Experience, Agency and Authorship: The Evolving Face of Story-Driven Game Design
summary
Panelists describe concrete techniques and outcomes: a jam prototype becomes a full game about early-onset dementia where the house reconfigures to show memory shifts, a looping corridor mechanic forces missed goals (players report frustration, which is the point), and a soap‑opera structure uses time‑forward systems so NPCs live without the player. Development includes a year off to study animation, a five‑person brain trust for story decisions, and audio cues that make death a non‑failure experience. Demonstrations drew unexpected age ranges and strong emotional responses.
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chapters (16)
- 0:00Introduction
- 3:08Welcome
- 5:53Backgrounds
- 9:40Ians Career
- 11:43Unfinished Stories
- 13:42Creative Background
- 19:48General Approach
- 23:44A Living World
- 25:41Approach to StoryDriven Games
- 28:49Before I Forget
- 34:06Support
- 35:12Ian
- 42:21Hannah
- 44:34Agency in games
- 46:10The unreliable narrator
- 53:12Audience
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