GCAP ( ) is a professional networking event where the industry comes together to learn, upskill, and develop their relationships – not only with other professionals in the industry, but also with those who are looking to get into games – and one of the highlights is the selection of keynote talks. was given the opportunity to speak with Karrie Shao, the lead writer and narrative designer for , and previously a writer for . We spoke with Karrie about her upcoming keynote for GCAP, where she’ll examine how in-game player behaviour, sound design, and tone can come together as narrative tools.
“We’re really in a golden age right now with games where everybody loves a good narrative,” she said. “We understand the value of narrative now and the best AAA games out there, just have great stories. And yet, we’re still early as a field.
” When it comes to storytelling in games, it really is in the hands of the narrative designers to not only tell a good story, but also communicate that story in a way that’s easy for the player to digest. “The reason why we call it narrative and not writing, is because it’s so much about the delivery of how we tell you a story in addition to the words we actually tell you. is a really good example because no one who interacts with at all says, ‘I’m really in it for the story’.
” The impact of player behaviour One of the cornerstones of her GCAP talk is how you blend narrative with other functions, especially player behaviou.