1st Edition

The Advanced Game Narrative Toolbox

By Tobias Heussner Copyright 2019
    232 Pages
    by CRC Press

    232 Pages
    by CRC Press

    The Advanced Game Narrative Toolbox continues where the Game Narrative Toolbox ended. While the later covered the basics of writing for games, the Advanced Game Narrative Toolbox will cover techniques for the intermediate and professional writer. The book will cover topics such as how to adapt a novel to a game, how to revive IPs and how to construct transmedia worlds. Each chapter will be written by a professional with exceptional experience in the field of the chapter.

     

    Key Features

    • Learn from industry experts how to tackle today’s challenges in storytelling for games.
    • A learn by example and exercise approach, which was praised in the Game Narrative Toolbox.
    • An in depth view on advanced storytelling techniques and topics as they are currently discussed and used in the gaming industry.
    • Expand your knowledge in game writing as you learn and try yourself to design quests, write romances and build worlds as you would as a writer in a game studio.
    • Improve your own stories by learning and trying the techniques used by the professionals of game writing.

    Introduction. Planning Your Work. Diversity & Research. Romances. Cinematics. Building a Universe. Writing for Non-Digital Games (Board Games). Adapting a Digital World to a Novel. From Novel to Computer Game. Reinventing an IP. Managing the Branches. Quest Design. Writing and implementation. The Writer in the Studio (VO). Editing and Quality Control. Freelancing and Surviving. Journalism. Past the Release.

    Biography

    Tobias Heussner is a Christian and Game Content/Narrative Designer, currently working as a Senior Producer. His areas of expertise are Game Content Design (including Narrative Design, Quest/Mission Design and Level Design), Game System Design (including Game Mechanic Design, Combat Design and Encounter Design) and Game Production. He has been involved in professional game development for over 19 years, started game development during his High School years, worked in different design and management roles and has been involved in the development of over 20 different, published titles, including top-sellers like Paws&Claws: Pet Vet, the AAA-RPG The Dark Eye – Drakensang, the AAA-Browser-MMO Action-RPG Drakensang Online and NBA Playgrounds. Currently, Tobias is working at Saber Interactive in Spain.

    He was also a Co-Coordinator for the Game Writing Tutorial at GDC Online and is the current chair of IGDA Special Interest Group: Game Writing.

     Together with Ann Lemay, Toiya K. Finley and Jennifer Hepler, he wrote the Game Narrative Toolbox, a guide into game writing which was published by Focal Press in 2015.In his spare time, besides spending time with his family and developing games, he enjoys writing screenplays and novels. He has a Bachelor of Science (Hons) from the Open University and studied Screenwriting at the UCLA Extension.