Sweden Game Conference 2019

Video games are typically designed around systems and core mechanics, with characters and narrative added later, and world-building sprinkled on top. For games where story is front and centre, however, there’s value in turning this convention on its head. How do you successfully design and develop games from a “story first” point of view, without sacrificing interactivity or the player experience?

In this talk, we’ll look at practical frameworks and techniques for developing games where the narrative comes before — but not at the cost of — systems and mechanics, with concrete examples drawn from Red Thread’s Draugen and Dreamfall Chapters.

We’ll also talk about how Red Thread employs a design philosophy called ‘The Box’ to help communicate the game’s vision and story-centric approach to the development team and external partners.