Game Narrative Kaleidoscope Podcast

Episode 14: Anna Megill

Leave Nothing on the Table Veteran games writer Anna Megill (Control, Guild Wars 2) joins us to talk about coherent storytelling using every part of the game dev team. How do we, as writers, get other creatives invested in the story? How do we integrate diverse ideas, and make sure people feel ownership? And how far can we push the boundaries of how we tell our stories? For more info the GNK book, and to buy, visit the website: https://www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope/ [https://www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope/] Music by Laurence Chapman (https://www.laurencechapman.com/ [https://www.laurencechapman.com/])

Episode 13: Pete Stewart

The Bricks & The Gaps: What We Do & Don't Need When Building Worlds We talk with Total War and Star Wars: Jedi Survivor writer Pete Stewart about how to build worlds that leave the player with questions, even inside the walls of enormous franchises - or of history itself. For more info the GNK book, and to buy, visit the website: https://www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope/ [https://www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope/] Music by Laurence Chapman (https://www.laurencechapman.com/ [https://www.laurencechapman.com/])

Episode 12: Ed Stern

The Tina Fey Hat Problem We talk to Ed Stern (Brink) about the power and problems of understatement in games. We discuss how to leave room for nuance, surprise and - best of all - deception, with examples drawn from stage magic, theatrics, and the limits and triumphs of cinema. How do we tell the tightest version of our story? For more info the GNK book, and to buy, visit the website: https://www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope/ [https://www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope/] Music by Laurence Chapman (https://www.laurencechapman.com/ [https://www.laurencechapman.com/])

Episode 11: Taage Storey

Is It Relatable? Is It Sublime? We're joined by actor turned narrative designer Taage Storey (Choices) to discuss the relatable and the submlime in games writing. How do produce content that's entertaining, while satisfying the need to be art? Drawing on writing for romance, theatre and mass-market interactive fiction, this is a fascinating discussion on how tone and content don't always go hand in hand, and how conflict is sometimes the wrong lens for drama. For more info the GNK book, and to buy, visit the website: https://www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope/ [https://www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope/] Music by Laurence Chapman (https://www.laurencechapman.com/ [https://www.laurencechapman.com/])

Episode 10: Giles Armstrong

The 'Grenade!' Paradox: Writing Better Barks We talk to Giles Armstrong (Assassin's Creed: Mirage, Helldivers II, and many other games) about the art and craft of writing barks that express character and world-building as richly as possible without overloading the script. How much can we do with the shortest, most disposable bits of writing in a game project? For more info the GNK book, and to buy, visit the website: https://www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope/ [https://www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope/] Music by Laurence Chapman (https://www.laurencechapman.com/ [https://www.laurencechapman.com/])