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.
2023
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| DigiPen | Ellen Heitmann | Xenoblade Chronicles | View | View |
|
| Sheridan | Asad Ali | Fate/Stay Night [Realta Nua]: Unlimited Blade Works | View | View |
| | Yanfei Chen | Remember 11: The Age of Infinity | View | View |
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| Columbia College of Chicago | Mathew Rosario | Nier Automata | View | View |
|
| DigiPen | Connor Runyon | Steins;Gate | View | View |
| | Vasilia Shcherbakova | Little Nightmares II | View | View |
| | Canon Coker | Bloodborne | View | View |
|
| Kennesaw State | Katarine Culver | Genshin Impact | View | View |
|
| Quinnipiac | Amari O'Connor | The Wolf Among Us | View | View |
|
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Max Kenny | It Takes Two | View | View |
| | Olivia Peck-Kropywnyckyj | The World Ends With You | View | View |
| | Marisa Fernandez | Superliminal | View | View |
|
| Sheridan | Gabe St. Onge | LISA: The Painful | View | View |
| | Juan Alarcon | Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin | View | View |
| | Jasmin El-Tahry | Fire Emblem Awakening | View | View |
|
| Southern Methodist University | Braden Kubit | Tetris Effect | View | View |
| | Balpreet Purewal | Twelve Minutes | View | View |
|
| Southern Methodist University | Tianze Wu | Yakuza: Like a Dragon | View | View |
|
| University of Silicon Valley | Marshall Sandoval-Clark | Disco Elysium (The Final Cut) | View | View |
| | Melissa de la Vega | OneShot | View | View |
|
| USC | Tian Yang | Nishan Shaman | View | View |
| | Joey Centofanti | Goragoa | View | View |
| | Will Farhat | Celeste | View | View |
|
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Nicholas Frangie | Mass Effect | View | View |
2022
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| Sheridan | Rui Jiang | Little Nightmares II | View | View |
| | Sile Keenan | Psychonauts 2 | View | View |
| | Iris Wei | We Know The Devil | View | View |
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| Carnegie Mellon University | Xiaoying Meng | Spiritfarer | View | View |
|
| Deltarune | Gabe St Onge | Sheridan | View | View |
|
| DigiPen | Mayzie Wilkinson | New Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony | View | View |
| | Loh Chang Zhen | Hollow Knight | View | View |
| | Joseph Knezek | Kenshi | View | View |
| | Keion Rodriguez | Spider-Man: Miles Morales | View | View |
| | Sami Najed | The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel | View | View |
|
| DigiPen Singapore | Abigail Sng | Fatal Twelve | View | View |
|
| Quinnipiac | Tyler Gorman | Little Nightmares | View | View |
|
| Sheridan | Ethan Micallef | Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye | View | View |
| | Asad Ali | Tell Me Why | View | View |
|
| Southern Methodist University | William Ernest Santos | Persona 5: Royal | View | View |
|
| University of Silicon Valley | Ivy Angelina Casserly | UnderTale | View | View |
|
| University of Southern California | Levi Pinkert | The Last of Us Part II | View | View |
|
| University of Texas | Natalie Lee | We Know The Devil | View | View |
| | Matthew Zhang | Chicory: A Colorful Tale | View | View |
2021
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| Indiana University | Mayla Qi | League of Legends | View | View |
|
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Chloe Esperance | The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth | View | View |
|
| Southern Methodist University | Arthur Davis | A Dark Room | View | View |
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| Indiana University | Ethan Pranger | Life Is Strange | View | View |
| | Jacob Bailey | Doki Doki Literature Club | View | View |
| | Mitchell Black | Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity | View | View |
|
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Patrick Butler | Firewatch | View | View |
| | Max Nigogosyan | What Remains of Edith FInch | View | View |
| | Misha Podzniakiv | Chrono Trigger | View | View |
| | Michael Zahavi | Portal 2 | View | View |
|
| Sheridan | Emily Baik | To The Moon | View | View |
|
| Sheridan College | Lawrence Le | Outer Wilds | View | View |
| | Scott Parker | Hades | View | View |
|
| Southern Methodist University | Sierra Clark | White Door | View | View |
| | Isaiah Hastings | Fate/Extra CCC | View | View |
| | Chevis McMilan-Brockway | Night In The Woods | View | View |
|
| Southern Methodist University | Daniel Willborn | Bloodborne | View | View |
|
| University of Southern California | Marika Perlmutter | Tacoma | View | View |
