out please". Absolutely brilliant.

I've also been thinking of some ideas to bring interesting stories to iOS in new ways better fit to the platform and the context in which users use it, such as smaller chunks of story perhaps. Hopefully I'll manage to turn them real at some point.