About the GDC's Game Narrative Review program: Every year, leading game design programs at universities across the country integrate the GDC's Game Narrative Review competition into their academic curricula. Each participating student conducts a detailed structured analysis of the narrative elements of a game title of their choice. The resulting papers are submitted to the GDC writing board for review, and the submitters with the most promising entries are then invited to create a poster as a visual synopsis of their review. Successful poster submissions are declared winners and exhibited at the GDC.
Winning entries are archived on this page, organized by year. Click the "Poster" links to see the winning poster submissions and the "Paper" links to read the winning written analyses.
2012
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| University of Texas | Michael Gabaldon | Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective | View | View |
|
| Digipen | Khalil Moutrie | Eversion | View | View |
|
| Southern Methodist University | Steven Chin | Portal 2 | View | View |
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| University of Southern California | James Iliff | Half-Life | | View |
|
| Southern Methodist University | Dustin Davis | Thief: The Dark Project | View | View |
| | Campbell Crapsey | Shogun 2 | View | View |
|
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | David Bocek | Half-Life 2 | View | View |
|
| Digipen | Samuel Dassler | Dragon Quest V | View | View |
| | Ryan Cassell | Penumbra: Black Plague | View | View |
|
| SUNY Stonybrook | Max Ximenez | Deus Ex: Human Revolution | View | View |
|
| Southern Methodist University | Chris Parthemos | Dark Cloud | View | View |
| | Charles Egenbacher | Shadow of the Colossus | View | View |
2011
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| Northern Kentucky University | Patric Delaney | Grim Fandango | View | View |
|
| Southern Methodist University | David Savage | Red Dead Redemption | View | View |
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| Digipen | David Kanigel | Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams | | View |
| | Brian Frantz | World of Goo | | View |
| | Christopher Krawczuk | Final Fantasy X | | View |
|
| Southern Methodist University | Dimitrius Pennebaker | Silent Hill 2 | | View |
| | Gideon Sheeb | Mass Effect | | View |
| | Jaddua Ross | Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice | | View |
| | Jeffrey Bickel | Assassin's Creed | | View |
| | John Goyette | Shadowbane | | View |
| | Joshua Kasten | Amnesia: The Dark Descent | | View |
| | Mitch Crossley | Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn | | View |
| | Philip Riley | Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn | | View |
| | Stephen Chin | Homefront | View | View |
| | Todd Nelling | Knights of the Old Republic | | View |
2010
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| DePaul | David Henry | The Dark Eye | | View |
|
| Digipen | Benjamin Vandergrift | Guild War: Prophecies | | View |
|
| Southern Methodist University | Andy Kim | Dwarf Fortress | | View |
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| Carnegie Mellon | Benjamin Miller | Heavy Rain | View | View |
|
| DePaul | John Murphy | The Path | | |
|
| Digipen | Zach Barth | Half-Life 2 | | View |
| | Ryan Durland | Secret of Monkey Island | | View |
| | Patrick Hayes | Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 | | View |
| | Zabir Hogue | Halo ODST | | View |
| | Sean Hunter | Super Metroid | | View |
| | Kwan Perng | Portal | | View |
| | Michael Lobato | Uncharted 2 | | View |
| | Even McCrain | Okami | | View |
| | Andrew McWilliams | Killzone 2 | | View |
| | Jay Parsell | Xenosaga 1 | | View |
| | Samer Rayyan | Persona 3 | | View |
| | Nicholas Rotondo | Shadow of the Colossus | | View |
| | Christopher Tallman | The Neverhood | | View |
|
| Rochester Institute of Technology | Hall | World of Goo | | |
| | Amy Li | Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney | | View |
| | Alex Lifschitz | Far Cry 2 | View | View |
| | Nathan Palson | Eternal Darkness | | View |
| | David Silverman | Cave Story | | View |
|
| Southern Methodist University | Chuck Bartholomew | Super Paper Mario | View | View |
| | Stephen Chin | Mass Effect | | View |
| | Chase Gordon | Earthbound | | View |
| | Taylor Kerr | Golden Sun | View | View |
| | Patrick Moates | Dragon Age: Origins | | View |
| | Vicki Smith | Tales of Monkey Island | | View |
| | Kevin Wei | Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee | | View |
2009
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| Digipen | Patrick Martin | Prey | | View |
| | Derrick Readinger | Braid | | |
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| Digipen | Justin Biller | Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | | View |
| | Caleb Fisher | Final Fantasy X | | |
| | Steven Hammond | Resident Evil 4 | | View |
| | Ben Johnson | Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots | | View |
| | Adam Middleton | Shadow of the Colossus | | View |
| | Jeff Robinson | Dreamfall: The Longest Journey | | |
| | Doug Williams | Bioshock | | View |
|
| Rochester Institute of Technology | Alex Lifschitz | Dead Space | View | View |
|
| Southern Methodist University | Michael Brannan | Chrono Trigger | | View |
| | Tyler Buser | Half-Life | View | View |
2008
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| Digipen | Erik Osaben | Silent Hill 2 | | View |
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| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
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