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How does storytelling differ between video games and literature?

Raph Koster explains how storytelling has changed since the days of bards and campfire stories, and discusses how video games reflect those changes.

Alissa McAloon, Publisher

October 17, 2016

1 Min Read
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In a talk at the University of Alabama Huntsville, Raph Koster spoke extensively on the history of storytelling and on the ways video games tell stories as both traditional and untraditional storytelling vehicles. 

Developers interested in the journey of storytelling in history, and how that journey has come to affect how stories are told in video games now should take a look at the video above.

Koster has been working in the games industry for over twenty years and has worked on games like Ultima Online, Everquest, and Star Wars Galaxies

He currently works as an independent designer and consultant and serves on the Board of Advisors for companies like PullString, Gamxing, ArtCraft, and Bit Fry. 

At GDC earlier this year, Koster spoke about how the virtual worlds of the 70’s have evolved to games like World of Warcraft today. He also published a blog post during the height of Pokemon Go, comparing and contrasting the difficulties faced by AR games to virtual worlds and MMOs. 

The full talk comes in at around an hour long, with the second hour of the video covering a Q&A session Koster held with the English and Game Design students in attendance.

About the Author

Alissa McAloon

Publisher, GameDeveloper.com

As the Publisher of Game Developer, Alissa McAloon brings a decade of experience in the video game industry and media. When not working in the world of B2B game journalism, Alissa enjoys spending her time in the worlds of immersive sandbox games or dabbling in the occasional TTRPG.

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