Table of Contents

About the Authors
Preface
Acknowledgments

1. Introduction to Game Narrative
Richard Dansky

2. The Basics of Narrative
Stephen Jacobs

3. Writing for Games
Richard Boon

4. Nonlinear Game Narrative
Mary DeMarle

5. Keeping the Player on Track
Chris Bateman

6. Game Characters
Andrew S. Walsh

7. Cut Scenes and Scripted Events
Richard Dansky

8. Writing Comedy for Videogames
Ed Kuehnel and Matt Entin

9. Writing for Licenses
James Swallow

10. The Needs of the Audience
Rhianna Pratchett

11. Beware of the Localization
Tim Langdell

12. Adding Magic: The Voice Actors
Coray Seifert

13. Interchangeable Dialogue Content
Dr. Ernest Adams

14. Dialogue Engines
Chris Bateman

15. Massively Multiplayer Storytelling
Dr. Richard A. Bartle

16. The Tales Cities Tell
Dr. Konstantinos Dimopoulos

17. Interactive Script Formats
Wendy Despain

18. The Avatar and the Player’s Mask
Chris Bateman

Glossary
References
Index

Promotional Information

Professional game writers share their tricks, tips, and methods for developing narratives for videogames in this second edition.

About the Author

Chris Bateman is an award-winning narrative designer who has worked on more than sixty game projects as writer and game designer. He won the IGDA's MVP Award for his work founding and running their highly-successful Game Writers Special Interest Group, and was the first person in the world to receive a doctorate in the aesthetics of play and games.

Reviews

Bateman’s latest iteration of Game Writing is a worthy contribution to the research and scholarship on writing narratives for video games. A dream team of highly successful writers guide students through the particulars of crafting stories for the most popular and lucrative form of entertainment on the planet. Theory and practice come together in this must-have collection for those interested in games and interactive storytelling. I'll be assigning this text in my game writing classes for years to come.
*Peter Telep, Senior Instructor, English Department, University of Central Florida, USA*

This new edition features top-notch contributors with wide-ranging industry experience, specific and actionable information and advice, and comprehensive coverage of the entire topic of writing for games. Other books on this subject have been published since the first edition came out, but in my opinion none have surpassed it.
*Evan Skolnick, Professor of Practice, Game Writing, Cogswell University of Silicon Valley, USA*