GDC's Narrative Summit
The Game Developers Conference holds an annual narrative review competition where applicants are able to submit an analysis paper about the narrative design of any game of their choosing. After writing a paper about Xenoblade Chronicles for the Nintendo Wii, I was chosen as one of three global platinum-tier winners, which is the highest tier. I then designed a poster detailing some of the analysis from my paper and was flown out to give a talk about narrative design at the 2023 Game Developers Conference.
My Process
My first focus was establishing a strong thesis. The prompt for the competition was to analyze any game's narrative design, but I wanted to make my paper more focused than a broad analysis of disconnected elements. I decided on a thematic interpretation instead, as that allowed me to select one idea and then holistically analyze how each piece of the design ties back to it. To prepare, I created a mind map detailing how all the characters in the game explore the core theme of fear of the unknown, before analyzing how the systems and levels reflect it too.
Planning
Writing and Design
When writing my paper, I iterated on the structure a lot. A key part of Xenoblade Chronicles that made my paper challenging to write is that the narrative is built around illusions. It is framed in a specific manner that influences the way that the player perceives it, at least before a certain twist shatters these illusions and allows the entirety of the game to be seen in a new light. Due to this structure, I decided to format my paper so that the first half focuses on how the game uses level design, system design, and unreliable narration to manipulate the player's perspective, while the latter half analyzes the full truth and meaning behind the game.
Upon finishing the paper, my next step was to create a poster that details the key parts of my analysis. I designed the poster in Photoshop, and themed it around the game's user interface. Some of the assets are direct replications of the menus, while I personally created others to highlight my points and make the design feel complete. I used then used the written space to explore the main narrative theme, the elements representing it, the way its integrated into the actual game design, and the cohesive character conflicts that explore it.
With the paper and poster done, all I had left was to actually give my talk at the Game Developers Conference. I was scheduled to be the second speaker out of the competition winners, but found out I would actually have to go first once I arrived at the event. After having put a lot of time into practicing my speech, I was able to tackle my nerves and finally share my ideas. While the strict time limit of the shared session limited my ability to go into the same depth of my paper, I later converted my analysis into a 50 minute video essay, which has achieved 10k+ views.
I Learned About:
1
Writing with Purpose
This experience helped me refine my writing style. I have been writing analysis papers on the topics that interest me throughout my entire life, and this paper felt like the culmination of a lot of my former analysis work brought into the lens of my game design philosophy. It helped me identify the kinds of topics I want to write about, such as ludonarrative and thematic holism, as well as how to approach exploring them.
2
Public Speaking
The Game Developers Conference is the largest event I have ever had the pleasure of speaking at. While I have always had a lot to say, this event helped me build the confidence to actually speak up, articulate my ideas, and trust that people are listening. It helped me break out of the bubble I had lived in at my small college campus, and I have since been taking as many opportunities to practice my speech as possible.
3
Strong Narrative Tools
After taking the time to analyze the core of a game's narrative, I learned a lot about how to convey an interactive story in an effective manner. Many of the game's strengths and flaws are concepts that could be applied to the design process of any creative work, and they taught me a great deal about the unique ways in which games as a medium can be used to make a player empathize with a story on a deeper level.
