Against the backdrop of a hyper-competitive AAA industry and the perception that it is a world reserved for top programmers and hard-core ‘gamers’, Story Mode offers an accessible entry-point for all into writing and designing complex and emotionally affecting narrative video games. The first textbook to combine game design with creative writing techniques, this much-needed resource makes the skills necessary to consume and create digital and multi-modal stories attainable and fun. Appealing to the growing calls for greater inclusivity and access to this important contemporary apparatus of expression, this book offers low-cost, accessible tools and instruction that bridge the knowledge gap for creative writers, showing them how they can merge their skill-set with the fundamentals of game creation and empowering them to produce their own games which push stories beyond the page and the written word.
Broken down into 4 sections to best orientate writers from any technological background to the strategies of game production, this book offers:
- Contextual and introductory chapters exploring the history and variety of various game genres.
- Discussions of how traditional creative writing approaches to character, plot, world-building and dialogue can be utilised in game writing.
- An in-depth overview of game studies concepts such as game construction, interactivity, audience engagement, empathy, real-world change and representation that orientate writers to approach games from the perspective of a designer.
- A whole section on the practical elements of work-shopping, tools, collaborative writing as well as extended exercises guiding readers through long-term, collaborative, game-centred projects using suites and tools like Twine, Audacity, Bitsy, and GameMaker.
Featuring detailed craft lessons, hands-on exercises and case studies, this is the ultimate guide for creative writers wanting to diversify into writing for interactive, digital and contemporary modes of storytelling.
Designed not to lay out a roadmap to a successful career in the games industry but to empower writers to experiment in a medium previously regarded as exclusive, this book demystifies the process behind creating video games, orienting readers to a wide range of new possible forms and inspiring them to challenge mainstream notions of what video games can be and become.
Part One: Introductions Chapter 1: Game Writing is For Everyone: A Manifesto Video Games as Transformative Media Creative Writing for Video Games Game Studies for Creative Writing Practical Approaches & Applications Chapter 2: Understanding Game Genres and Forms What is a Video Game? Genre Study: Action/Adventure Genre Study: Open World Genre Study: Walking Simulators Genre Study: Role-Playing Games Genre Study: Story Platformers Genre Study: Visual Novels Genre Study: Mobile Games Part Two: Creative Craft Chapter 3: The Creative Process From Where You Dream: Analysis of David Cage’s Heavy Rain Originality: Getting to the Source Code Evaluation Creation & Assembling Your Team Chapter 4: Character & Conflict The Playable Character Character Identification Non-Playable Characters Conflict Reveals Character Analysis: Life is Strange Chapter 5: Story, Plot, & Interactivity Story vs. Plot Plot Basics Choice & Branching Narratives Leveling Up Other Structures MMOs & Interactivity Chapter 6: Setting & Worldbuilding Video Game Environmental Analysis Place, Time, & Mood Realistic vs. Fantastic Worlds The Role of Research Creating Worlds Analysis: Disco Elysium & Stanley Parable Chapter 7: Dialogue Analysis: The Last of Us What Makes Good Dialogue? Developing Voice Dialogue Traps to Avoid Analysis of Firewatch Part Three: Creative Game Design Chapter 8: Game Design & the Creative Writer Rationale: Why Game Design Matters for Creative Writers The Basics of Game Design Constraint Actions Goals Challenge Skill, Strategy, Chance Decision-Making & Feedback Abstraction Theme Resources Context of Play Using Game Design to Meet Other Writing Goals Chapter 9: Game Construction & Audience Engagement Meaningful Choices & How to Create Them Structures of Learning In Games Strategies for Audience Engagement and Interactivity Encouraging External Game Elements and Communities Writing for Failure & Replay Chapter 10: Representation & Inclusion Gamergate & Game Representation and Inclusivity Common Inclusivity and Representation Problems Prioritizing Responsible Representation in Your Creative Work Fostering Inclusivity in Creative Communities Chapter 11: Designing Games for Empathy & Change Using Games To Create Empathy & Tell Personal Stories Games for Social Change Games & Ideology Crafting Complex Ethical Scenarios Real-World Implications Part 4: Praxis Chapter 12: Diary Style Games What is a Diary Style Game? Analysis: Depression Quest & Cibele Bringing Your Own Culture and Experience to Bear Chapter 13: Peer Workshops & Collaborative Writing Why Workshop? Peer Review The Iowa Model Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process Collaborative Writing Chapter 14: Tool Suites & the Games Industry Writing Tools Twine Audacity Bitsy GameMaker The Portfolio Chapter 15: Final Exercises Mini-Game Jams High-Stakes Game Jams Collaborative Game Jams Index
Julialicia Case is Assistant Professor and Co-director of the Center for Games and Interactive Media at the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay, USA. She teaches courses in fiction, game writing, and digital storytelling. Her creative work has appeared in The Gettysburg Review, Crazyhorse, Witness, Blackbird, and other journals. Eric Freeze is Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Wabash College, USA, where he developed the Wabash Gaming Lab. He has published four books, including the award-winning Hemingway on a Bike and French Dive. He lives in Crawfordsville, Indiana and Nice, France. Salvatore Pane is Associate Professor of Creative Writing and New Media at the University of St. Thomas, USA. He is the author of two novels and a book of nonfiction about video games. He’s written video games available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PlayStation.
