GDC 2024 is part of the Informa Tech Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

View, browse and sort the ever-growing list of sessions by day, time, pass type, topic, and format. With this Session Viewer, you can view session and speaker details for Game Developers Conference 2024.

You will be able to build your schedule with the GDC Mobile App. The GDC 2024 app will be available for download in Apple Apps and Google Play late February 2024.

Sessions do fill up and seating is first come, first serve, so arrive early to sessions that you would like to attend. Adding a session to your schedule does not guarantee you a seat.

Lost the Plot: Writing Story for "Storyless" Games

Ashley Reed  (Lead Writer, Respawn Entertainment)

Location: Room 2001, West Hall

Date: Wednesday, March 20

Time: 10:30 am - 11:00 am

Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core Pass - Get your pass now!

Topic: Design

Format: Session

Vault Recording: Video

Audience Level: All

Conventional wisdom says video game stories come in two flavors—elaborate cinematic experiences, or collections of barks and item descriptions glued together six months before launch. It's no surprise that game writers gravitate toward the first, but the truth is that there's space for narrative in even the sleekest platformer or most fast-paced shooter. In this talk, you will learn five key practices to create a story for your non-narrative game that feels meaningful, authentic, and satisfying—without a single cutscene or grenade bark in sight.

Takeaway

Attendees will learn strategies for integrating story into their projects that don't force an overt focus on narrative. This will help game writers hone their skills while working on games of any genre.

Intended Audience

Game writers, primarily those working on (or interested in) projects with a heavy emphasis on mechanics (shooters, puzzle games, etc). Knowledge of game narrative standards is helpful, but not required. Designers from other disciplines interested in integrating storytelling into their work are also encouraged to attend.



Connecting the Global Game Development Community

GDC Vault icon
Game Developers Choice Awards icon
Independent Games Festival (IGF) icon
GameDeveloper.com icon