Writing
Notes on the practice.
Long-form writing on narrative design, transmedia, and the work behind the work. Updated as it's written, kept here permanently. Follow along at @narrativedesigner.bsky.social.
Defining Narrative Design
What the title actually means, twenty years after a GDC conversation gave it a name, and why the same role holds together a war game, a bird-flinging mobile hit, and a shelter-management sim.
Twenty Years of Narrative Design
In the spring of 2006, a conversation at GDC became a job title. That job title became a discipline. That discipline is now twenty years old. A reflection on what was built, what was lost, and what comes next.
Story Is Architecture, Not Decoration
The most persistent misconception in game development: that narrative is a layer applied after the "real" design is done. Why this is wrong, and what happens when teams get it right.
The Anatomy of a Meaningful Choice
What makes a player choice actually matter? Information, consequence, irreversibility, and moral weight. A practical framework for designing choices that land.