Remembering the Story
Video games are an important side interest in my life. Sometimes, at least. Because just like with books, there are periods in which I devour one after the other, followed by stretches of time where I barely touch a game at all. A bit like that story from the Bible about the seven fat years and seven lean years.
With both games and books, a big part of the problem lies in the fear of failing to remember the story again after leaving it for a while. If you haven’t opened a book in some time, chances are you’ve forgotten where you were in the story, what’s happened so far, and who that one character was again. The same goes for stories in games, but with an added difficulty: the gameplay. If I haven’t played a game in a while—especially one with complex mechanics and many different options—the thought alone of having to relearn all that makes me want to give up entirely. I usually end up not picking it back up at all.
By now, that issue is fairly easy to solve with books. Grab the ebook version, check which page you were on, and ask an AI to give you a summary of everything that’s happened so far, including a list of characters and their roles in the story—without giving away any spoilers about what’s to come. With games, it’s a bit trickier. Until we have a chip implanted in our brains that, Matrix-style, can teach us new skills (or in this case, callback to old ones), it's hard to recall both the story and all those button combinations.
I see a golden market opportunity here: a YouTube channel with short videos that re-explain the basic gameplay principles. Just something to refresh those combat moves and give you a quick overview of the complex menu structures. Or better yet: an in-game tutorial that remembers what you’ve done so far and—depending on how long you’ve been away—lets you practice for a bit before jumping back in.
Sounds great to me. Until then, I just hope nothing unexpected happens in my life that forces me to put a game on the back burner for a while. AI, do your thing. This seems like a perfect opportunity to finally prove that you can be used for something truly useful.