Story Mode: The Creative Writer's Guide to Narrative Video Game Design

Story Mode provides an accessible entry-point for all into writing and designing complex and emotionally affecting narrative video games, combining game design with creative writing techniques. It offers low-cost, accessible tools and instruction that bridge the knowledge gap for creative writers, showing them how to merge their skill-set with the fundamentals of game creation and empower them to produce their own games that push stories beyond the page and the written word.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 22 February 2024
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

In the face of a fiercely competitive AAA industry often perceived as a realm exclusive to top programmers and dedicated 'gamers,' Story Mode emerges as a groundbreaking entry-point for individuals interested in writing and designing intricate and emotionally resonant narrative video games. This much-needed resource stands as the first textbook to seamlessly blend game design with creative writing techniques, making the skills required to consume and create digital and multi-modal stories accessible and enjoyable. Responding to the growing demand for greater inclusivity and access to this vital contemporary form of expression, this book provides affordable and accessible tools and instruction that bridge the knowledge gap for creative writers, empowering them to merge their skill set with the fundamentals of game creation and enabling them to produce their own games that push storytelling beyond the confines of the page and the written word.

Organized into four sections to effectively guide writers from diverse technological backgrounds toward the strategies of game production, this book offers:

Contextual and introductory chapters that delve into the history and diverse genres of video games.

Discussions on how traditional creative writing approaches, such as character development, plot construction, world-building, and dialogue, can be applied to game writing.

An in-depth exploration of game studies concepts, including game construction, interactivity, audience engagement, empathy, real-world impact, and representation, which orient writers to approach games from a designer's perspective.

A comprehensive section dedicated to the practical aspects of workshopping, tools, collaborative writing, and extended exercises that guide readers through long-term, collaborative, game-centered projects utilizing suites and tools like Twine, Audacity, Bitsy, and GameMaker.

Featuring detailed case studies, examples, and exercises, this book empowers creative writers to unlock their potential and contribute to the growing world of narrative video game development.

Weight: 350g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350301368