Cutscene

A cutscene is a sequence in a video game that takes control away from the player to show events, usually to advance the story. It may be a few seconds of a door opening or many minutes of film-like scenes. Cutscenes are among the most common tools of game storytelling and among the most argued about.

Early examples were brief. Pac-Man (1980) included short comic intermissions between levels, and Donkey Kong (1981) opened with its ape carrying off a captive. As hardware improved, opening and ending sequences grew longer, and adventure and role-playing games used scripted scenes to set up quests.

CD-ROMs in the early 1990s allowed recorded video, called full motion video or FMV. Games such as Night Trap (1992) and Wing Commander III (1994) used filmed actors, the latter with Hollywood names. Night Trap's appearance in US congressional hearings in 1993 contributed to the creation of the industry's rating board; see Moral Panic. Pre-rendered computer animation became a selling point, with Final Fantasy VII (1997) using it for its most dramatic moments.

Cutscenes can be pre-rendered as video or rendered in-engine, using the game's own characters and environments in real time. Pre-rendered scenes can look better but cost storage space and clash when the game returns to its own visuals. In-engine scenes keep consistency and show the player's chosen outfits. Most modern games use in-engine scenes, now often detailed enough that the difference is small.

The debate is about control. Critics argue that a game's distinctive power is interaction and that long cutscenes turn players into viewers; when a character in a cutscene acts in ways the player would not, the clash is especially sharp; see Ludonarrative Dissonance. Metal Gear Solid 4 (2008) became a reference point with cutscenes reportedly totaling hours. Half-Life (1998) took the opposite approach, keeping the player in control during scripted scenes, and many games now tell stories through the world itself; see Environmental Storytelling.

Designers have tried middle paths. Quick time events ask for button presses during a scene, keeping the player nominally involved, though often with little real choice. Walking simulators let the story play out while the player moves freely. Branching scenes let choices made in dialogue change what follows.

Practical courtesies matter too. Players expect to be able to pause and skip cutscenes, particularly on repeat playthroughs and before difficult fights, and speedrunners rely on skips. Fans have also used game engines to make films of their own, a form called machinima.