The elements of a good game story can be as varied and as deep as the elements of any good novel that you pick up at the local bookstore. However, a game story benefits from a few freedoms that can limit most novels. Game stories can branch in multiple directions based on the players choice, they can introduce a larger number of descriptions, events, and plots without worry about a page count, and the stories can be experienced by multiple people who work together in order to finish and experience them.
Just as with a good novel, a good game story must focus on setting, character development, conflict, and resolution. If these elements are strongly written and combined with smooth, interesting game mechanics, a great game won't be far behind.
The setting of a good game story needs to fit with the characters and contain the conflict. The description of locales should be constant and every place, item, and character should seem like it belongs there (unless the story involves something that shouldn't be there). Even amongst different locales with different races of beings, there should be some story element that ties every part of the setting together. Maybe all of the characters speak the same language or Imperial Guards are present in every village from the deserts of Anduin to the ice fields of Clickspire. A great setting readies the stage for the player and the characters he or she will control during the entirety of the game. If it is bland or seems broken it can seriously hurt the believability of the story.
Character development in a game story can refer to the development of a single player-controlled character to the development of an entire race of beings controlled by the player. Depending on the type of game, character development can be extremely linear, presented to the player through narrative, or deeply varied, controlled by the player through in-game choices. In either case, the character must develop in a way that seems believable. If that character goes in a direction that is completely unexpected, there had better be some form of explanation as to why, otherwise the player may become confused with the story. If the player has control over the character's development, the best way to make the story good is to allow for a lot of choices. Character's should be able to branch in several directions that will engage the player and make them feel that they are actually an active part of the story.
Conflict in a good game story needs to be compelling. Every hero needs a goal, and that goal is usually guarded by some giant creature, on the far side of pit full of moving platforms, or at the end of a long line of enemy combatants. Why doesn't the hero just turn away from his enemies and go home? Why does he keep fighting? These kinds of questions need to be answered in order to justify the conflict that the player will overcome during the game. If the hero is doing it "just because", the game loses a chance to immerse the player deeper in the game world.
Equally as important as conflict in a good game story is resolution. Nothing is more anticlimactic than defeating the last man threatening the world and cutting right to the credits. A good story tells the player how the hero is received after his victory, how the game world changes, or how the characters of the world grieve for the hero's sacrifice. Cliffhanger endings serve a purpose that all too often leads to a feeling of being cheated. Done well, an ending will provide the closure of a great novel and leave a player sitting in their chair marveling at the amazing game they just experienced.
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