Why do we like games with good stories?

Tell stories It is part of all humanity, even before the emergence of writing, considering that people transmitted information orally. It is present in all cultures and in all media, including video games. However, have you ever wondered why we like good stories so much?

According to a study called “The Neuroscience of Story: how stories change our brains?” (The Neuroscience of Story, How Does It Change Our Brains?), a good story releases a neurotransmitter in the brain called oxytocin.

Oxytocin is the hormone released when we create emotional ties and we feel good. Do you know when you feel good around someone, be it a friend, family member or a great love? This neurotransmitter is responsible for that.

A good story makes us connect with the characters through the release of oxytocin. In addition, the study also points out that we connect with a character also through “mirror neurons“, and probably the feeling of that character on the game screen will make you have your feelings touched thanks to empathy.

In video games, it is not mandatory to have a story for the player to have fun, considering the gameplay proposal and the neurotransmitters pleasurable brain processes will be activated with other stimuli.

On the other hand, most games feature a contexteven if they are very simple like in the Mario games with the classic “let's save the princess”, or elaborate like in Final Fantasy which presents complex plots, with characters full of contradictions, doubts, and several questions that lead the player to question to what extent such a decision is right or wrong.

These contexts, characters and a story make players create a emotional connection deeper than just “passing levels without any purpose”. This is why games tend to have characters with different personalities, making it even easier for people to identify with them.