Developing Video Game Narratives Course

Program Overview

This 11-week program, led by industry veteran Jonathan Callan, teaches the art of writing interactive stories and branching narratives for video games. Through lectures, discussions, and workshops, students explore various formats and concepts, gaining the skills to create engaging and immersive gaming experiences. The program emphasizes hands-on learning, providing students with practical experience in crafting interactive stories.

Program Outline

Outline:

• Objective: To learn to write interactive stories and branching narratives that bring our favorite video games to life.
• Content:
• Writing for games requires an understanding of structure that goes beyond linear storytelling.
• Writers are expected to hold many possible worlds--with multiple branching story points--in their heads.
• The course explores the nature of interactive story by working in multiple different formats (choose your own adventure, virtual novels, the Telltale style, etc.)

Teaching:

• Methods: The course is taught through lectures, discussions, and workshops.