The Pros & Cons of Each Entertainment Medium

Photo by Nong V on Unsplash

Stories exist in many mediums. Each of them have their own strengths and weaknesses.

It’s important to know what those unique strengths are before deciding which one to use. I believe every story has it’s matching medium.

When you have a great pair, your story will shine all the better.

To help you decide which medium to use, here’s a rough rundown of each medium’s pros and cons.

Books

Pros:

• Unmatched potential for detail
• Nearly complete creative control
• Best for internal dialogue
• Stimulates the audience’s imagination
• Can be free and easy to create
• No limit to what you can create
• Pace set by the reader

Cons:

• Only words, rarely pictures
• Lives and dies by the quality of the writing and its style
• Not very popular anymore

Examples:

• The Giver
• 1984
• Lord of The Rings

Comics/Manga

Pros:

• Access to visual storytelling techniques
• Highest potential for quality art
• Access to image panels and the techniques associated
• Access to the strong black and white contrast [Only Manga]
• Best for the phone [Only Manhua/Manhwa/Webtoons]
• Access to music [Only Webtoons]
• Easy to read
• Pace set by the reader

Cons:

• Not the best for internal dialogue
• Each and every image must be drawn

Examples:

• Spawn
• Dragon Ball
• God of Highschool

Visual Novels

Pros:

• Optional interactivity
• Unmatched potential for detail
• Best for internal dialogue