Writing for Games: Theory and Practice

Description

Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents Introduction Who Am I, Anyway? Who Is This Book Aimed At? Theory, Practice, and Implementation Focusing on Indie Productions How Is the Videogames Industry Structured? Why Not Write About Writing for AAA? Focusing on Writing Games Are Not Special Therefore, the Intention of the Book How to Read My Perspective Part I Theory Chapter 1 Craft What Do You Mean, ‘Storytelling Is a Craft’? Educated Fan, Amateur, or Professional The Material Context of Games Narrative Design Is Not Writing and Vice Versa The Different Layers of Writing in a Game Why Is Vocabulary Important? Chapter 2 Vocabulary: Games A Beginner Vocabulary for Game Development Creative Director Tech Lead Art Roles Narrative Lead Programming Roles Design Roles Audio Programmer, SFX Artist, Composer Producer, Project Manager QA, Localisation, Community Manager, PR, Etc. Process Vocabulary Funding and Milestones Vertical Slice, Horizontal Slice, Demo, Playable Prototype, Early Access NDAs, Rights Assignment, and Revenue Shares Design Processes Story Tools Project Management and Collaboration Defining Your Process Chapter 3 Vocabulary: Story Structure The Tyranny of Film Structure Acts Aristotle and Horace Freytag’s Pyramid The Monomyth and the Hero’s Journey Christopher Booker’s Seven Basic Plots The Problem with All of This Where Else Might We Turn? Promenade, Panorama, Pass It On Ibsen Crumbles the Walls of A Doll’s House Dada and Meaning-Making in a World of Meaningless Horror Brecht Boal Television So … I Have to Do a PhD in Literary Theory throughout History? Chapter 4 Vocabulary: Story Components Story Story-World Plot Subplots Narrative Writing Genre Form Setting Literary Devices Deus ex Machina Red Herrings Dramatic Irony MacGuffins Cliffhangers Foreshadowing Set-Ups and Pay-Offs Reversals Allegory Imagery, Motifs, Symbolism Narrator(s) Format Enough Vocabulary Chapter 5 Games Writing As a Discipline Writing for Games Writing for Speaking vs. Writing for Reading: Examples Some Affordances of Writing for Games What Is the Writing in the Game Supposed to Do? What Is Its Verb? Writing for a Player Character Choice Voice, Type, and Modality When Is Writing Not It? Building a Palette for Showing Not Telling Game-Specific Formats of Writing Barks Found Objects Item Descriptions Lore Tutorial Text, Clues, Hints, To-Do Lists Menu and UI Text Loc, VO, Accessibility, Style Guides, Proofreading Documentation, Proposals, and Design Meetings Scope Project-Specific Vocabulary What If the Writing Can’t Solve the Problem? Chapter 6 Form-Led Design What Is Form-Led Design? Form-Led Thinking in Games Form and Craft: What Game Stories Can Learn from Other Storytelling Disciplines Dance Poetry Ceramics Live Art Radio Drama Other Forms Conclusions Chapter 7 A Note on Writing Comedy Chapter 8 Further Reading Straight-Up Technique Workbooks Understanding Format Journeys in Writing Practices Chapter 9 A Note on Ethics Part II Case Studies Chapter 10 Introduction to the Case Studies Chapter 11 Character and Dialogue in Life is Strange 2 Key Takeaways Further Reading Chapter 12 Ethics and Adaptation in 80 Days Key Takeaways Further Reading Chapter 13 Format and the Heist in Last Stop A General Note on Format in Last Stop The Heist Key Takeaways Further Reading Part III A Practical Workbook Chapter 14 Introduction to the Workbook Know Thyself How Do You Learn? How Do You Work? How Do You Reflect? Pathfinding Practice Is Not Career Tools Chapter 15 Tools for Starting Seeds Form-Driven Design Form-Driven Design Sheet Character Sheets Character Design Sheet Other Character-Creation Techniques World Sheets Place Design Sheets Applied Use of Sheets: Story-Driven Puzzle Design Puzzle Design Form Brief Setting Chapter 16 Tools for Developing Critical Response Theory Roles The Artist The Responder(s) The Facilitator The Four Stages of Feedback A Note on Playtesting Prototyping Developing Character: Dialogue Writing Begins with Listening Developing Story: Structure Learning to Edit Diagnosing What’s Wrong Advocacy, Diversity, and Representation Tools for Collaboration: Design Documentation Case Study: Gardens or Story? Location_Name What Happens When You Don’t Get What You Need? Writing Is Cheap Developing Your Practice Chapter 17 Tools for Finishing After Content Lock Quality Assurance Loc and VO Certification, Marketing, and PR Reviews Reflecting Portfolio Practice Conclusion Select Glossary of Games Industry Terms Bibliography Index