Game Trailers as Inspiration

So, I actually had a totally different post ready to go for today, but then I saw the trailer embedded at the bottom and immediately had to write about it. See, I have a bit of a quirk. I play videogames for their stories, but that isn't all, I really really like the game trailers. Not all of them mind, but some of them do just stand out. Deliver Hope for Halo Reach for example is an exceptional trailer, and one I have watched numerous times. Several of my house mates have been amused at the fact that I will sit down with the intention to watch trailers for entertainment. Can you imagine that? Sitting down to watch commercials? Especially for something you already own? Kinda weird huh? BUt the fact is, they're useful to watch. Here's why.

Adventure Setup
A trailer's job is to entice you with a story, or more specifically, a possible story. They take parts of what is going on, and show it to you in an enticing way. You know what you can get from that? Well, if that doesn't sound like an adventure hook to you, I don't know what will. The best part is, it gives you a hint at a story, a basic situation, but not the whole thing. That means you can let the trailer inspire you, give you ideas, give you scene ideas, but the story will still be yours. It may include parts of those trailers, but a good chunk of it will be your own.

Tangential Spinoffs
Sometimes it isn't the adventure in and of itself, but something inside it. A line, a look, a character, a movement. Something in the trailer can just set you off. Now, this is the exact same thing a movie, show, or game can do, and I'm not going to try to deny that. Just, with a trailer you only get a cut down version of it. It means there is less attached to the inspiration, it is not as set down with the trappings of the story it is included in. This makes it a bit purer, a bit more ripe for the plucking. And plucking is fun.

Character Setup
You ever love a character but hate a story? Well, and this is especially true with video games, the trailer sometimes are just focused on one character. Like with the trailer in question here, it is completely focused on Cesare Borgia who is set up to be the big villain for the new Assassin's Creed game. However, you know what I see in this trailer? A great villain for any game that is strongly centered around a set city. The trailer even shows you how they are setting up the PC as the opposite of this character, showing a way to handle your PCs in relation to the character. Hell, this could even be a PC, or an ally. The point is, you get a lot from this 2 minutes, a full character really. All summed up nicely for you in one little package.

This Trailer
This trailer has obviously had an impact on me, I mean I just wrote a whole post about it. However, it also has done a good job at getting me excited for the new game, which makes it a damn good trailer. See, I like the Assassin's Creed series, but they're not something I get excited about. They just are. However, with this it looks like we're finally getting a memorable villain. Someone who could actually stand up to one of the assassin main characters, perhaps even hurt them back. It'll be interesting to see how that plays out.

And now, without further ado, the trailer as promised.