This book provides an industry professional’s firsthand POV into narrative design’s practical usage, day-to-day roles and responsibilities, and keys to breaking in and succeeding. The book will also delve into the foundations of compelling storytelling through structural analysis and character archetype breakdowns. The author widens the understanding of game narrative to include examples from other media. He will also break the structure down of two popular games and show how the structural elements are applied in practice. In addition to discussing industry trends (including Fortnite, Twitch, and Netflix’s interactive TV shows), the author illustrates how the leveraging of transmedia can make a video game franchise enduring over time. Because media appetites are radically changing, designing a story experience across various media outlets is not only preferable to meet the high demands of millennial and GenZ consumers; it’s necessary as well. Key Features: Practical how-to’s to meet the ever-increasing studio demands for a narrative designer Critical analysis of the narrative of two best-selling games Samples of a story structure diagram, character polling, transmedia release timeline, and a branching conversation tree Deep breakdowns and definitions of story beats and dramatic devices Pro-tips on better documentation and overall job preparedness

This book provides an industry professional's first-hand perspective on narrative design's practical usage, day-to-day roles and responsibilities, and keys to breaking in and succeeding. The book delves into the foundations of compelling storytelling through structural analysis and character archetype breakdowns. The understanding of game narrative is widened to include examples from other media. The author breaks down the structure of popular games and show how the structural elements are applied in practice. In addition to discussing industry trends, the author illustrates how the leveraging of transmedia can make a video game franchise endure over time. This updated new edition contains a brand new chapter on Conflict and The Future of Interactive Storytelling, as well as deepened coverage on Character and World and Roles and Responsibilities. The author adds new discussion to the Analysis of Narrative in Contemporary Games through an examination of the HBO television adaption of The Last of Us. This book will be of great interest to all those interested in the craft of storytelling, narrative design, and game writing

Narrative designers and game designers are critical to the development of digital and analog games. This book provides a detailed look at the work writers and designers perform every day on game development projects. It includes practical advice on how to break into the game industry as a writer or game designer. Readers can use the templates and detailed instructions provided here to create lively portfolios that will help open the door to jobs in the game industry. Key features of this book: • An intimate look at the workings of AAA game development from someone who has spent decades embedded on teams at well-known companies. • An insider’s look at the game industry, including advice on breaking into the industry. • Detailed instructions for creating a portfolio to demonstrate narrative design and game design skills to prospective employers. • Lessons and exercises to help students develop narrative design and game design skills. • A how-to guide for college instructors teaching classes in narrative design and game design. Detailed assignments and syllabi are included. Author Bio: Michael Breault is a 35-year industry veteran who has contributed his writing and game design skills to over 130 published games. He currently teaches narrative design and game design courses at Webster University in St. Louis. The courses he creates and teaches are based on the tasks narrative designers and game designers undertake every day while developing games. These classes provide his students with a real-world view of the work they will be doing as writers and designers in the game industry.

UNLOCK YOUR GAME'S NARRATIVE POTENTIAL! With increasingly sophisticated video games being consumed by an enthusiastic and expanding audience, the pressure is on game developers like never before to deliver exciting stories and engaging characters. With Video Game Storytelling, game writer and producer Evan Skolnick provides a comprehensive yet easy-to-follow guide to storytelling basics and how they can be applied at every stage of the development process—by all members of the team. This clear, concise reference pairs relevant examples from top games and other media with a breakdown of the key roles in game development, showing how a team’s shared understanding and application of core storytelling principles can deepen the player experience. Understanding story and why it matters is no longer just for writers or narrative designers. From team leadership to game design and beyond, Skolnick reveals how each member of the development team can do his or her part to help produce gripping, truly memorable narratives that will enhance gameplay and bring today’s savvy gamers back time and time again.

This book describes narrative design’s role in game development, provide examples of its practical usage, delve into the day-to-day expectations, and assess its quality in 5 popular games. Additionally, it will discuss the influence of transmedia storytelling in today’s games and how its impact continues to grow. Today’s IP transcends a single medium. Accordingly, creating its story across various media outlets is necessary to meet the high demands of millennial and GenZ consumers. Game narrative is often the centerpiece of these transmedia extensions.

As a game designer or new media storyteller, you know that the story is critical to the success of your project. Telling that story interactively is an even greater challenge, one that involves approaching the story from many angles. Here to help you navigate and open your mind to more creative ways of producing your stories is the authority on interactive design and a longtime game development guru, Chris Crawford. To help you in your quest for the truly interactive story, Crawford provides a solid sampling of what works and doesn't work, and how to apply the lessons to your own storytelling projects. After laying out the fundamental ideas behind interactive storytelling and explaining some of the misconceptions that have crippled past efforts, the book delves into all the major systems that go into interactive storytelling: personality models, actors, props, stages, fate, verbs, history books, and more. Crawford also covers the Storytron technology he has been working on for several years, an engine that runs interactive electonic storyworlds, giving readers a first-hand look into practical storytelling methods.

Do you want to turn your talent for writing into a narrative design career in the games industry? It’s never been a better time to be a writer for video games. You’re tapping into an industry that was worth more than $120 billion dollars in 2019, and it’s still growing. And it’s an industry that needs great storytellers. But there's a BIG difference between a great story and a great game story. Traditional stories are told. Game stories are experienced. That's why video game narratives need a totally different design approach. So how do you apply your scriptwriting, storylining, poetic, copywriting, prose producing skills to an audience that won’t sit still and an industry that’s ever changing? That’s what this book is about! I’ve been a narrative designer for over a decade, as well as a novelist and a scriptwriter / storyliner for TV and comics. I love playing games, and even more, I love helping game developers realize their storytelling aspirations. Nothing delights me more than a game that's both fun to play and delivers a satisfying story experience. In this book, I'll share both the evergreen principles and practical techniques that I’ve learned and developed during my narrative design career so that you can position yourself for your first game writing gig. And if you’re an experienced narrative designer already, you’ll still find plenty of insights that you can apply to your trade. I’ll say it again, “the games industry needs you!” Play is what we do, but story is why we do it.