This book covers the distinguishing characteristics and tropes of visual novels (VNs) as choice-based games and analyzes VNs like 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors; Hatoful Boyfriend; and Monster Prom, some of the best examples of the genre as illustrations. The author covers structuring branching narrative and plot, designing impactful and compelling choices, writing entertaining relationships and character interactions, understanding the importance of a VN’s prose, and planning a VN’s overall narrative design and story delivery. The book contains exercises at the end of chapters to practice the techniques discussed. By the end of the book, if the reader finishes all the exercises, they may have several portfolio pieces or a significant portion of their own VN project designed. Features: Discusses different aspects and genres of VNs, what makes them enjoyable, and successful techniques developers can incorporate into their own games Analyzes various VNs and choice-based games that use these successful techniques Shares tips from developers on portfolio pieces, hiring a team to work on VNs, and plotting and outlining VNs Branching Story, Unlocked Dialogue: Designing and Writing Visual Novels is a valuable resource for developers and narrative designers interested in working on VNs. The book will show them how they can design their own VN projects, design branching narratives, develop entertaining plots and relationships, design impactful and compelling choices, and write prose that’s a pleasure to read.

Despite its significant growth over the past five years, the mobile and social videogame industry is still maturing at a rapid rate. Due to various storage and visual and sound asset restrictions, mobile and social gaming must have innovative storytelling techniques. Narrative Tactics grants readers practical advice for improving narrative design and game writing for mobile and social games, and helps them rise to the challenge of mobile game storytelling. The first half of the book covers general storytelling techniques, including worldbuilding, character design, dialogue, and quests. In the second half, leading experts in the field explore various genres and types of mobile and social games, including educational games, licensed IP, games for specific demographics, branding games, and free to play (F2P). Key Features The only book dedicated to narrative design and game writing in social and mobile games, an explosive market overtaking the console gaming market. Provides tips for narrative design and writing tailored specifically for mobile and social game markets. Guides readers along with conclusions that include questions to help the reader in narrative design and/or writing. Explores real games to illustrate theory and best practices with analyses of game case studies per chapter, covering indie, social/mobile, and AAA games. Includes checklists to help readers critique their own narrative design/writing.

Learn how to create compelling game storylines. Four experienced narrative designers from different genres of game development have banded together to create this all-inclusive guide on what it's like to work as a writer and narrative designer in the videogame industry. From concept to final testing, The Game Narrative Toolbox walks readers through what role a narrative designer plays on a development team and what the requirements are at every stage of development. Drawing on real experiences, authors Tobias Heussner, Toiya Finley, Ann Lemay, and Jennifer Hepler provide invaluable advice for writing compelling player-centered stories and effective dialogue trees in order to help readers make the switch from prose- or screen- writing to interactive. Accompanying every chapter are exercises that allow the reader to develop their own documentation, outlines, and game-dialogue samples for use in applying for industry jobs or developing independent projects. This first installment of Focal Press's Game Design Workshops series is a must-have for individuals looking to create captivating storylines for games.

Biography of early hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons.

"Over the past 5 years, more and more game developers find themselves losing their permanent jobs. During that same time span, freelancing jobs in the industry have become more prevalent. This means devs have more opportunities to work as freelancers. However, they're unaware of the business of freelancing, how to go about finding work, and how to sustain themselves as freelancers. Additionally, freelancers can never learn enough to improve their businesses. This book will develop several facets of the freelance life, which will be beneficial to all freelancers, no matter where they are in their freelancing journeys. The book will feature two sections covering the life of the freelancer and the freelance business"--

Speculative fiction, fantasy, horror, and stories that you just wouldn't anticipate.

"The Divided Waters: An apology in 3 parts" is a novel analyzing the creative writing process, a critique--of black literature, literature in general, and the expected subject matter of works by minority writers--and a story about the struggles of "the other." Various narrative techniques are used within the three parts. The story is told from the perspectives of two half sisters, Jasmine and Alaunna Waters. "Part One: Jasmine (1993-1990)" is a first-person metafiction in present tense exploring the writing process and pressures on minority writers in a pseudo memoir. "Part Two: Alaunna (1993)" is a third-person limited point of view in past tense. The major theme of the second part is the role of escapism (in the form of daydreams) in the life of the other. "Part Three: Split End," a celebration of otherness, is a return to Jasmine's first-person narrative, only this time in past tense.