Vocab Term: Cut Scene

Definition: The non-interactive cinematic moments that occur in video games. These scenes provide a brief respite from gameplay in order to deliver a narrative moment which helps to progress a game foreword.

Source: Cinematic moments in games push the player in a certain narrative direction. These scenes help to give the player a sense that the game they’re playing is progressing. “The main function of cut scenes is to push the plot forward and give narrative context to the gameplay, often by evoking generic characters, settings, and storylines from popular fiction” (Klevjer 106).

Commentary: Cut scenes in AAA video games can cost anywhere from $50,000 to 250,000 dollars per minute! In other words, choosing the narrative direction of a cut scene and making sure it’s worth it is important. Being knowledgeable about storytelling mechanics is such an underrated skill to have. Stories have mass appeal. More often than not, people want to hear information that’s told through a story instead of reading off a list of information. If DH projects stand to benefit from having a mass appeal, there has to be some storytelling component.

Klevjer, Rune. “Cut Scenes” The Johns Hopkins Guide to Digital Media, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014.