This document summarizes key points from a presentation about narrative design and visual style in video games. It discusses the ludology-narratology debate around whether games should be studied as narratives. It argues that games can be approached as narratives because they create fictional worlds mediated through a narrating medium. It also notes that narratives in games are open works that develop based on player decisions, creating real risks that challenge game designers to maintain narrative necessity, coherence and tension across multiple storylines.

1. WELCOME TO NARRATIVE DESIGN &VISUAL STYLE IN VIDEO GAMES A presentation b y Altug Isigan METU Informatics Institute GATE511 December 29 2010

3. A few pics: Protoypes for Saviors

4. Pics, continued: Global Game Jam

5. Pics, continued: Game Design Class

8. UNIT 1: APPROACHİNG GAMES AS NARRATİVES

22. UNIT 2: INTERACTION AS NARRATIVE ARTICULATION

35. Interaction as Narrative Articulation

37. UNIT 3: GAME CONTROLS AS CONSTRAİNTS ON VİSUAL STYLE

44. Motion Types Primary motion refers to object movement. It can be best exemplified by objects or persons moving within, or, in an out of the borders of a static frame. A great number of games are built on primary motion. Examples with static frames are Tetris , Centipede , Space Invaders , Pac-Man There is hardly a game that doesn’t have primary motion. Primary motion within a static frame answers the player’s need for surveillance

45. Motion Types Secondary motion denotes camera and/or optical movement. The frame is dynamic and the camera performs a variety of moves like travelling, panning or zooming Often such movement will go together with types of primary motion. All games that use a moving camera can be given as examples: Zaxxon Secondary motion creates depth and is easy to cope with as long as there is vector consistency

49. The Long Take

51. UNIT 4: DESIGN SOLUTIONS FOR GAMES BASED ON LONG TAKES

65. CLOSİNG SESSİON

70. QUESTİON & ANSWER SESSİON 30 mins... gotta catch a plane!