HKU University of the Arts Utrecht

Ludonarrative in Game Design Education: A Concrete Approach

This paper, written by Hartmut Koenitz, Teun Dubbelman, and Christian Roth of HKU University of the Arts Utrecht, argues that narrative has been underserved in game design education and presents a concrete pedagogical model for addressing this gap.

• The paper argues that game designers can be trained to become interactive narrative designers, crafting game systems so that meaningful narratives emerge in players' minds through interaction.
• Narrative-focused games such as Dear Esther, Gone Home, The Walking Dead, and Firewatch are presented as evidence of a distinct space for interactive digital narration rather than a mere adaptation of print or film storytelling.
• The authors identify a skills divide: scriptwriters are skilled at fixed storytelling but struggle in interactive contexts, while game designers understand interaction but often lack deep narrative knowledge.