Writing for the player

: adapting a traditional screenplay into an interactive format

Abstract

Video games are one of the most powerful storytelling tools of today and possess one intriguing and complex element: interactivity. Player interaction is often difficult to implement within the structure of a story and, as such, many games opt for a linear narrative structure, rather than giving players control over the course of the story’s events. The main goal of this work is to understand the evolution of storytelling within games, by analyzing their history, and to bridge the gap between traditional screenwriting and interactive storytelling, by exploring the process of adaptation from one medium to the other. By approaching interactivity as a new tool for storytelling, this work aims to create an understandable compilation of the mechanics and tropes that make up successful video game narratives. This dissertation also delves into the future possibilities of storytelling in video games, by exploring the limitations of today’s technology and the existence of future autonomous, dynamic, procedural and artificially intelligent story creation systems.

Date of Award	2014
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa