In this 2016 GDC talk, Pocket Gems' Cassie Phillipps offers a crash course on how to create meaningful story branches without making narratives that are convoluted, confusing or shallow.

This talk was especially intriguing because Phillipps examined the topic from the perspective of a retention-minded game designer, walking attendees through detailed looks at how choice count and complexity in games correlates with player retention.

It was an eminently useful and practical talk, so take advantage of the fact that it's now available to watch for free on the official GDC YouTube channel!

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its accompanying YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC or VRDC already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page.