111 min listen
Mel MacCoubrey & Ann Lemay
FromScript Lock
ratings:
Length:
81 minutes
Released:
Nov 21, 2016
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
Mel (writer and Director of Narrative Design at Ubisoft Quebec, and has worked on such games as Far Cry 4, Assassin's Creed Freedom Cry, and Assassin's Creed Syndicate) and Ann (writer and narrative designer on such games as Mass Effect 3, Dragon Age: Inquisition, and Mass Effect: Andromeda, and is a co-writer of the book The Game Narrative Toolbox) are here to talk about whether going to university is necessary for becoming a game writer, being a salesperson to other departments, Ubisoft internships, the length of game stories, being a narrative director, one thing they wish all departments knew about narrative to start with, dealing with players who don't care about story, how narrative is everything, the possibility of AAA studios making smaller open world games, being scientifically accurate in Mass Effect and historically accurate in Assassin's Creed, coming onto a franchise that has already started, fan fiction, how to acknowledge every possible action of the player without diluting the story you want to tell, whether we should be concerned about side content overshadowing the main narrative, the hardest and easiest characters to write, the importance of communication, and jeez, so much more!
Our Guests on the Internet
Mel's Twitter and Website.
Ann's Twitter and Book.
Stuff We Talked About
Civilization VI
Why Most People Don't Finish Video Games
Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde
Our theme music was composed by 2Mello, and our logo was created by Lily Nishita.
Our Guests on the Internet
Mel's Twitter and Website.
Ann's Twitter and Book.
Stuff We Talked About
Civilization VI
Why Most People Don't Finish Video Games
Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde
Our theme music was composed by 2Mello, and our logo was created by Lily Nishita.
Released:
Nov 21, 2016
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (77)
Meg Jayanth & Richard Lemarchand: We're captivated by our guests this week, as Meg and Richard talk about the cultural influences of tabletop, LARPing and interactive theatre on games, the woes of being a freelance writer, finding work-life balance, the importance and need for editors, the propensity for systemic thinking, unfairness in games, following the rules of fiction vs the rules of games, systemizing choice, the structure of 80 Days, research giving safety to the player, whether genres are useful, the generic influences of The Velvet Underground and The Doors, games confident enough to not explode all over your face when you start them up, and taking responsibility for the stories and games we put out into the world. by Script Lock