Indie Game Lunch Hour How To Bring A Square Peg (Story) Into a Round Hole (Games)
Feb 19, 2025
This week features Susan O’Connor, the award-winning writer and founder of The Narrative Department, known for her work on classics like BioShock and Tomb Raider. She shares her inspiring journey through the gaming industry and the challenges of integrating storytelling into game design. O'Connor emphasizes the need for collaboration between writers and designers to enhance player engagement. She also discusses the rewarding experience of teaching the next generation of narrative designers and encourages aspiring writers to create a 'World Bible' as a creative exercise.
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From Slumber Parties to BioShock
- Susan O'Connor's career began with writing a slumber party game, 'Girl Talk', because she was the only woman applicant who had attended a slumber party.
- This led to connections at other studios, work on titles like Gears of War and BioShock, a Vespa accident, and eventually founding The Narrative Department.
ASCII Art RPG
- Willem Delventhal recalls a rewarding teaching experience where a student created an ASCII art 3D RPG during a free-build period.
- This highlighted the power of teaching as a learning tool and the joy of witnessing someone's game development journey.
Story as a System
- Story in games should be a system, integrated from the start, not a last-minute deliverable.
- Writers need to understand the interactive nature of games and collaborate with other departments early.