Curriculum for Interactive Narrative for Games & Digital Media Degree

What exactly is interactive narrative? You'll find out by playing some of the best games in the narrative canon, but you'll also have a chance to experience other forms of interactive story, from museum exhibits to escape rooms. Then You'll also learn the basics of creating your own interactive story. Learn about what narrative professionals do during visits by industry professionals. We'll also cover various forms of interactive story worldwide, from sea shanties to shamanism to Santa Claus.

Prepare for professional work in interactive narrative in this rigorous but fun class, where you'll completedo actual on-the-job projectsassignments to hone your skills and get your creativity flowing. We'll analyze important games and interactive works, learn industry tools and create works to build your narrative portfolio.

Interactive Narrative II builds on the concepts, tools and skills from Interactive I. In this course you'll create narrative structures beyond simple branching, as you gain a deeper understanding of narrative design theory. You'll hone your player-facing writing skills to write professional-quality dialogue and text. Projects in this class will challenge you to complete real-world assignments on time and to specifications. You'll gain proficiency with industry-standard tools and bring your analysis, critique and revision skills to a professional level. This course provides a strong foundation for the Advanced Seminar and eventual work in the field.

This course introduces students to the work of writing creatively, encouraging them to become more attentive readers, as preparation for their own growth as writers. We'll survey a range of literary texts, developing a deeper understanding of how creative genres work, what parameters structure them, and how they might be deployed in our own writing. Students will experiment within their own fiction, poetry, and nonfiction writing. The bedrock of our class will be peer review, so students can read and learn from each others' work.