Chevron Left
Back to Story and Narrative Development for Video Games

Learner Reviews & Feedback for Story and Narrative Development for Video Games by California Institute of the Arts

4.7
stars
1,235 ratings

About the Course

In this course, you will examine how storytelling acts as a vital mechanism for driving video gameplay forward. Looking at several historical and contemporary games, you will be asked to evaluate and interpret different story styles with the goal of identifying themes and procedures for your own game ideas. We'll examine traditional narrative story processes, such as three-act structure, and how they fit into game story flows and the strategic elements of gameplay. Ultimately, you will learn how to define character, setting, and structure to create a compelling game concept....

Top reviews

DA

Nov 6, 2017

This is so helpful. It covers all the essentials of developing a good story, applicable in any form of media, then it focuses on converting the story to a game by adding interactive gameplay elements.

CS

Dec 30, 2015

This is my favorite course ever. Dariush teaches in such an engaging way and it shows you how to have a creative yet objective and analyzed mindset for creating a story and narrative for a Video Game.

Filter by:

51 - 75 of 294 Reviews for Story and Narrative Development for Video Games

By Miguel A P G

•

Jun 15, 2020

I really enjoyed every week. The course provides a lot of precious information on story writing for video games and I think it is a great complement for those who can't attend an university course in the area.

By Ignacio J M

•

Nov 23, 2015

A very interesting course about a subject that is probably overlooked by many gamers in favour of fun.

A compelling story (as well as memorable music and striking graphics) is what makes games an art form.

By Sandulela A

•

Aug 17, 2021

I really enjoyed the course and got some valuable feedback from my peers and am looking forward to taking the skills I learnt forward. The work was manageable and lessons were pitched at the right level.

By Tushar L

•

Sep 8, 2020

Thank you for this course. It was very intuitive, learned a lot about how to expand the game story in terms of "game-play", and how to write synopsis, character briefs and Game Story Presentation Scheme.

By Carlos E E S

•

Dec 30, 2015

This is my favorite course ever. Dariush teaches in such an engaging way and it shows you how to have a creative yet objective and analyzed mindset for creating a story and narrative for a Video Game.

By Yevhen L

•

Nov 25, 2020

It is as much great as it is simple. Skills and practices are given in a clear and understandable way. Exercises reinforce taken knowledge effectively. Thank you a lot for this course!

By Liv

•

Mar 7, 2019

What a fun course! Really made me think about writing, how to turn a story into a game, and how to ideate and create bigger concepts from small ideas. Loved watching all the videos!

By Shuchao C

•

Nov 15, 2015

The instructor carefully illustrates all points necessary for wring a game story. The logic is extremely clear, course materials intact and homework amount is decent for students.

By Adrianisa K S

•

Jan 8, 2019

The course is delivered very nicely with well-thought reading materials and lots of practicing. Like they always say, practice makes perfect.

Thank you for sharing the knowledge!

By Panagiotis A

•

Sep 28, 2020

Great instructor, very good material used for guidance and all concepts were fairly easy to understand. Highly recommend for beginners interested in narrative and story design.

By Manuel V

•

Oct 24, 2020

Very well structured course with pretty straightforward homeworks that teach a lot about importance of elaborating on details that make a good story strong and entertaining.

By Steven V

•

Nov 1, 2015

The basics of this course are well defined and prepare you for proper story and narrative development in video games. I like the step-by-step process this course takes.

By Yasmeen Y

•

Feb 4, 2024

I got the most out of this course since it really helped me develop my ideas using very simple and approachable methods. There was plenty of information for this one.

By Piotr K

•

Mar 8, 2021

It is an interesting course for someone who loves writing as there is a lot to write, If you like creative writing or storytelling you should for sure do this course.

By Denis P

•

Apr 5, 2020

This is an absolutely stunning course, I feel like I've learnt a huge amount about narrative architecture, pacing, character development and gamification. Thank you!

By Devin C

•

Dec 14, 2015

Big fan of the last two assignments. Re-writing the game was fun, and made it more interactive with the rest of the class, seeing how others would change the story.

By Prakarsh D

•

Sep 7, 2020

Helped me a lot in building story for my game. A great short course for understanding narrative development in video games. Highly recommended for game designers.

By Xavier E

•

Apr 22, 2020

Great great great great course ! Dariush is very passionate about giving it, and the whole structure of his teaching is absolutely brilliant !!! MILLION THANKS !

By Guo T

•

Sep 3, 2017

Love how you dedicate yourself in the course making, great interpretation over the making of a story, and how they can developed into a game. Most grateful!

By Andrew T

•

Dec 6, 2015

This course is pretty cool. I actually learned a lot about analyzing narratives and writing that I hadn't really considered before... It's totally worth it.

By Sohaila A

•

Mar 11, 2019

i really loved every single bit of it. i loved the topics discussed, the way i was taught to think and get the ideas out so thanks alot. you are great.

By Wallace N O

•

Feb 22, 2016

It was not easy, I admit... but it was an awesome course, after this one i finished the four courses and I'm totally happy with everything I learned!!!

By Ekaterina S

•

Feb 28, 2018

Loved the coarse and especially the teacher! Was a real pleasure to listen to such a well constructed lectures. And the assignments very interesting.

By Sofiya

•

Mar 16, 2021

this was my first course experience in the coursea. I am delighted. thanks to the whole team and the instructor. I really like this training format

By Nitzan Z

•

Jan 11, 2021

Fantastic course, really helpful. I just wished there was a summary of the course and the tips that were given throughout at the end of the course.