2025/07 - Design - Welcome to the writer's room - level 2 (Susan O'Connor)
Training created on 1/16/24. Last update on 4/14/25.
Programme version: 1
Training programme
Elevate Your Game Writing: Join the Advanced Game Writing Masterclass Are you ready to take your game-writing skills to the next level? Our two-day masterclass, "Welcome to the Writer's Room," is designed for seasoned writers looking to deepen their expertise and create more compelling, emotionally engaging narratives. Discover advanced storytelling techniques: Learn cutting-edge methods for writing interactive stories that captivate players and enhance their experience. Master the art of balancing player agency with narrative control, ensuring your story remains both engaging and cohesive. Master your most powerful tool - the player: Dive into the psychology of player emotions and discover how to craft stories that resonate on a deeper level. Understand what drives player engagement and learn to create narratives that evoke powerful emotional responses. Incorporate the secret weapons of theme and symbolism into your work: Elevate your storytelling by integrating rich themes and symbols into your narratives. Analyze successful games and see how thematic depth can transform a good game into a memorable experience. Become a great collaborator: Gain insights into effective collaboration within writing teams. Learn best practices, tools, and processes that ensure consistency and creativity when working with large teams on complex projects. Explore the art of writing sparkling dialogue: Refine your dialogue-writing skills to create nuanced, multi-layered conversations that add depth to your characters. Discover techniques for seamlessly integrating narrative with game mechanics, enhancing both story and gameplay. Get your burning questions answered: Engage in Q&A sessions with our expert instructor. Connect with peers and industry professionals, sharing insights and building valuable connections. Join us for this intensive, hands-on masterclass and transform your approach to game writing. Elevate your narratives, engage your players, and set yourself apart in the competitive world of game design. Sign up now to secure your spot! July 7 & 8 in Paris 1) Day One: Advanced Narrative Techniques a- Balancing player agency and narrative control b- Player psychology c- Theme and symbolism d- Q & A 2)Day Two: Collaborative and Technical Excellence a- Collaborative writing in teams b- Advanced dialogue techniques c- Integrating narrative with game mechanics d- Tools and workflow optimization
Objectives of the training
- Interactive Storytelling Skills: Unlock the secrets to creating captivating player-driven narratives that balance player agency with narrative control.
- Emotional Engagement: Dive into the psychology of player emotions to craft stories that resonate deeply and evoke powerful emotional responses.
- Theme and Symbolism: Elevate your storytelling by seamlessly weaving rich themes and symbolic elements into your game narratives for a more immersive experience.
- Collaborative Writing: Learn the best practices and tools for effective collaboration in writing teams, ensuring consistency and creativity in complex projects.
- Dialogue Techniques: Perfect the art of writing nuanced, multi-layered dialogue that adds depth and believability to your characters.
- Narrative and Gameplay: Discover how to design game mechanics that support and enhance your story, achieving a seamless narrative delivery.
Profile of beneficiaries
- Game Writers
- Narrative Designers
- Any game developer that cares about storytelling in games
- Attendance of our Level One Masterclass or at least one year’s experience working in game narrative
- Master Class in English
Training content
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DAY 1 : Advanced Narrative Techniques
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Writing for Interactive Storytelling
- - Lecture on player-driven narratives
- - Balancing player agency and narrative control
- - Interactive session: choice design
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Emotional Engagement and Player Psychology
- - Crafting emotionally resonant stories
- - Understanding player psychology
- - Workshop: emotional beats
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Theme and Symbolism in Games
- - Lecture on themes and symbols
- - Examples from successful games
- - Workshop: thematic integration
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DAY 2: Collaborative and Technical Excellence
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Collaborative Writing in Teams
- - Best practices for writing teams
- - Tools and processes for collaboration
- - Interactive session: writer’s room simulation
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Advanced Dialogue Techniques
- - Writing nuanced, multi-layered dialogue
- - Techniques for subtext and implication
- - Workshop: dialogue mastery
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Integrating Narrative with Game Mechanics
- - Deep integration of narrative and gameplay
- - Techniques for seamless narrative delivery
- - Interactive session: mechanics and story integration
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Technical Tools and Workflow Optimization
- - Advanced tools for game writing
- - Streamlining the writing process
- - Workshop: tool mastery
Susan O’Connor, the award-winning and best-selling game writer behind 25 titles and counting. Since her first job as a writer for “a slumber party game - for girls!”, she has worked on groundbreaking, critically acclaimed franchises such as BioShock, Far Cry, and Tomb Raider. Projects in her portfolio have sold over 30 million copies and generated over $500 million in sales. She founded GDC’s Game Narrative Summit, and for many years, she taught a game writing course as an adjunct professor at UT Austin. These days, she partners with studios, publishers, and writers to help teams ship great games with great stories.
Quality and satisfaction
Certification procedures
- certificat de présence