BioWare's Greg Zeschuk on Storytelling
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Leading off the proceedings, the moderator elicited opinions on what, exactly, interactive storytelling is. For BioWare cofounder Zeschuk, interactive storytelling entails in-game narrative, such as dialogue, choices, and environmental tells, as well as out-of-game experiences. He then gave the example of sharing "water-cooler" stories, where players recount their experiences about what they did with others, outside the game.
Staten offered similar sentiments, saying that interactive storytelling involves giving players a sandbox so that they can tell their own stories that originate from the game. He gave the example of two brothers in a multiplayer match, one of which sneaks up on the other and shoots him with a shotgun in the back. That's an experience that can be recounted, and will be recounted, for a long time to come, he said.
Dyack and Schafer offered similar opinions on interactive storytelling as well, saying that it involves all aspects of a game, from audio to art to technology to gameplay. Schafer went on to note that his studio's ultimate goal is to give players an experience where they become completely absorbed in the world they've created.
As for how story comes about, Zeschuk said that BioWare "spends an inordinate amount of time building the world." By that, he said, the writing team fleshes out the entire universe in which a game takes place, spending a year or so working on everything from political structure to the world's history.