| | Adam Morina | The Last of Us | View | View |
|
| University of Texas | Andrew Woodward | Outer Wilds | View | View |
| | Ana Dragomir | South of the Circle | View | View |
2020
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| New York University | Emma Stone | GRIS | View | View |
|
| Sheridan | Jessica Zhang | Interrogation: You Will Be Deceived | View | View |
| | Lawrence Le | Ico | View | View |
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| Carnegie Mellon University | Chance Lytle | Chibi-Robo! | View | View |
|
| Digipen | Laurel Pratt | Psychonauts | View | View |
| | Kai McDonald | Halo: Reach | View | View |
|
| Drexel | Julie Arcala | Ib | View | View |
| | Isabella Haro-Uchimura | Mass Effect 3 | View | View |
|
| New York University | Julia Del Matto | Yume Nikki | View | View |
|
| Ohio University | Kellye Blosser | Uncharted 4 | View | View |
|
| Quinnipiac | Antonia Gates | Lisa: The First | View | View |
|
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Emily Ortega | Gone Home | View | View |
| | Tyler Kahn | The Stanley Parable | View | View |
|
| Sheridan | Benjamin Mora Davison | The Banner Saga | View | View |
| | Gabriel St Onge | Hollow Knight | View | View |
| | Mary Andrea Arroz | Untitled Goose Game | View | View |
| | Xinran Ma | Affairs of the Court - Choice of Romance | View | View |
|
| Texas | Haley Barngrover | Deltarune | View | View |
| | Jack Overbeck | Jedi: The Fallen Oder | View | View |
|
| UC Santa Cruz | Max Cronce | Furi | View | View |
| | Merita Lundstrom | Murder Dog IV: The Trial of Murder Dog | View | View |
|
| University of Central Florida | Jonathan Baldessari | The Beginner's Guide | View | View |
|
| Utah | Adam Weinstein | Papers, Please | View | View |
|
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Dylan Valev | Minit | View | View |
| | Kate Olguin | Where the Water Tastes Like Wine | View | View |
2019
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| Northeastern University | Erica Kleinman | OneShot | View | View |
|
| Sheridan College | Colton David | The Missing: JJ MacField and the Isle of Memories | View | View |
| | Jessica Zhang | Persona 5 | View | View |
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| Cogswell Polytechnical College | Sydney Fonderie | Destiny 2 | View | View |
|
| Digipen Institute of Technology | Stav Hinenzon | Pyre | View | View |
|
| Drexel University | Julie Arcala | Yume Nikki (Dream Diary) | View | View |
| | Mark Hurley | Doom | View | View |
| | Tejas Shah | Celeste | View | View |
| | Erin Truesdell | Event[0] | View | View |
|
| George Mason University | Jonathan Moallem | Aviary Attorney | View | View |
|
| New York University | Nicholas Carbonara | Marvel's Spider-Man | View | View |
| | Rachel Moeller | Dishonored 2 | View | View |
|
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Yaoyu Cheng | Monster Hunter: World | View | View |
| | Chris Dicovskiy | The Stanley Parable | View | View |
| | William Lyons | Duet | View | View |
| | Giovanni Morales | Red Dead Redemption 2 | View | View |
|
| Sheridan College | Namnam Goodarzi | Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening | View | View |
|
| Southern Methodist University | Aspen Clark | The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker | View | View |
| | Longfei Gao | Octopath Traveler | View | View |
|
| University of Nevada - Las Vegas | Albert A. Antero | Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons | View | View |
|
| University of Southern California | Shuyan Li | A Gay's Life | View | View |
| | Aimee Zhang | Firewatch | View | View |
| | Ryan Zubery | Florence | View | View |
|
| University of Texas - Austin | Joe Lunghi | Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES | View | View |
|
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Kate Olguin | What Remains of Edith Finch | View | View |
2018
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| Digipen Institute of Technology | Andrea Rieck | Nier: Automata | View | View |
|
| NYU | Mostafa Haque | Zelda: Breath of the Wild | View | View |
|
| Southern Methodist University | Larry Shen | Overwatch | View | View |
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| Carnegie Mellon University | Naomi Burgess | Riven | View | View |
|
| Cogswell Polytechnical College | Isaac Madsen | Tomb Raider | View | View |
|
| Dakota State University | Julian Buettgenback | Doki Doki Literature Club! | View | View |
|
| Digipen Institute of Technology | Jesse Lozano | Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma | View | View |
| | Kaila Harris | Gunpoint | View | View |
