AdventureX 2018 Talks - Part 2
Hey everyone,
Continuing from last week we get to be super lazy and have an easy ride for our weekly blog! Not to worry we still have something very cool to share. We thought we’d take the chance to highlight some of the great talks that happened at this year’s AdventureX.
We didn’t get the chance to see many on the weekend itself as we were busy demoing, but we’ve been playing catch-up and there are some corkers so we thought it’s be nice to share some over the next few weeks.
We’ve also tagged the Twitter handles of the speakers in the talk description in case you want to follow them and of course you can follow AdventureX itself here! For those that don’t yet know, AdventureX is the only convention dedicated to narrative-driven games. AdventureX 2018 was run in partnership with the British Library as part of International Games Week.
Enjoy!
AdvX 2018 - Petter Vilberg - Gameplay Objects and Storytelling Objects
Petter Vilberg (Crusader Kings II, Hearts of Iron) draws on years of experience writing, design and scripting to present the case that intriguing worlds and the potential for emergent stories is at the heart of the success of the Grand Strategy genre. Petter presents a framework for developing games that produce strong emotional attachments and consistently fresh player stories.
AdvX 2018 - Jon Ingold - Sparkling Dialogue: A Masterclass
Game conversations are all too often static and stagey: there’s none of the messy, fun and characterful back and forth that makes a conversation sparkle. Using Ink and assisted by Sally Beaumont, Jon Ingold (Heaven’s Vault, 80 Days) will create conversations that are dynamic, contextual and full of moments of connection.
AdvX 2018 - Chris Bateman - Secret World of Game Narrative
Players agree that they value storytelling in games, but what counts as a great game story depends in part upon the different ways that players enjoy games. Award-winning game designer and narrative designer Chris Bateman (Discworld Noir, Tropico 6) shows why there is never just one way of making stories for games – and why thinking about games from the perspective of screenwriting in other media inevitably leads writers astray.
AdvX 2018 - Mark Brown - Game Maker's Toolkit
Journalist-turned-YouTuber, Mark Brown explores intriguing design concepts hidden in great games. As Game Maker's Toolkit, Mark investigates all aspects of game design, throwing around tips and insights like nobody’s business. This is a live, extended version of the excellent GMTK video essay 'What Makes a Good Detective Game?', featuring The Shivah, Discworld Noir and Return of the Obra Dinn:
AdvX 2018 - Ranjani Natarajan - Immersive Fiction in Tabletop RPG Zombies Run!
Interactive fiction in video games can be an isolating experience, with each person playing their own version of the story. Producer and Campaign Engineer on the Zombies, Run! board game, Ranjani Natarajan talks about the evolution of group experiences of interactive fiction – from tabletop RPGs to immersive theatre.
AdvX 2018 - Sally Beaumont - Directing Voice Actors
A crash course in working with voice actors to get the right read for your game. Voice Actor Sally Beaumont will walk us through a recording session, from script preparation to performance direction and what to expect from a professional voice actor on the day. Find the fun in this collaborative, creative process and gain the confidence to direct like a pro.
AdvX 2018 - Rachel Presser - Point-and-Click Adventure Games as Empathy Machines
Writer and consultant Rachel Presser (Sonic Toad) asks how game designers use the medium and their storytelling and world-building skills to cultivate empathy? Western society is experiencing an empathy crisis and more adventure games may be exactly what we need.
And that’s your lot, hopefully you found that as interesting as we did! We’ll be back next week with another Röki blog.
Have a good one,
Team Röki