Since this months theme is about "Expanded Universes" I'll argue that games and the stories or shows created about them to be a planet... Consider that a planet's pull is proportional to its mass. So, more spin-off material makes a larger, more engaging experience.
A proper story line, and enough questions in need of answers are reasons I like turning to the serial novels etc. of an exceptional title. The trash aside (Books all for profits and catalysts to sell more copies,) good material is like a mini-history lesson, drawing a parallel line over top a story, and succeeding to expand on things that dialog, cut scenes and character development alone could fail. As a learning tool, the expanded universes bring lore and mythos to an otherwise linear experience of what you see is how things are.



Yes the poem came before the game, but to appreciate the latter you should read it.


I think an excellent use of expanded universes is to fill in the blanks in a story that won't fit in the main theme. It's a lot to digest, but it might also give you a better understanding of your protagonist, his companions, the enemy, and the world you have to survive in.. Breaking the immersion by a sudden unexplained circumstance, or event, is awful. It's arguably easier to succeed against an opponent you understand. Likewise the battle is all the more immersive knowing the history of the war.





Bioshock expands it's own game with it's audio logs. This use of a storytelling device like it in other games was rare. The tapes answered questions and revealed story elements otherwise outside of the scope of Bioshock's scenarios. I only argue the tapes being too much of a crutch. I'd eat up every printed word I could find on Rapture... Bioshock 2 should be a book.





As horrible a movie Street Fighter: TLOCL is, I can sum up the point of this post using it as an example. Because it was made, my experience of Street Fighter IV is made better because of it.
With more backstory, you're sure to immerse yourself further in a game.