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Find my notes from each Guest Lecture here: Guest Lecturers Notes
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Over the course of this module, I have had the opportunity to attend a series of guest lectures delivered by experienced professionals from many different areas of the gaming industry. Each of these speaker brought a unique perspective, offering much valued insight into different fields, including games design and narrative creation to concept art and user experience.
These sessions also helped me have a deeper understanding of the skills and qualities required to succeed in the industry while encouraging me to reflect on my own practices and goals as a game developer. By learning from their experiences, I have been able to refine my approach to game design and get a clearer vision of my future in this field.
To begin, I want to talk about some of my goals before talking about the insights gained from the most influential lectures:
My goals include becoming an indie developer to explore creative freedom, improving my 3D modelling and other practical skills and further developing my storytelling and narrative design abilities. While reflecting on the most relevant lectures to my own goals I’ll talk about how they have helped me refine my creative practice and broaden my perspective on the industry as a whole.
As someone with a large passion for storytelling in games, Emily’s lecture on Narrative Design resonated with me on a personal and professional level. I have always believed that games are a unique and powerful medium for storytelling, one that offers the immersion and player agency in ways that books or movies can’t. A well crafted game narrative has the potential to not only entertain but also inspire change, by addressing real-world issues through a meaningful way. This renewed my belief in the transformative power of storytelling in games and inspired me more to want to create stories that are impactful on multiple levels.
Through the lecture, Emily made many points. However, a point of hers that stuck with me was on how player interactions are a cornerstone of narrative design. She discussed how stories in games should work seamlessly with gameplay, making sure that players feel their actions have meaning within the world. Looking at this point from another perspective, I can see just how this approach enhances the player’s connection to the story, turning them from viewers/observers into an actual part of the story. This also showed me the importance of designing mechanics and narratives together, ensuring that they work well with each other to deliver further enhance the overall experience.
Moreover, she also emphasised how important execution is. This was something that also resonated with me. She told us that having a great idea isn’t enough. Instead, the ability to execute that idea is what separates professionals from hobbyists. This made me reflect on my own projects, where I considered whether some of my characters existed for simple purposes, such as comedic relief or genuinely had their own contribution to deepening the narrative.
Another point that Emily talked about that stuck with me, was about creating worlds that feel authentic and immersive. One with rules and values that also align with the narrative. This reminded me of the games I hold in high regard for their rich lore, where every location and character feels connected to the larger world. The idea that worldbuilding isn’t just about setting the scene but about the story and experience, made me reflect on my own work and think about how to approach it in a way where I think in advance about the message and essential experience I want the reader/player to receive.
Emily also gave advice for those looking to enter the field of narrative design. She explained how consistent writing is extremely valuable, not just for honing skills but for learning to handle criticism well. She also touched up on showcasing practical examples. Here, I was inspired to think about how I could better demonstrate my narrative skills. To put this to practice, I created a write-out of lore for my current Final Major Project game idea. I also colour coded it in accordance to these points I had gained from Emily’s Lecture to help me reflect at the end:
Jamie Blacknell’s lecture is another lecture resonated with me on a personal level because of our shared background as Unity developers with a diverse range of skills. Like Jamie, I have explored multiple areas beyond development, such as 3D modelling and environmental design. His talk reinforced the idea that having a broad skill set can open up more opportunities in the gaming industry and make you a more valuable team member in collaborative environments.