5XÉçÇøÊÓƵ

Video Games: Writing, World-Building, Characterisation and Storytelling (Q3300)

15 credits, Level 6

Spring teaching

You have learned a great deal about how to make video games, so let’s concentrate on what to make and – more importantly – why?

As the barriers to game development come down, the number of available games increases. The meaning of games is therefore of increasing importance. A compelling story, intriguing characters and a sense of purpose – of meaning – behind the games will inspire your players. We also want to harness your creativity.

In this module, we will assess some of the fundamentals of writing for games, including:

• understanding interactive narratives and choice architecture when designing a story
• the game imaginary including its world, characters, wonders and conflicts
• communicating clearly using Game Design Documents (GDD).

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 22 hours of contact time and about 128 hours of independent study. The 5XÉçÇøÊÓƵ may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.