CGDC '97 Roundtable Report

Welcome to the Interactive Writing Forum of Gamasutra. We intend for this forum to become a public meeting place for writers and designers of interactive entertainment in all media. CD-ROM games or the internet? What different approaches can be taken to each? Let's explore them. There are definitely some different challenges involved in single player games and multiplayer games. How do we create a dramatic structure flexible enough to allow an individual or a huge group of people to interact as freely in a game world as possible, and still guarantee a satisfying experience?

Many discussions will include the nuts and bolts of solving problems in the here and now: meeting deadlines; writing design documents; creating puzzles; integrating dialogue; growing interesting NPCs; building interactive stories from the ground up; writing for different genres; comparing different styles of presentation (video, 2D, 3D); finding an audience; building teams (who does what?); identifying and capitalizing on trends in gaming, finding and using tools to make the job easier... in short just about anything that affects our daily lives as creators of interactive entertainment.

We will also explore the future: the place of interactive in the wider entertainment market; the blurring of lines between genres; interactive TV (can we design a compelling story for a game where the only input device is a remote?). Would you rather write for polygons or human beings? Will we reach a point where we can't distinguish between the two?

This is just a brief list of topics we CAN cover. What we eventually end up talking about is up to you. Our goal is for this forum to become a source of information and inspiration. You are welcome to lurk, encouraged to post, but commanded to have a good time. We know this stuff is hard. It should also be fun. Join us and help make it fun.