Distribution : Global Video on Demand Market to Surpass Valuation of US$ 618.54 Billion by 2030 – Astute Analytica by Geoff Hall

Games are engaging and interactive and, therefore, will have the most future growth potential. Games are not like PONG anymore, many have rich and varied story worlds.

L. Tom Deaver so Tom, what future is there for the screenwriter? How can we diversify or incorporate interactive content into our stories?

Geoff Hall Short answer, is all games require writers. But it's a very different kind of script. And we DON'T incorporate interactive content into our [narrative] stories unless we are writing for a game or in a teaching environment where that interactivity enhances the narrative instead of disengaging us from it (which almost by definition it must). Even 3D beyond the woo-woo is a stretch in the narrative structure. Working with 3ality in the past on 360 VR production, we couldn't find a real narrative application. Gaming is an experience, even the complex role playing world and are geared towards replayability and competition by necessity. They aren't really much of a platform for story except in the most basic of concepts.

Shadow, HORIZON ZERO DAWN, LAST OF US, the WARHAMMER 40,000 universe, and many more are not narrative? I beg to differ that games are not narrative. But you are correct that games are a different type of narrative - rather than a traditional narrative, they are often branching, interactive, etc like a choose your own adventure book from our youth.

Geoff, there will always be film and I love film. So there will always be screenwriters but the growth will be in writing for games.

Thanks for this great article, Geoff!

Sam Sokolow thank you Sam!

Shadow Dragu-Mihai, Esq., Ipg L. Tom Deaver I know as screenwriters we are meant to read lots of screenplays, so I’m curious to know what a game story/script looks like. Do you know of any that I could read? I’m just trying to cover all the bases, future-wise for my ‘career’. Thanks. G

A PS Shadow Dragu-Mihai, Esq., Ipg you mentioned the problem with ‘disengaging’ from the narrative when using ‘interactive content’. I’m just wondering if that is also a limitation for Transmedia stories?

Hey Geoff, I know of no scripts for games to read but you could play a game or two to get ideas on how game storytelling works. I already mentioned a few but could add DRAGON AGE and MASS EFFECT among others.

L. Tom Deaver Thanks Tom. I will do that, but I'd also like to read something, to see how it's formed on the page. Thanks for the info. G

If you find examples of it on page, let me know too. I've looked but not found.

Will do, L. Tom Deaver

L. Tom Deaver well Tom, it seems you have to learn a whole new app for writing video games, which I’ll look into, but this article shows you 6 steps for writing video games.

https://www.socreate.it/en/blogs/screenwriting/how-to-become-a-script-wr...

Also there’s a reference there to software called Twine. Follow the link and check it out. Let me know what you think.

Hey Geoff, thank you so very much. You got a sharp eye. Great find, sir.

L. Tom Deaver Well we can differ on this, but the fact there is a necessary narrative set up a game activity does not make it a narrative experience. You can have a narrative backdrop, but that does not make the experience a narrative experience. Role play and interactivity are different than story. I think that anyone wanting to write a script for a game really needs to understand game design and "game theory" as it is still called in political science, much more intimately than story. Because story is just not important unless it sets up game play and encourages replayability - be that gameplay puzzle, combat or simulation. Interactive games are certainly not new - D&D from the 1970s creates a role playing game, with necessary narrative designed by a "DM." But the interactivity and role-play interrupts any designed narrative by definition. A story can be imposed only in retrospect and that is not narrative, it's history. The early interactive "narrative" style games - I played Don Bluth's "Dragon's Lair" on my Amiga in 1984 (I think it was out earlier than that) again has a narrative environment but that only sets up game mechanics. Warhammer, et al are the same - necessarily a player can skip narrative in-game and experience shows that if a narrative cannot be skipped, you lose players. So its about gameplay and replayability.

Also - fun fact, I went to high school with the son of one of the guys at Magnavox who was designing Pong, and got to play the earlies beta versions on their TV!

Geoff Hall About "transmedia" - we used to just call that derivatives and adaptations! (most of us still do). Transmedia is about branding and franchise development - pure and simple - and the overall story-telling aim is secondary. There is no necessary continuity between media in a so-called "transmedia" - and think about it, there is no necessary crossover in audience apart from die-hard fans either, because people tend to have preferences as to how they consume their media. Since the terms was coined, it has spawned a lot of pseudo-academic talk about engaging an audience across media where the story takes different turns, etc. I know of no examples which actually have sought to do that in a serious fashion. And as I said, only die-hard core fans are likely to follow across novel, anime, gaming, series, graphic novels and role playing games... So the real purpose as a creator is to push the franchise into different media. But not because it develops the story further, rather because it entrenches the franchise and capitalizes on the brand to sell more stuff. When I did Vampyre P.I. and Nightcrossings back in ~2004, the graphic novel, the series and the film were all centered around the main character Nefertari LaFontaine. We were successful in all three areas, and the overall thrust supported the entire brand and reinforced connection to the main character and the actress who played her, Carrie Cain Sparks. While this raised awareness overall, the audiences did not cross over to anywhere near the extent that the "transmedia" concept pretends they do. Graphic novel people like graphic novels. Series people like series. Film people like film. They didn't all get involved in the different stories done in other media. But they ALL bought merch!

Shadow Dragu-Mihai, Esq., Ipg ah, tales from your misspent youth, eh? I played PONG at our seaside Amusement Arcade. Sadly I didn’t see the signs that video games would have a lucrative future!

Shadow Dragu-Mihai, Esq., Ipg so, one of my takeaways there, is to create a game with good merchandising potential. I take it portraits of Geoff will not have a great commercial appeal!!! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience, it’s much appreciated.

The introduction of ads, password sharing crackdowns (I mean what Netflix is proposing is absurd, but will likely become industry standard), and the increase in monthly payments... the streaming giants might see their demise by 2030 in my opinion. Also evaluations like this are likely for better stock dumps anyway...! Will be interesting to see where it all goes nonetheless!