Join us for a 3-part deep dive into the art of storytelling in video games with veteran game developer Warren Spector. Though each lecture stands alone, together they will give attendees increasingly deep insight into the relationship between video games and traditional media - both how they're alike and, critically, how they are different. Attendees will learn how games engage audiences in ways no other medium can and gain greater understanding into how their work and talents fit into the video game development landscape.
3 consecutive Tuesdays:
June 1st 6pm MDT
1 Hour each with Q&A
May 25 - Narrative in Games. Many creators of traditional "linear" media see the surface level similarities between games and their own work. While there is definite overlap, video games have unique tools - and limitations - when it comes to telling stories. In this lecture, Warren will discuss the ways in which games tell stories with, rather than to, players.
Warren Spector has been making games for over 35 years. Best known for his work on the Deus Ex and Disney Epic Mickey games, he also worked on several entries in the Ultima series. He began his career in 1983 in tabletop games, with Steve Jackson Games and TSR, before moving into electronic games in 1989 where he worked at Origin, Electronic Arts, Looking Glass, Ion Storm and Eidos before starting Junction Point Studios, acquired in 2007 by the Walt Disney Company. In addition to his game work, he is a published novelist (The Hollow Earth Affair, 1988) and comic book author (DuckTales: Rightful Owners, 2012). From 2013 to 2016 he was Director of the Denius-Sams Gaming Academy in the Moody College of Communication at The University of Texas at Austin. In 2016, he partnered with Paul Neurath in the creation of indie developer OtherSide Entertainment. He was awarded the Pulcinella lifetime achievement award at the Cartoons on the Bay conference in 2011, and in 2012 received a Lifetime Achievement award at the Game Developers Choice Awards as well as an Honorary Doctorate from Columbia College of Chicago.