Speakers

Ashley Ruhl is a narrative and cinematic swiss army knife, currently the Narrative Director on the long-running massively multiplayer online game Star Wars:The Old Republic. Ruhl cut her teeth creating branching cutscenes at studios like BioWare and Telltale Games before moving into the broader umbrella of narrative design. She was the first woman at Telltale to hold the title of Episodic Director, and was selected for Forbes 30 under 30 list in video games in 2016. She blends her experience in writing, camera work, and narrative gameplay, creating emotionally resonant experiences that encourage players to be authors of their own stories.

Presenting:

• It's Not in the Writer's Manual: Q&A for New Writers
• Rules of the Game 2026: Revealing Techniques from Resourceful Designers