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Jeff Spock's Blog
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Game and fiction writer
- Kicked around three continents in three languages in the computer industry, doing everything from development to sales to management.
- In 2002 changed careers to writing.
- Currently has been lead or assistant writer on eleven published titles across pretty much every platform and genre; two more titles coming in 2010 and at least one more in 2011.
Obsessions include storytelling and player experience in games, narrative design and delivery, character development, and the impact of genre (game and literary) on storytelling.
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Expert Blogs
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When Designers Have Story Problems |
| Posted by Jeff Spock on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 10:31:00 EDT in
Game Design
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| It occasionally happens that designers are frustrated by a writer who imposes 'his' story on 'their' level or game design. Here are five reasons why this might happen, and why the writer may not be the guilty party. |
| Read More... | 0 Comments |
What Is A Good Game Story?  |
| Posted by Jeff Spock on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:37:00 EDT in
Game Design
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| Are the fundamentals of a good story medium-dependent, or is there such a thing as a universally 'good' story regardless of delivery? This is a question that I would like to address during the next few posts; it may or may not be answerable. |
| Read More... | 21 Comments |
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A Simple View of Game Story |
| Posted by Jeff Spock on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 01:21:00 EDT in
Game Design
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| A story is characters, with goals, fighting against obstacles to achieve those goals -- or failing nobly in the attempt. Which, when you think about it, maps in an interesting way into the needs of game design. Theoretically. |
| Read More... | 13 Comments |
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The Bad Guy In Video Games -- Why So Much More Interesting? |
| Posted by Jeff Spock on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 07:47:00 EDT in
Game Design
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| The player-characters (avatars) in video games tend to be similar and predictable, while the bosses and bad guys range widely across types and temperaments. In short, the bad guys are more interesting. Here are a few ideas why that may be so. |
| Read More... | 8 Comments |
Jeff Spock's Comments
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Comment In: What Is A Good Game Story? [Blog - 06/25/2009 - 12:37]
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Thanks to everyone who has ... Thanks to everyone who has been keeping this discussion active while I've been chasing deadlines... Louis, my whole premise is based on artistic constraint. Bach did pretty well even when he decided that he would limit himself to a concerto format. I am assuming that certain types of stories don't ... |
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Comment In: Game Mechanics That Tell Stories [Blog - 06/25/2009 - 10:11]
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Strongly agree. There have been ... Strongly agree. There have been numerous instances where, as a game writer, I have had to take a 'pasted-on' and pre-defined story and flesh it out. The first questions I always have are about the game mechanics: What does the player actually do in the game, why does he do ... |
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Comment In: A Simple View of Game Story [Blog - 06/16/2009 - 01:21]
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Jay, I definitely agree that ... Jay, I definitely agree that every story has been told. All we can do is try to put an original twist or an original voice on it -- that is one of the great challenges of writing for any medium. And I think that you can definitely tell when a ... |
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Comment In: The Bad Guy In Video Games -- Why So Much More Interesting? [Blog - 06/08/2009 - 07:47]
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Wow A lot of great ... Wow A lot of great comments. It's great to hear from people who have seen and read and thought things that I have not. Nino, I am also curious to see what will happen with the Arkham game. Batman has always been one of the darkest and most tortured of ... |
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Comment In: Beyond Pacing: Games Aren't Hollywood [Feature - 05/21/2009 - 07:35]
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Excellent article, with a caveat: ... Excellent article, with a caveat: The Hero's Journey tells precisely one story in a terminally linear and inflexible way. It's everything good game design should not be, and it's one of the things that crept into gaming from film writing that doesn't belong here. My apologies, of course, to Mr ... |
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