|
| Northeastern University | Erica Kleinman | Nier: Automata | View | View |
| | Anurag Sarkar | The Shivah | View | View |
|
| NYU | Aaron Lu | Event[0] | View | View |
| | Morgan Macri | The Last of Us | View | View |
|
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Jessica Lichter | The Last of Us | View | View |
| | James Laks | Firewatch | View | View |
| | Cole Carpenter | Persona 4 Golden | View | View |
| | Rose Latorre | Everybody's Gone to the Rapture | | |
|
| Sheridan College | Yin Ting He | Final Fantasy XV | View | View |
|
| Southern Methodist University | Santiago Moreno | Zelda: Breath of the Wild | View | View |
| | Lauren Breeding | Nihilumbra | View | View |
| | Justin Loar | That Dragon, Cancer | View | View |
|
| University of Southern California | Lex Rhodes | Diary of a Spaceport Janitor | View | View |
| | Kelsey Rice | The Sexy Brutale | View | View |
| | Audrey Cheng | Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword | | View |
|
| University of Texas - Austin | Emily Naul | Hotel Dusk: Room 215 | View | View |
|
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Thomas Tawadros | Ori and the Blind Forest | View | View |
2017
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| Carnegie Mellon | Nikhil Kashyap | The Walking Dead | View | View |
|
| Digipen Institute of Technology | John C. Myres | Inside | View | View |
|
| Sheridan College | Keltie Wright | Oxenfree | View | View |
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| Dakota State University | Trent Steen | Zero Time | View | View |
| | Kristian Skistad | Brothers | View | View |
| | Nathan Golen | Kessen II | View | View |
|
| Digipen Institute of Technology | Shiloh Roberts | Persona 4 Golden | View | View |
| | Stav Hinenzon | Sunless Sea | View | View |
| | Samson Jinks | Life is Strange | View | View |
| | Kaleb Nekumanesh | Life is Strange | View | View |
| | Andrea Rieck | Super Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair | View | View |
|
| George Mason University | Vikingur Oskarsson | Wolfenstein: The New Order | View | View |
|
| NYU | Mostafa Haque | Dark Souls 3 | View | View |
| | Desiree Cifre | Life is Strange | View | View |
| | Christina Lu | Until Dawn | View | View |
| | Leah Talbot | Alien: Isolation | View | View |
|
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Maria Salmon | I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream | View | View |
| | Fanghong Dong | Tomb Raider | View | View |
| | Janice Ho | Transistor | View | View |
|
| Sheridan College | Nuha Alkadi | Her Story | View | View |
|
| UC Santa Cruz | Calvin Walantus | Dark Souls | View | View |
|
| University of Southern California | Ryan Bobell | Emily is Away | View | View |
| | Jung-ho Sohn | Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number | View | View |
|
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Michel Sabbagh | Thief: The Dark Project | View | View |
| | Yakin Najahi | Soma | View | View |
2016
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| DigiPen Institute of Technology | Izzy Abdus-Sabur | Darkest Dungeon | View | View |
| | Harrison Barton | The Stanley Parable | View | View |
| | Alexandra Lucas | Heavy Rain | View | View |
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| Art Center College of Design | Tucker S. Elliott | Bioshock Infinite | View | View |
|
| Dakota State University | Mostafa Haque | The Witcher 3 | View | View |
| | Chris Leonhardt | Pokemon Black/White | View | View |
| | Kristian Skistad | Undertale | View | View |
|
| DigiPen Institute of Technology | Chris Beagle | Destiny | View | View |
| | Christopher Rosario | Undertale | View | View |
| | Kiera Schroeder | Patapon | View | View |
| | Michael Van Zant | Bulletstorm | View | View |
|
| Sheridan College | Michael Arcadi | Aether | View | View |
|
| Southern Methodist University | Lauryn Gordon | Journey | View | View |
|
| University of Southern California | Brendan LoBuglio | Little Party | View | View |
|
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Klew Williams | Skyrim: Dragonborn | View | View |
2015
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| Dakota State University | Trent Steen | Metal Gear | View | View |
|
| Digipen Institute of Technology | Alexandra Lucas | Dragon Age: Origins | View | View |
|
| Southern Methodist University | Jorge Montolio | Braid | View | View |
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| American University | Kimberly Himmer | Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land | View | View |
| | Cole Wrampelmeier | Spec Ops: The Line | View | View |
|
