EVENT: STORYTELLING IN VIDEO GAMES: A WORKSHOP (NOVEMBER 27 2019)

On November 27 2019, game designer Pietro Polsinelli will lead a workshop on merging storytelling principles and game design tool for the students of the Master of Arts in Game Design at IULM University. The workshop takes place during GAME CONTEXTS, one of the Program’s core courses. It is also open to all alumni of the M.A. Program (to enroll, please RSVP at least three days in advance).

When defining the narrative of a game, even at the concept level, it is useful to write down short characters bios, articulate the game's background universe, outline the possible endings and so on. Writing a sample dialogue or textual introduction can reveal several hidden or undefined features required and how they should interact with the game mechanics. Polsinelli will illustrate the development of the recent Football Drama, and how that process was expanded for his next project, Roller Drama concept design, pointing out some specific concepts needed when making narratives and mechanics interact. Students will work together with Pietro to add narrative background research and mechanics to their projects.

Pietro Polsinelli is a game designer and developer, mostly working on applied (a.k.a. educational) games. He co-authored a book on applied games in Italian and is currently writing a book on applied games (in English) titled Explaining With Games.

Read more about Pietro Polsinelli