Tag: narrative
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The Current State of Games for Learning: Engaging Education Through Play
In recent years, the intersection of gaming and education has sparked a fascinating conversation around how play can enhance learning outcomes. Games for learning, or “serious games,” are not just entertainment anymore—they are becoming powerful tools in classrooms, corporate training, and even personal development. As the demand for engaging, personalized, and adaptive learning grows, game-based…
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Story Themes and the 4E’s of the Writer’s Craft
Most ancient tragedy had at its heart the contradiction between two morally justifiable positions. Aristotle begins defining tragedy as “imitation of actions of great import”; the actions themselves are motivated by a conflict of ideas. We may apply this to our own context and craft through the lens of “Story Themes.” A few of examples:…
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A Midsummer Night’s Maze: Interactive Fiction and Narrative Design
Possible video game plot and summary for an interactive fiction based on “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”: Title: “A Midsummer Night’s Maze” Synopsis In the magical land of Athens, four young lovers are caught in a love triangle, each pining for the affection of the other. At the same time, a group of mischievous fairies and…
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Being Jobless, Taking Quests, and The Art and Value of Writing Spec Scripts Evolving Existing Franchises. Part 1 of WorldBuilders and LoreKeepers
As I continue down this path of joblessness in search of the next gig, I find myself taking bolder steps—contacting studios that, in the past, scared me due to their sheer industry prowess. I applied and interviewed with Pokémon, wrote several scripts for Blizzard Entertainment, Larian, and Sebastian. I’ve translated preliminary test documents for Sega…
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This Floating Life is but a Dream: Li Bai, Shen Fu, playing The Last of Us, and reflecting on the evanescence of things.
I’ve begun rereading some of my favorite Chinese poets and can’t help but find striking similarities, in aesthetic and philosophy, between these brilliantly minded writers from so long ago and contemporary storytellers. The main suspects in todays post: Shen Fu, Li Bai, Austin Wintory (Journey), and the savory addiction concocted by the dreamweavers at Naughty…
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Homestuck Fans: Media Theory and the Fans that became Home-Stuck, Igniting a Shift in the Zeitgeist
One of the most striking aspects of Homestuck is its massive and dedicated fanbase. The comic’s interactive elements and its use of internet culture references have helped to create a sense of community among readers, who often participate in discussions, fan art, and fan fiction.