Yearly Archives: 2008

Day Three (at the AGDC), Part Two

By Rubes | Published: September 20, 2008

As I mentioned last time, there were some really intriguing presentations on the third day of the conference. One in particular was a technology demonstration given by representatives of two companies, Emotiv Systems and 3DV Systems, which are developing innovative ways for players to interface with computers or other entertainment devices.

Randy Breen from Emotiv Systems demonstrated what he called their “Brain-Computer Interface”, a device that fits on the head and is based on EEG machines. It basically translates brain waves into actions after a period of training. It’s compact (I didn’t even notice him wearing it during his talk), lightweight, and wireless, and includes a gyro to detect head movements. It can also detect facial expressions (blinking, smiling, eyebrow movement) and can essentially monitor [More...] Read the rest

Posted in game design, story in games | Leave a comment

Day Three (at the AGDC): Stern on Linear Storytelling

By Rubes | Published: September 18, 2008

The last day of AGDC was an excellent day, with two talks in particular that led to a good deal of spirited, academic discussion about storytelling and a third lecture that demonstrated some very slick next-gen controllers that could have a significant impact in the future on game design and interface.

The first talk of the day was given by Andrew Stern, he of Façade fame, although he did not focus specifically on the accomplishments of that project. Instead, his talk, provocatively titled “Linearity is Hell: Achieving Truly Dynamic Stories in Games,” explored the possibility of truly dynamic storytelling in games and how a system like that might be designed. Stern did acknowledge that this was more of a theoretical talk and that he [More...] Read the rest

Posted in characters in games, game design, story in games | 1 Response

Day Two (at the AGDC)

By Rubes | Published: September 16, 2008

The second day of AGDC was pretty fun, although perhaps not quite as informative as the first day. For me, the day started off with a lecture by Andrew Walsh on the topic of “On-Demand Storytelling” as it applied to Prince of Persia, subtitled “The Death of Linearity.” It seems that non-linear storytelling is all the rage these days, with all sorts of mechanisms for implementing it, some of which sound very creative. I have no idea if they work, though — or, if they do, how effective the resulting story is.

One thing that was clear from Walsh’s talk is that he falls on the side of those who support and promote the use of cutscenes, when used properly. I’m a cutscene fan [More...] Read the rest

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Response

Day One (at the AGDC)

By Rubes | Published: September 15, 2008

It was an entertaining first day at the AGDC. It’s certainly more fun listening to talks about interactive storytelling, cinematic design, and writing characters in games than it is listening to talks about pharmaceuticals and obscure research findings.

As expected, Chris Crawford’s talk was, to a large extent, a rehash of material that I believe he has presented previously. Still, seeing it in person, particularly with his entertaining delivery, was worth it. His talk was titled “15 Conceptual Shifts: Moving From Games to Interactive Storytelling,” and it reviewed many of the points he has tried to make over the years — among other things: stories are about people, not things; the importance of interactivity; and the role of verbs as opposed to nouns. And, of [More...] Read the rest

Posted in characters in games, story in games | 4 Responses

Brewing at the AGDC

By Rubes | Published: September 15, 2008

So it’s been a crazy September to this point, and it’s been tough finding time to blog. But with the mad rush of work, at least temporarily, in the rear-view, I find myself relaxing at my first GDC. I’ve made it to Austin, and I’m now sitting in Ballroom B with a couple of other stragglers waiting for the first session, a lecture by Chris Crawford. In fact, Chris is right now sitting about 10 feet away typing on his MacBook Pro, probably finalizing his talk.

It’s a little odd; I’ve read much about the man, and even watched one of his talks from many years ago on YouTube. But I’ve never seen him in person. I’m looking forward to his talk on Interactive Storytelling, [More...] Read the rest

Posted in miscellaneous | 3 Responses