Narrative Design for Video Games

Overview

Faculty: Games
Duration: 10 Weeks – Tues & Thurs 6:30pm – 9pm
Delivery: Online
Level: Diploma
Start Date: July 11th 2023
Course Director: Kevin Adanan
Fees: €600
Certification: Pulse College Cert

COURSE CONTENT

This online Narrative Design course suits beginners and experienced game designers to turn a story into a fully immersive and engaging video game experience. This course will cover the theory and software skills used to develop your narrative ideas into engaging, branching stories.

Video Game writing is not as simple as putting words on a page. Instead it is part of a complex process of meaning making using the unique characteristics of Video Games.

Whatever types of stories you want to tell, if you want to use games as a medium there are certain skills, processes and theories that you need to know. Whether working on solo or small team projects or part of a major studio team this course covers the foundations necessary for transforming a story idea into a video game narrative.

By the end of the course you will have created a range of material ready to put directly into your writing portfolio with the knowledge of the next steps you will need to break into the industry.

Landmark titles like The Last of Us, God of War (2018) and The Witcher 3 stand head and shoulders above their competitors due to the way they combine gameplay with in-depth and detailed storytelling. Breakout indie titles like Celeste, Undertale and Hollow Knight largely endure because of their compelling worlds and characters while other games like What Remains of Edith Finch, Night in the Woods and Disco Elysium are driven by their complex and engaging writing.

Narrative Theory
Narrative Theory
  • History of Narrative Design
  • Narrative Structure and Space
  • World Building
  • Psychology of the Player
Narrative Industry
Narrative Industry
  • The Writing Pipeline
  • Working in the Industry
  • Pitching and Roundtable Workshops
Narrative Tools
Narrative Tools
  • Twine and Flowcharts
  • Ink
  • Unity and Fungus

Tutor

Eoghain Meakin is a Game Design Lecturer and PhD Researcher at Ulster University. His research focuses on the narrative design in games and how industry practices affect implementation. He is a member of the AR/VR development team at the VIRaL research lab and is the co-founder of brand new game studio Bándearg Games. He also works in film and has had screenplays and short films awarded at Austin Film Festival, Film Festa Rome and Kerry Film Festival.

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HOW TO APPLY

Admissions

This course is suitable for anyone with an interest in narrative storytelling for video games. No previous experience is required.

Upon receiving your application form our Admissions Team will be in contact to discuss securing your course place.

Educational Requirements

No industry experience is required and applicants may be accepted without formal academic qualifications.

Interview

There is no interview application for this course.

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FEES

Irish / EU (Residing in Ireland)

Price: €600*

*€200 deposit required to secure place.

Please note: Fees are non-refundable

International / EU (living outside of Ireland)

Price: €600

**Please note: Fees are non-refundable

Apply Now
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