The Galway Film Centre are organising a Story and Macro Design Masterclass (1 day) with Brian Allgeier and Screen Training Ireland in the Galway Film Centre on July 7th.

This course is open to, game writers, game designers and narrative designers from gaming industry, as well as writers/storyliners from film & TV with an interest in gaming.

Brian Allgeier is the long-time director of the ‘Ratchet & Clank’ series and was part of the original team that created the franchise at Insomniac Games. He has worked in the games industry as an artist, designer, and director for over 26 years. Brian led the design and creative direction on a wide range of titles from the light-hearted ‘Ratchet & Clank’ games to the virtual reality horror adventure ‘Edge of Nowhere’. He is the author of the book, ‘Directing Video Games: 101 Tips for Creative Leaders’ where he shares his directing experience and the universal principles followed by veteran creative directors. As the Director of Experience at Insomniac Games, Brian focuses on how the science of user research and the art of creative collaboration can be applied to develop better games—like the highly anticipated ‘Spider-Man’ for the Playstation 4.

The masterclass will focus on the process of developing an overarching game design and story structure. For game design, participants will develop a list of mechanics and use them in a core game loop. They’ll see how branching paths are gated, non-linear storytelling elements are designed, and the integration of progression systems. In terms of story, the class will study the anatomy of a strong plot and how to break it down further into key emotional beats. As the story and design are developed, participants will discover how the two tracks can influence one another and work in harmony to deliver a cohesive and compelling experience.

Participants will learn how to:

****Use macro documents to communicate story and game structure.
****Develop core statements for pitching a game concept and defining a vision.
****Define characters, settings, and game mechanics.
****Align character motivations with gameplay actions.
****Identify the conscious and unconscious desires of the hero
****Create antagonists and the obstacles the hero faces.
****Write major story beats that center around a controlling idea
****Build game pillars and a core game loop
****Plan an overarching macro design

 

To apply visit www.screentrainingireland.ie

Closing date for application is June 27th.

For queries email education@galwayfilmcentre.ie