Game Narrative Kaleidoscope Podcast

Over and Over Again We're joined by game creator, curator and bestselling novelist Holly Gramazio (Dicey Dungeons) to discuss the simple magic of doing more work than anyone might reasonably expect. How do we find pleasure - and reward - in writing hundreds and hundreds of variations that a single player will never see? And how does the work fit into the wider context of writing for games? For more info the GNK book, and to buy, visit the website: https://www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope/ Music by Laurence Chapman (https://www.laurencechapman.com/)

Unsilent Protagonist We're joined by narrative designer and writer Kaitlin Tremblay (Ambrosia Sky, A Mortician's Tale) to discuss writing for protagonists who talk to themselves. Games do this all the time; so how do we frame it to make it coherent, and maximise our opportunities for storytelling? With a lot of examples drawn from their most recent game, Kaitlin shows us how they approached writing character-first self-talk that carries the game's narrative. For more info the GNK book, and to buy, visit the website: https://www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope/ Music by Laurence Chapman (https://www.laurencechapman.com/)

In The Moment Telltale Games alumnus Chuck Jordan (The Curse of Monkey Island, Sam & Max) joins us to talk about strategies that can put the player into the dramatic moments of a game's story. How do we balance the need for agency, and the expectations of genre, when our focus is giving players a great moment they've been looking forward to, followed by another, and another... For more info the GNK book, and to buy, visit the website: https://www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope/ Music by Laurence Chapman (https://www.laurencechapman.com/)

Simulations, Questions, Dialogues Academic and game writer Seva Khusid (Harvest of Names) joins us to talk about the balance between what we simulate, and what we pass over to the player to simulate for us. Does narrative work best when it's outside of the system? How do we balance understanding the system of a game, and being in it? And are all games, ultimately, destroyed by us trying to break the fourth wall and master the underlying code? For more info the GNK book, and to buy, visit the website: https://www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope/ Music by Laurence Chapman (https://www.laurencechapman.com/)

Translucent Lies and other "Dirty Narrative" Techniques Narrative designer and screenwriter Alex Epstein (We Happy Few, South of Midnight) about gaps, lies and narrative tricks that make our worlds feel bigger than they are - especially other characters who lie. How do make players feel safe, if no one in the world can be trusted. How do we teach players to read between the lines when characters are lying? For more info the GNK book, and to buy, visit the website: https://www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope/ Music by Laurence Chapman (https://www.laurencechapman.com/)

Biographies: The Quick and Dirty Way Bertine van Hövell (Old Skies, Stellaris) talks to us about creating characters for LARPs by creating their biographies. How can adding a contradiction to a person's backstory spice up a character and give a steer on roleplaying that character? And how do we bring that idea over into a computer game, where the player has no one to judge or feed off their performance? For more info the GNK book, and to buy, visit the website: https://www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope/ Music by Laurence Chapman (https://www.laurencechapman.com/)

Why I Love Text Parsers We talk with Julia Minamata (The Crimson Diamond) about the joys of implementing a text parser-based game in the 2020s - but also about creativity as a process and craft as hard-work with no shortcuts. How do we find our way through a project when we don't know where we're headed? And how do we welcome players into a game that's unlike anything they've played before? For more info the GNK book, and to buy, visit the website: https://www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope/ Music by Laurence Chapman (https://www.laurencechapman.com/)

Set-ups, Attempts, Complications and Pay-Offs We're joined by Josh Labelle (Disney Dreamlight Valley, Kim Kardashian's Hollywood) to talk about the bare bones of what makes a story - and how that plays out over episodes and seasons of a live-service game with a hugely invested fanbase. How much do we play to expectations, and how much do we play against them? And how do we tell when a story is hooky enough to feel satisfying at the end? For more info the GNK book, and to buy, visit the website: https://www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope/ Music by Laurence Chapman (https://www.laurencechapman.com/)

Blending In by Standing Out Pedro Giglio (Town of Zoz, Cobra Kai 2) joins us to talk about bringing local detail to a global market. How do we adjust our material to make sure it connects with people from different cultures? And how do we broaden the audience's understanding of the world without being seen as being worthy? We chew over the balance of humour and specificity that lets us go big, broad and scrappy, while treating sources with respect. For more info the GNK book, and to buy, visit the website: https://www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope/ Music by Laurence Chapman (https://www.laurencechapman.com/)

Poems Make Games Better Adriana X. Jacobs is an Associate Professor of Hebrew Literature, and also a game writer and designer. This week she talks to us about the use of poetry in games: the use of text and spoken performance to slow the player down and draw them deeper into the world of the game, in a way that more immediate world-building can't always achieve. But does it need to appeal to everyone to be worthwhile? For more info the GNK book, and to buy, visit the website: https://www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope/ Music by Laurence Chapman (https://www.laurencechapman.com/)