LOS ANGELES (AP) — Game makers are crafting more sophisticated story lines and creating characters that evolve based on their experiences within a game.
It's an attempt to interest new customers and reverse a decline in video game sales as the maturing business competes for attention with new devices like the iPad.
A new crop of games calls for players to make choices that go beyond selecting a weapon. Players are asked to make moral decisions that force the game's narrative, and their characters, to evolve. "Bioshock Infinite" and "Star Wars: The Old Republic" tap into this vein.
U.S. sales of gaming consoles and video games hit a peak in 2008, at $21.4 billion, according to market research firm NPD Group. Since then annual sales fell 13 percent last year.
