Free Video Game Storytelling: What Every Developer Needs To Know About Narrative Techniques Ebooks To Download
UNLOCK YOUR GAME'S NARRATIVE POTENTIAL!With increasingly sophisticated video games being consumed by an enthusiastic and expanding audience, the pressure is on game developers like never before to deliver exciting stories and engaging characters. With Video Game Storytelling, game writer and producer Evan Skolnick provides a comprehensive yet easy-to-follow guide to storytelling basics and how they can be applied at every stage of the development process—by all members of the team. This clear, concise reference pairs relevant examples from top games and other media with a breakdown of the key roles in game development, showing how a team’s shared understanding and application of core storytelling principles can deepen the player experience. Understanding story and why it matters is no longer just for writers or narrative designers. From team leadership to game design and beyond, Skolnick reveals how each member of the development team can do his or her part to help produce gripping, truly memorable narratives that will enhance gameplay and bring today’s savvy gamers back time and time again.
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Watson-Guptill (December 2, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385345828
ISBN-13: 978-0385345828
Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 0.6 x 9.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #126,465 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #44 in Books > Arts & Photography > Other Media > Video Games #47 in Books > Arts & Photography > Other Media > Digital #78 in Books > Computers & Technology > Games & Strategy Guides > Game Programming
I have given Evan Skolnick’s “Video Game Storytelling” four stars, because while he definitely has something to say about video game development, he has some serious conceptual deficiencies concerning the structure of storytelling in novels, movies and plays. It’s actually a pretty darn good book, even cool in parts. It has its flaws, but when you compare it to others out there, it definitely holds its own.Before I go any further, I should to let you know where I’m coming from. I have been playing games for decades, both board games and computer games. I’m not one to spend all my time gaming, but I have spent months trying to get to the end of a computer game. “Riven,” the second of the “Myst” series, comes to mind. Also “BioShock.” I am not a game developer. I am an author. I write fiction, screenplays and non-fiction, but mostly novels and books on how to write novels. I have written on storytelling as a subject independent of genre.So I’m an author and a gamer, while Evan Skolnick is a gamer and has been a game developer for decades. He gives seminars at the annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Game creators struggle with how to integrate narrative storytelling into the action of a game so that it provides a richer and more complete experience for the player. Skolnick wrote this book to help developers more fully understand the art of narrative storytelling in video games. I read his book not to critique it but to learn something about storytelling in games. And it taught me quite a lot. I was not disappointed. The book’s subtitle is “What every Developer Needs to Know About Narrative Techniques.” This is the heart of the matter: how to integrate games and storytelling.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is one of the latest video games that combines interactive gameplay with a compelling story. Many gamers have been into story-based games for some time. Personally, I've always enjoyed the stories that I got to experience through the Final Fantasy series of games. Though I don't get to play games as much as I used to, I still find the story lines of popular games intriguing. Storytelling in games gives gamers a unique opportunity to be immersed not only in the gaming world but the experiences of the characters in the games themselves. Because I'm a storyteller and I've always found storytelling in games intriguing, I've always wanted to create a game story like Final Fantasy.Evan Skolnick's new book VIDEO GAME STORYTELLING is a welcome introduction to the concept of writing stories for video games. The book is divided into two parts. In the first part, Skolnick covers the basics of storytelling, which includes three-act structure, the hero's journey, writing and believability, and the narrative force of conflict, among many other important concepts in the world of storytelling. These are the things that are true of stories, regardless of the medium. Part 2 looks more closely at how the storytelling elements are applied specifically to games. It's interesting that there really aren't many big names associated with video game stories. As Skolnick shows, it's because the video game narrative isn't the job of one person. Video game design is the work of a team of people, working together to create the best gamer experience possible. Part 2 takes you into the video game development process and the many people that are a part of it. Learn about gaming environments, missions, and character design.
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