“What does a narrative designer actually do?”

In short, the narrative designer is responsible for the story inside the game, not just on the page. That means writing it, but also deciding where and how it reaches the player: a cutscene, a line of dialogue, an item, a place. Then making sure it actually gets into the game, together with design, art, audio and code.

The challenge is that the player may never see some of it, because there is more than one path to follow. Every piece still has to mean something, for whoever finds it.

“Why games, and why audiogames?”

I believe that letting other people live stories is one of the things that has made us human since the dawn of time. Doing it through something immersive and interactive, where people are fully involved, takes that as far as it can go.

Audiogames take the images away. Everything rests on what the player hears: strong, well-placed sounds and a script that gets to the point quickly without taking anything away from the player’s imagination.

“What have games taught you about writing?”

To tell a story in small spaces, and to tell it without words. To drop an idea that does not shape the player’s narrative experience and only makes the documents longer. And to dive into myths and old stories, wherever they come from.

“If you could keep only nine games, and only nine, which would they be?”

1. Pokémon Yellow (1998)
2. The Legend of Dragoon (1999)
3. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (1999)
4. Max Payne (2001)
5. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003)
6. Mass Effect (2007)
7. Heavy Rain (2010)
8. Red Dead Redemption (2010)
9. Outer Wilds (2019)

And one story outside games that I wish I had written: Donnie Darko.