Story and Gameplay:
Based on our discussion of digital games and storytelling, I thought I’d fill in some blanks with some additional course content. Follow this link to play Zork online. Learn more about Zork here.
All of the following are optional, but if you’d like to know more about storytelling and games, I’d start here.
First, I mentioned narrative structures in class. Game consultant Randi Cohn, USC PhD Ben McIntosh and I wrote a quick little article on the topic: http://www.gamecareerguide.com/features/882/nonlinear_narrative_in_games_.php
If you are interested in writing for games, I taught a course called Scriptwriting for Games for several years. The course resources are here:
You should also consider reading these books:
- Creating emotion in games: (D. Freeman)
- Character Development and Storytelling for Games: (L. Sheldon)
As for the examples I mentioned in class:
- Watch the first few minutes of Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR)
- Onumisha Opening Cinematic Scene
- Shenmue: Sailors Dialogue
- Mega 64 Shenmue: