Interactive Narrative (edX)

For writers, choice takes on a different meaning in games that allow players to control the outcome of the plot. How do you ensure that game choices are meaningful, have consequences, and also don’t require an impossible amount of work for the game design team?

In this course we will explore how choice works in games, how branching plots work, and how to manage them with tools such as pinch points, bottlenecking and story silos. We’ll look at characters and dialogue, then get you authoring your own interactive narrative with commonly available online tools.

Verified learners will access additional game industry interviews, assignments and discussion topics, connecting with a community of other writers and game enthusiasts.

This course is part of the Writing for Video Games Professional Certificate.

What you'll learn

- How choice in games differs from choice in other stories

- How branching narrative affects gameplay

- The use of stakes and consequences to make choices compelling

- How to think about and tame branching plots

- Explore different conversation systems and narrative generation tools

- Experiment with branching narrative using common online tools.

Syllabus

Module 1: Choice in Games

- Choice-based experiences

- Types of branching narrative

- Elements of choice

Module 2: Structuring Choice

- Main branches

- Trimming the tree

- Making choices matter

- Types of choices

Module 3: Characters & Dialogue in Branching Narrative

- Characters

- Branching dialogue

- Non-linear storytelling

- Tools

Module 4: Using the Tools

- Features of Twine, Klint and others

- Analyzing existing work

- Planning for interactivity

- Using the tools effectively

Module 5: Your Interactive Project

- Managing interactivity

- Dealing with excessive choices

- Editing and revision