Friday 12 November 2010

London Writing Panel Appearence: Interactive Story Telling for an Interactive Medium

The IGDA has just announced a new games writing panel that's going to be held in London the week after next. It's going to star some of my big name games writing mates and - less spectacularly - me. Official blurb at the bottom of the post, my unofficial blurb immediately below.

Environmental Narrative: Interactive Storytelling for an Interactive Medium is kind of a sequel to a talk we - Jim Swallow (Deux Ex 3), Rhianna Pratchett (Overlord), Andy Walsh (Prince of Persia) and I - turned out last year. Despite the atrocious press photo from the event that's the header for this post (I'm the one with the terrible hair and evil eyes yammering away while everyone else stops and stares in disbelief), the thing went well, and we're back. It was rammed last time around - a mixed audience of games students, professional writers from other mediums, and developers in other disciplines - and I'd argue the pub trip afterwards is a great networking opportunity.

It's being held the evening of 23rd November at London South Bank University. Incidentally, it was this event last year that brought me to the attention of the Game Cultures BA guys at LSBU and landed me my current lecturing job.

Hope you're able to make it, and if you are rocking up do drop me a note beforehand and come grab me in the pub - be good to put some faces to some names.

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http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=166138263406405

Time: 23 November · 19:00 - 21:00
Location: Keyworth Theatre B, Keyworth Building, London South Bank University
Keyworth Street (http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/about/maps.shtml) easiest tube is elephant and castle. Take South Bank University exit
London, United Kingdom

Environmental Narrative: Interactive Story Telling for an Interactive Medium
Hosted by LSBU's BA (Hons) Game Cultures course

Following last year's packed event, the IGDA London Chapter and IGDA's Writing SIG will be presenting a talk at London South Bank University on the evening of Tuesday 23rd November. A panel composed of well-established videogames experts will be focusing on how AI and environment can tell story in games.

Entry will be free and the panel will be followed by both a formal Q&A session and an informal trip to the pub. We hope you can join us.

The panel will be comprised of experienced games writers -

Tom Jubert (Driver: San Francisco , The Penumbra series)
Rhianna Pratchett (Overlord, Heavenly Sword)
James Swallow (Deus Ex Human Revolution, Battlestar Galactica)
Andrew S. Walsh (Bodycount, Prince of Persia )

10 comments:

  1. Funny story: someone recorded the event last year (fair enough), but then a few days later I noticed my giantbomb page had suddenly exploded with a load of quite candid info on how I started my career. Lesson learnt: the real world and the web DO crossover very occasionally. In slightly sinister ways.

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  2. Is this more an industry thing Tom? Or would your average video game blogger get something out of this? I'm not average of course, but still.

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  3. Huh, so people do notice these things.

    That Giant Bomb page information was added by me. I'm sorry for being sinister - that was definitely not my intention and I can remove information if you feel it's giving out too many details you don't want to be generally out there.

    Interestingly, I don't think that I've seen the video of that talk (though maybe I'll seek it out now) unless I'm completely forgetting something. Most of that information comes from when you were on the Gamespot UK podcast which I eventually discovered you'd made an appearance on. Yes, I've listened to / read many things on the internet you've been involved with as and when I've found out about them ever since I first read an RPS interview with you and was really interested by your thoughts and your take on writing/narrative in games.

    I hope that's ok. I thought it'd be nice to give you a reasonably well-written and informative page on GB which I frequent regularly.

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  4. @HM
    It's very much aimed at everyone. We'll be talking about the practicalities of narrative design, so naturally it's aimed at people with that sort of interest - but unlike last year's event it's not themed around breaking into writing. The audience will be bloggers, students and other professionals, so all welcome :-) And it's free!

    @matthew
    LOL, I was actually very happy someone had bothered - I just wasn't accustomed to being listened to / quoted at the time. Thanks for your interest and effort :-)

    There's not actually a vid of the event, it was just someone in the audience dictaphoning it. There is a write up, though, the link's in the text above.

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  5. Oh, and for anyone who's interested in reading more of my words there's a collection of stuff over at http://www.tomjubert.com/interviews-commentary

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  6. Can't come this year, unfortunately, but if someone does record the thing again, I'd love to hear more candid info on how people start their career :)

    Have a good time!

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  7. Sounds good. I attended a similar panel at BAFTA a few years ago and really enjoyed it. Will try to make it on Tuesday and say hello.

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  8. Being an American college student is CRIPPLING me right now. Maybe in a number of years or so.

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  9. Thanks to everyone who came along to this - interesting things were said, and I'm going to be doing a write up on the event some stage next week.

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  10. Okay, finally got my write-up done. No cute pictures and a little bit stuffy, but I'd spent far too much time transcribing and tidying this up.

    But I got it online before you did Tom =)

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