Video Game Storytelling

What Every Developer Needs to Know About Narrative Techniques

By: Evan Skolnick

Narrated by: D.G. Chichester

Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

Unlock your game's narrative potential!

With increasingly sophisticated video games being consumed by an enthusiastic and expanding audience, the pressure is on game developers like never before to deliver exciting stories and engaging characters. With Video Game Storytelling, game writer and producer Evan Skolnick provides a comprehensive yet easy-to-follow guide to storytelling basics and how they can be applied at every stage of the development process - by all members of the team. This clear, concise reference pairs relevant examples from top games and other media with a breakdown of the key roles in game development, showing how a team’s shared understanding and application of core storytelling principles can deepen the player experience. Understanding story and why it matters is no longer just for writers or narrative designers. From team leadership to game design and beyond, Skolnick reveals how each member of the development team can do his or her part to help produce gripping, truly memorable narratives that will enhance gameplay and bring today’s savvy gamers back time and time again.

©2014 Evan Skolnick (P)2021 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Every once in a while I end up reading a book that should be read by almost everyone that I know - whether they actually need to or not. Video Game Storytelling: What Every Developer Needs to Know About Narrative Techniques (published by Watson-Guptill) is one of those books. [It] is a great resource not only for budding writers, but it should also serve as a very important reference for everyone who holds a position in the ever-expanding videogame industry." (Toronto Thumbs)

"[This] book piqued our interest to an exceptional degree. 'Video Game Storytelling: What Every Developer Needs To Know About Narrative Techniques' is perfect for anyone who is a Developer, wants to get into game development, anyone who is a fiction writer, or anyone who wants to have a greater understanding and appreciation of the fictional game worlds we so much enjoy." (Digital Mayhem Radio)

"I found it to be both interesting and entertaining, using real-life examples taken from very popular movies and games that most people will be readily familiar with. I feel that Evan Skolnick has a lot to share and I really wish I had the opportunity to attend one of his talks. I would recommend Video Game Storytelling to anyone involved in the game development process - or anyone hoping to get into game development." (Game Vortex)

Great Overview

I’m new to GD (as a hobby for now) and have an idea for a game. Picked this up to help me write the backstory. Got more than I bargained for and now feel prepared to anticipate issues down the road and be more intentional about the story design. Listened at 1.3x, narrator was clear and was not distracting.

Good for middle schoolers interested in game development

The first half/section of this book covers information on how to write fiction. Yet the information presented is extremely basic. Anyone who has read books or took classes on writing fiction has likely heard all of its information before and in greater detail. Skolnick’s writing style is also verbose and repetitive, to the point where I felt a third of the words in every sentence he wrote could’ve been cut. This made the first section painful to listen to.

The second half of the book is dedicated to talking about integrating consistent storylines within video games across different branches of the development team. This information feels geared towards head writers of writing teams for large production video games, such as those at medium sized or large size companies, not for smaller deaf teams of 10 people or so. I find this an odd decision because I think that the majority of readers of this book are going to be people that are interested in developing games at small companies, rather than AAA producers.

This is why I think the book might be most beneficial to middle schoolers. They likely do not know what size game or company they want to work on in the future, and being given the basic information presented within this book may be useful in helping them decide. For everyone else, that is, indie developers, I don’t think this is the book for you.

Must read for all developers!

This is a smart and potent book for game development and story telling! Add this to your arsenal!

Good for the absolute basics, but that’s it

Evan goes into a lot of detail when it comes to story structure, but other books do a batter a job at it.

The specifics of writing a narrative for video games, such as a branching story, are painfully missing.

This books try to be a jack of all trades but ends up being a master of none. Good for someone who’s really interested in video game writing but can’t imagine listening to someone who’s outside of the video game industry (although you definitely should)

Extraordinarily education

It’s definitely a mini MBA course on game development! I highly recommended for anyone currently working or planning to work in the video game industry.

Nice but shallow

This book contains a decent introduction into basics of storytelling in games.

However, given the size of the topic, the material feels very shallow: it starts out good with interesting examples from popular movies (yes, movies, not games) at the beginning but quickly degrades into a mix between blog posts and a quick PowerPoint presentation.

It’s a solid overview on how stories are told in all sorts of media not just games

It was a solid book that explores an over on how stories are made in the traditional sense of the word and how these can be implemented or rewritten to work in a game setting

Chapter 8 is nauseatingly self-aggrandizing

Chapter eight made me stop listening. It made me never want to hire a video game writer.

Every discipline in this industry has difficulties

The second half of this book was agonizing. Everyone has difficulties in the game industry, it’s part of learning how to work together better.

The first part explaining how stories play part in games and how to make effective narratives. But at some point it shifts into a logically victimized mindset where struggles of being heard are highlighted between people or departments.

I am incredibly dissatisfied with what I was able to take away from this book. But from having no knowledge of story crafting, the first majority was incredibly helpful.

if you don't love Star wars. this book is useless.

it's a book about video game story telling. but he only uses movie examples. in particular he obsesses over Star wars... so if you haven't seen it, this book is beyond useless.