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The Number One Educational Resource for the Game Industry

Session Name: Death to the Three Act Structure! Toward a Unique Structure for Game Narratives
Speaker(s): Tom Abernathy, Richard Rouse III
Company Name(s): Riot Games, Microsoft Game Studios
Track / Format: Game Narrative Summit

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Overview: Over the last few decades, almost everyone interested in storytelling has become familiar with the classic three act structure employed by most Hollywood films. Indeed, many would argue that this same three act structure is used in stories of all kinds. Structure is vital in narrative - it's the tool writers use to guide the audience's experience of dramatic events. But not all storytelling mediums use the three act structure. Just as TV developed a structure all its own, story designers for games must develop structures tailored to the unique needs of their story and gameplay. This talk details some of the different structures employed in a variety of storytelling mediums, and explores the unique structural needs of games, providing designers and writers with the tools they need to tell stories as only games can.

GDC 2014

Tom Abernathy

Riot Games

Richard Rouse III

Microsoft Game Studios

free content

Game Narrative Summit

Game Narrative