Apologies for my recent silences, ladies and gentlemen. But have no fear, because it’s Pontification Hat time again! This time, rather than attacking a tired-out trope, the topic is instead the defense of a device that’s become an industry standard, even in the face of severe criticism.
I speak, of course, of the dreaded quick-time event, that now all-but-ubiquitous gameplay device where a cutscene can only be completed with the right button combination.
Now, I know what you may be thinking: “James!” you protest, “aren’t quick-time events a cheap gimmick thrown in by unimaginative developers to cash in on a fad? What can they offer that the core gameplay shouldn’t already be providing, except for the chance to trip the player up with gruesome consequences for missing the specific button prompt?”
It’s manifestly obvious quick-time events are sometimes inserted when there’s no earthly reason for them to be present. It’s also obvious that there are many examples of bad QTEs, where the player’s survival depends on hitting the right randomized button at a given moment. But criticism of execution isn’t the same as criticism of concept.
Modern game design theory, perhaps shortsightedly, prioritizes regular player control. Extended stretches of time without direct player interaction are controversial and often viewed as failures — the claim is, if you’re watching something that long, you may as well be watching a movie. And although the player can certainly admire what’s going on during a cutscene, whatever triumph takes place isn’t theirs.
Of course, most game controls produce a fairly simple set of canned results — a generic attack, a generic jump, and so on. And as anyone who’s ever watched machinima can attest, trying to stage a dramatic scene is difficult at best when working with canned animations and standardized actions.
What we call quick-time events are largely just contextualized action sequences, whether placed within a cutscene or activated through a sequence of in-game actions. Thus, criticizing the presence of QTEs raises the question of what mechanics to employ in their place.
There is, of course, a wide spectrum of quicktime mechanics, integrated at various levels of play and with various levels of competence. Despite popularizing the quicktime event, Resident Evil 4 handled it in precisely the weakest fashion: the vast majority of QTEs in the game were “gotcha” moments where the player essentially had to mash a randomized set of buttons to avoid instant and ignominious death. These are suitable as an attempt to startle the player into paying attention, yes, but frustrating and unforgiving when they could appear seemingly at any moment.
This is really the aspect of quicktime events most critics probably have a problem with. The player is expected to hone his or her mastery of the controls and techniques of gameplay to overcome challenges and progress in the game. A badly-done QTE represents a barrier that has nothing to do with the core skills of the game, just twitch reaction time.
But gamers certainly don’t seem to have a problem with doing something awesome at the press of a few buttons. QTEs have become almost ubiquitous for a reason: audiences like to see cinematic action sequences, and quick-time events provide. Take away the QTEs from God of War, and you’re left with a rather pedestrian brawler; remove them from Resident Evil 5 and Chris Redfield can’t even jump or roll to avoid enemy fire. With that in mind, the question shouldn’t be whether to use QTEs; they’re here to stay. The question should be how to execute them.
The randomized button requirement approach is, of course, unsuitable. Having to play a game of Simon Says is not exactly suitable fare for the mighty hero. Some games, such as Lords of Shadow or classic PS2 title Prince of Persia: Two Thrones, rely on a timed-hits model, where the QTE just needs the player to hit any button at the right time.
Arguably the best quicktime events are those that aim to integrate the fundamental game controls into their workings, mating normal action to cutscene action. Dead Space 2‘s quick-time prompts were largely accomplished with the same action button or aiming controls already used to interact in normal gameplay, neatly tying cutscene accomplishment to gameplay accomplishment. If a given button signifies attacking, nobody will mind if sometimes pressing that attack button does contextually appropriate things.
And that’s really the goal when it comes to “fixing” QTEs. Ultimately our controls are abstractions- we just want the same abstractions to be conceptually and consistently adopted by the games we play. And if that lets us shoot a chain with a pistol from a hundred yards away or stake a vampire queen with a weather vane, I don’t think anyone will complain.