Interactive Storytelling

Eric Stein, Instructor, Game Development, Trinity Western University, Langley, BC, Canada

Course Type: Survey / Humanities-focused / Design-focused 

Keywords: Story, Drama, Design, Critique, Workshop

University Department Level Credits Length Medium
Trinity Western University Game Development Undergrad 3 12 weeks Online

Course Description

GAME 341: Interactive Storytelling is an in-depth look at the various forms of writing for video games. Students will study and practice game story scripting, writing for interface, dialogue and narration, as well as video game technical writing. Students will develop skills to handle the many writing tasks necessary for a game development project. Students who are not part of the Game Development program will also benefit from taking this course, as it is also applicable to non-game forms of media production.

Weekly Outline

  1. Intro to Story Analysis (Forest Paths Method)
  2. Story Analysis I (Sword & Sworcery, Journey, Monument Valley, Inside)
  3. Story Analysis I (Gorogoa, Gris, Florence, Unpacking)
  4. Interactive Writing Project I (Intro to Twine)
  5. Story Analysis II (Gone Home, Firewatch)
  6. Story Analysis II (Oxenfree, Norco)
  7. Story Analysis III (The Stanley Parable)
  8. Story Analysis III (Immortality)
  9. Interactive Writing Project II (Advanced Twine)
  10. Writing Workshop and Peer Development I
  11. Writing Workshop and Peer Development II
  12. Interactive Writing Project III (Final Submission)

Course Objectives ​

  • Analyze the unique characteristics of writing in interactive media like video games.    
  • Analyze the relationship between writing and game design.
  • Develop a critical appreciation of aesthetic success and failure in game writing.
  • Craft creative narratives and effective writing for all the different aspects of a video game that employ writing.

Reading

  • Swords, Alexander. Forest Paths Method for Narrative Design. Melbourne, AU: Swords Narrative, 2020. https://swordsnarrative.itch.io/forest-paths-method-for-narrative-design.

IDE and IDN Authoring Tools

  • Twine (IDN Authoring Tool)

IDN Artifacts

  • Superbrothers. Sword & Sworcery EP. 2011.
  • Thatgamecompany. Journey. 2012.
  • Ustwo Studios. Monument Valley. 2014.
  • Playdead. Inside. 2016.
  • Jason Roberts. Gorogoa. 2017.
  • Nomada Studio. Gris. 2018.
  • Mountains. Florence. 2018.
  • Witch Beam. Unpacking. 2021.
  • The Fullbright Company. Gone Home. 2013.
  • Campo Santo. Firewatch. 2016.
  • Night School Studio. Oxenfree. 2016.
  • Geography of Robots. Norco. 2022.
  • Galactic Cafe. The Stanley Parable. 2022.
  • Half Mermaid. Immortality. 2022.

Major Assignments (being assignments whose value is of 25% or more)

Story Analyses (I, II, & III)

  • Platform: Zoom, Group Presentation, Slides, Design Charts
  • Purpose: Cultivating critical narrative analysis skills
  • Requirements:
    • Project Length: 30-45min, 60-75min, 120min
    • Project Size: Presentations in increasing scope and complexity, beginning with direct analysis, then expanding to primary research, and then secondary research. 
  • Evaluation: 
    • Complexity and sophistication: assessment of the depth and nuance of discussion, precision of analysis, and insight of responses to Q&A.

Interactive Writing Project II

  • Platform: Twine
  • Purpose: Build on previous skills with Twine
  • Requirements:
    • Project Length: 10-15 minutes
    • Project Size: 1250-1500 words
    • Project Aesthetics: Experimentation and exploration with more advanced functionality of Twine and available repositories, more complex writing and interactions
    • Coding Proficiency: Some
  • Evaluation: 
    • Interactivity: All of the above, plus creative uses of looping and branching, applications of repository or general Javascript functionality.
    • Story and narrative: All of the above, plus maintaining consistency of plot and voice over greater length and several branching paths, introduction of variety in both plot and expression through interaction.
    • Production values: Somewhat increased focus on production values at this stage, considering possibilities of fonts, colours, and sound.

Interactive Writing Project III

  • Platform: Twine
  • Purpose: Produce a portfolio-worthy piece of interactive writing with Twine
  • Requirements:
    • Project Length: 20-30 minutes
    • Project Size: 2000-3000 words
    • Project Aesthetics: Consistently complex and novel interactions, critical applications of different branching structures appropriate to the story being told, compelling narrative sustained over a short story length piece of writing.
    • Coding Proficiency: Some
  • Evaluation: 
    • Interactivity: All of the above, plus a deep understanding of the possibilities and pitfalls of different interactive structures, keen awareness of purpose of different narrative mechanics and design elements.
    • Story and narrative: All of the above, consistently delivered across the duration of the story, a complete, mid-length work that makes deft use of form.
    • Production values: Greater emphasis on production values, including the potential use of music, artwork, and unique styling of the Twine format.

Course Best Practices

  • Initial focus on analyzing the best in interactive storytelling (“good writers read a lot”)
  • Select a wide variety of games with different types of narrative delivery (dialogue, environmental, gameplay, etc.)
  • Strong emphasis on class discussion and critique in conversation.
  • Don’t limit the course to one particular aspect of interactive digital narratives; instead, focus on the foundation of what every discipline (writing, design, systems, tech) needs to know to be able to work effectively together.
  • Create, create, create—have students write as much as they play.
  • Then workshop, workshop, workshop—have students play each other’s works, and facilitate constructive development conversations between them.
  • Encourage students to create with their portfolios in mind; not just a school assignment, but potentially their first professional work sample.