Naughty Dog
CompanyUnited States
Documents about Naughty Dog
PocketGamer.biz24 min
It's not a place, it's a script - Making worlds that mean something
Game industry journalist and author Keith Stuart argues that successful game world-building relies on treating environments as narrative scripts rather than mere backdrops.
- Game environments should be treated as narrative scripts rather than static backdrops, functioning as active characters that reflect the core emotions of the story.
- Developers can deepen player engagement by applying the 'pathetic fallacy,' which involves imbuing landscapes with human emotion to mirror the narrative tone.
- Successful world-building often draws from non-gaming disciplines, such as 18th-century landscape gardening, 1960s urban planning, and the structured exploration paths used in IKEA retail psychology.
PocketGamer.bizDec 2017
Game Developers Conference25 min
Cinematography for Art Directors
In this 2015 presentation, Naughty Dog’s Robh Ruppel explores the intersection of cinematography and game art, arguing that game developers must move beyond mere technical replication of reality to embrace deliberate, artistic visual storytelling.
- Art directors must treat the game screen as a curated canvas for intentional design rather than a passive recording of 3D space to achieve high-level visual storytelling.
- Game developers should map lighting and color palettes directly to the emotional beats of the script to ensure visual cohesion.
- Cinematographic techniques such as high-contrast lighting, silhouettes, and framing devices are essential tools for isolating characters and guiding player focus.
Game Developers ConferenceApr 2017
Game Developers Conference59 min
Among Friends - An Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Post-Mortem
The development of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves centered on the ambition to create a playable summer blockbuster, prioritizing character-driven narratives integrated with high-stakes, cinematic set pieces.
- The development of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves relied on a six-month pre-production phase to prototype core innovations like the Dynamic Object Traversal system, which enabled combat on moving platforms.
- Naughty Dog Engine 2.0 leveraged the PlayStation 3's Cell processor to implement advanced graphical features like screen space ambient occlusion and physically correct depth-of-field while maintaining a consistent 30 frames per second.
- The project’s extreme ambition led to a grueling, extended crunch period, prompting the studio to conclude that future development must prioritize disciplined timelines, mandatory time-off policies, and dedicated post-production phases.
Game Developers ConferenceJan 2017
