First person gaming and the story telling arc...

At the start of every new class each year, we begin with a short module on story telling. That means making sure students understand the simple concepts of 3 part narrative, what genre and theme are and of course the different ways in which stories are delivered (including classic old 1950's style radio plays, comics, written, etc).

One issue I've always run into is that the materials I've been working with never really take in the current trends and adapt to meet the new intakes. While we need to maintain the core principles behind story development and design, delivery and topics need to be dynamic and exciting, and should connect with the current generation - a generation that has a much shorter attention span as technology and delivery of information has changed the way we share and communicate.

The diploma is all about digital Animation and Film, and when students are young and so excited about the latest gaming, animated movies and vfx-laden action films it's always great to find articles on the way in which all of these story telling principles are applied in areas that students can relate.

Developing Meaningful Player Character Arcs in Branching Narrative

This article from Gamasutra is just one of those things - it encapsulates what makes for an interesting and dynamic story through character and conflict - in the gaming sense - and how to build around the branching narrative to compensate for player decisions.  A great read, and one I can use for my next session with an upcoming class...