Agenda
Games Telling Stories: A Workshop on Systemic Narrative Design
Eric Zimmerman (Game Designer & Arts Professor, NYU Game Center)
Pass Type:
Academic Pass, Festival Pass, Game Changer Pass, Indie Pass, Start-Up Pass -
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Track:
Design, Tabletop
Audience Level:
All
Format:
Workshop
Vault Recording: TBD
Audience Level: All
How do we tell a story that could ONLY happen in a game? What would it mean to approach narrative design from a systemic point of view? Too many approaches to narrative treat games like films or literature - emphasizing how to write player choices, script character dialog, or do traditional world-building. In contrast, this hands-on workshop is based on the fact that games are dynamic, interactive systems. Through playing, modding, and designing, we will run through a series of exercises that systematically break down narrative game designs so that we can analyze, understand, and design them. Along the way, we'll be discussing and utilizing game design concepts like procedural representation, bottom-up content generation, and emergent storytelling. Please come to this session prepared to play and design with the other participants.
Takeaway
Though hands-on playing, modding, and redesigning narrative games, we'll gain a better understanding of how to leverage the dynamic interactive systems of games for narrative effect. Along the way we'll be practicing our skills in both game design and narrative design.
Intended Audience
Open to participants of all experience levels. Whether you're new to narrative design or a veteran interactive storyteller, we can all benefit from practicing fundamental skills at the intersection of game design and story design.