Gaming is a medium in flux. The earliest games were still defining the form, and experiments were common. Eventually, games grew big enough they could hold more than just the most basic of graphics, but also text. Then came the story. Games and story have a strange relationship. Programmers aren’t good writers, but often, they were the only ones building the story. Now, for-real writers work on many, but not most, games. Check out this article following the early history of narrative in gaming. Here’s a hint, Ninja Gaiden has a lot to answer for. 1UP has the story.
Who would have thought a game about ninjas vs demons, on the NES, would kick off the cutscene and story revolution. Our little hobby is a strange place.