Game Writing

Narrative Skills for Videogames

Dr. Chris Bateman (University of Bolton, UK)

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English

Bloomsbury Academic USA
20 May 2021

Screenwriting techniques; Media studies; Games development & programming

As the videogame industry has grown up, the need for better stories and characters has dramatically increased, yet traditional screenwriting techniques alone cannot equip writers for the unique challenges of writing stories where the actions and decisions of a diverse range of players are at the centre of every narrative experience. Game Writing: Narrative Skills for Videogames was the first book to demystify the emerging field of game writing by identifying and explaining the skills required for creating videogame narrative.

Through the insights and experiences of professional game writers, this revised edition captures a snapshot of the narrative skills employed in today's game industry and presents them as practical articles accompanied by exercises for developing the skills discussed. The book carefully explains the foundations of the craft of game writing, detailing all aspects of the process from the basics of narrative to guiding the player and the challenges of nonlinear storytelling. Throughout the book there is a strong emphasis on the skills developers and publishers expect game writers to know.

This second edition brings the material up to date and adds four new chapters covering MMOs, script formats, narrative design for urban games, and new ways to think about videogame narrative as an art form. Suitable for both beginners and experienced writers, Game Writing is the essential guide to all the techniques of game writing. There's no better starting point for someone wishing to get into this exciting field, whether they are new game writers wishing to hone their skills, or screenwriters hoping to transfer their skills to the games industry.

Edited by: Dr. Chris Bateman (University of Bolton UK)
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic USA
Country of Publication: United States
Edition: 2nd edition
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
Weight: 704g
ISBN: 9781501348969
ISBN 10: 1501348965
Pages: 456
Publication Date: 20 May 2021
Audience: College/higher education , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

About the Authors Preface Acknowledgments 1. Introduction to Game Narrative Richard Dansky 2. The Basics of Narrative Stephen Jacobs 3. Writing for Games Richard Boon 4. Nonlinear Game Narrative Mary DeMarle 5. Keeping the Player on Track Chris Bateman 6. Game Characters Andrew S. Walsh 7. Cut Scenes and Scripted Events Richard Dansky 8. Writing Comedy for Videogames Ed Kuehnel and Matt Entin 9. Writing for Licenses James Swallow 10. The Needs of the Audience Rhianna Pratchett 11. Beware of the Localization Tim Langdell 12. Adding Magic: The Voice Actors Coray Seifert 13. Interchangeable Dialogue Content Dr. Ernest Adams 14. Dialogue Engines Chris Bateman 15. Massively Multiplayer Storytelling Dr. Richard A. Bartle 16. The Tales Cities Tell Dr. Konstantinos Dimopoulos 17. Interactive Script Formats Wendy Despain 18. The Avatar and the Player’s Mask Chris Bateman Glossary References Index

Chris Bateman is an award-winning narrative designer who has worked on more than sixty game projects as writer and game designer. He won the IGDA's MVP Award for his work founding and running their highly-successful Game Writers Special Interest Group, and was the first person in the world to receive a doctorate in the aesthetics of play and games.

Reviews for Game Writing: Narrative Skills for Videogames

Bateman's latest iteration of Game Writing is a worthy contribution to the research and scholarship on writing narratives for video games. A dream team of highly successful writers guide students through the particulars of crafting stories for the most popular and lucrative form of entertainment on the planet. Theory and practice come together in this must-have collection for those interested in games and interactive storytelling. I'll be assigning this text in my game writing classes for years to come. * Peter Telep, Senior Instructor, English Department, University of Central Florida, USA *