| Dakota State University | Mostafa Haque | Shadow of Mordor | View | View |
| | Sean Daily | MGS4 | View | View |
|
| Digipen Institute of Technology | Chase Rayment | Bastion | View | View |
| | Jonathan Butt & Hsi-Hung Shih | Walking Dead Season 2 | View | View |
|
| Drexel University | Tom Trahey | Metro: Last Light | View | View |
| | Evan Freed | Child of Light | View | View |
|
| George Mason University | Vikingur Oskarsson | Hotline Miami | View | View |
|
| Sheridan College | Nuha Alkadi | Beyond: Two Souls | View | View |
|
| The SMU Guildhall | Brian Perry | Psychonauts | View | View |
| | Alex Shilts | Gone Home | View | View |
| | Katie Wood | Paper Mario | View | View |
|
| University of Southern California | Benjamin Skaggs | Papers, Please | View | View |
|
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Yingying Chen | The Last of Us | View | View |
2014
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| CMU | John Baxa | Darkstalkers 3: Vampire Savior | View | |
|
| Dakota State University | Mostafa Haque | Soul Reaver 2 | View | View |
|
| NYU | Pierre Depaz | XCOM: Enemy Unknown | View | View |
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| Becker College | Scott Tongue | Beyond: Two Souls | View | View |
|
| Dakota State University | Sean Daily | The Stanley Parable | View | View |
| | Andrew Koerner | The World Ends with You | View | View |
| | Zachary Truesdell | Dragon Age: Origins | View | View |
| | Mariah Beem | Dragon Age: Origins | View | View |
|
| DigiPen | Brenda Challender | League of Legends | View | View |
| | Nicole Maiorano | One and One Story | View | View |
| | John Dusseau | League of Legends | View | View |
|
| NYU | Larry Shen | Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 | View | View |
| | Shoshana Kessock | Tomb Raider | View | View |
| | Benjamin Spalding | Civilization V | View | View |
|
| RIT | John Bowman | Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine | View | View |
| | Ian Switaj | Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 | View | View |
|
| Southern Methodist University | Curtis Rochelle | Dishonored | View | View |
| | Jaclyn Huchel | Dreamfall: The Longest Journey | View | View |
| | Xavier Strong | Bully | View | View |
| | Jordan Roller | Legend of Dragoon | View | |
| | Drew Hammel | Psychonauts | View | View |
2013
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| Drexel | Glenn Winters | Journey | View | View |
|
| Marymount | Walter Bottlick | Alice madness Returns | View | View |
|
| Rochester Institute of Technology | Douglas Lynn | Metroid Prime | View | View |
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| CMU | Christian Cashman | Fallout: New Vegas | View | View |
|
| Digipen | George Boden | EarthBound | View | View |
| | Spencer Crowell | Mass Effect 3 | View | View |
| | Johnathan Grogoire | Legend of Zelda: Majoras Mask | View | View |
| | Andy Hill | Bioshock | View | View |
| | Sin Yee Howe | Dipict 1 | View | View |
| | Aaron McDaniel | Mass Effect 3 | | View |
| | Cheng Ding Xiang | Threads of Fate ( US title ), Dewprism (Japan title) | View | View |
|
| Drexel | Kenneth Chen | The Binding of Isaac | View | View |
| | Dustin Otwell | Little Inferno | View | View |
|
| Emerson | Philip Binder | The Cave | View | View |
|
| PUC-Rio | Arthur Protasio | Way of Samurai 3 | View | View |
|
| RIT | Aaron Russell | Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden, Chapter 1 of the Hoopz Barkley SaGa | View | View |
| | Evan Miller | Final Fantacy XIII | View | View |
|
| Southern Methodist University | Jose Abalos Lira | Dys4ia | View | View |
2012
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| Digipen | Khalil Moutrie | Eversion | View | View |
|
| Southern Methodist University | Steven Chin | Portal 2 | View | View |
|
| University of Texas | Michael Gabaldon | Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective | View | View |
| School |
Student |
Game Title |
Poster |
Paper |
|
| Digipen | Samuel Dassler | Dragon Quest V | View | View |
| | Ryan Cassell | Penumbra: Black Plague | View | View |
|
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | David Bocek | Half-Life 2 | View | View |
|
| Southern Methodist University | Dustin Davis | Thief: The Dark Project | View | View |
| | Campbell Crapsey | Shogun 2 | View | View |
| | Chris Parthemos | Dark Cloud | View | View |
| | Charles Egenbacher | Shadow of the Colossus | View | View |
|
| SUNY Stonybrook | Max Ximenez | Deus Ex: Human Revolution | View | View |
|
| University of Southern California | James Iliff | Half-Life | | 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 |
