This is a guide to the basic storytelling principles essential for producing truly memorable video games. It provides developers with comprehensive, but easy-to-follow advice. It comes from video game writer and game writing instructor Evan Skolnick. Video Game Storytelling provides developers with comprehensive, but easy-to-follow advice for facilitating the creation of compelling storylines in today's most popular and narratively successful video games. Video game writer and game writing instructor Evan Skolnick offers a clear and concise development reference guide for aspiring and professional developers, showing how each role (from character designer to animator to audio engineer and more) is impacted by and can affect the story/narrative of a game. This book aims to instill an understanding and appreciation of the basic storytelling principles that are essential for producing truly memorable video games that will bring today's savvy gamers back time and time again.
Introduction
Part I - Basic Training
1. Conflict: The Fuel of Story
2. The Three-Act Structure
3. The Monomyth
4. Characters and Arcs
5. Exposition
6. Believability
7. Dialogue
Part II - In the Trenches
8. Team Leadership
9. Overall Game Design
10. Game Character Development
11. Level and Mission Development
12. Environments
13. Engineering the Story
14. Audio
15. Quality Assurance (QA)
Afterword Return with the Elixir
Appendix I Sample Character Description Document
Appendix II Sample Environment Description Document
Acknowledgments
Index