Naughty Dog's Ryan M. James opened his talk at GDC this year by suggesting there's a perceived stigma about compelling, relatable stories in games: there are none. Or next to none.

In his talk, James pushed back against that notion, arguing that Naughty Dog has put a lot of time and effort into figuring out how to create believable, relatable characters and narratives in its games, and that that investment has paid off in a slew of awards.

He also got into the "chewy" details of how Naughty Dog designs, captures, and implements character performances in games like Uncharted 4, offering attendees a detailed look at the company's production pipeline for things like in-game dialogue and character gestures.

James' talk was a fascinating and meaty look at how one of the industry's top-tier studios does what it does best. If you missed it earlier this year, now's your chance to go back and watch it on the official GDC YouTube channel!

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its new 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, GDC Europe, and GDC Next 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. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.

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