Video Game Storytelling What Every Developer Needs to Know about Narrative Techniques

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.

With over twenty-five years of story and game development experience at world-class entertainment companies such as Marvel, Activision, and Lucasfilm, EVAN SKOLNICK brings a unique perspective to narrative experiences in games. An international speaker and educator, he has conducted workshops on storytelling techniques for well over a thousand game development professionals. Skolnick’s work includes projects such as Star Wars 1313, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, The Godfather: Five Families, Over the Hedge, Spider-Man 3, Spy Muppets, and many others. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and two sons. Visit www.evanskolnick.com.

Introduction
Part I - Basic Training
1. Conflict: The Fuel of Story
2. The Three-Act Structure
3. The Monomyth
4. Characters and Arcs
5. Exposition
6. Believability
7. Dialogue

Part II - In the Trenches
8. Team Leadership
9. Overall Game Design
10. Game Character Development
11. Level and Mission Development
12. Environments
13. Engineering the Story
14. Audio
15. Quality Assurance (QA)

Afterword Return with the Elixir
Appendix I Sample Character Description Document
Appendix II Sample Environment Description Document
Acknowledgments
Index