When Worlds Collide

A video game insider reveals how stories power the best computer games

Video games are now bigger than the global film and music industries combined – and they’re quietly transforming how stories are told. When Worlds Collide: How Video Games Reinvent Storytelling and Why It Matters is a groundbreaking video game storytelling book that shows, in clear and compelling prose, exactly how this new medium works – and why every writer, designer and curious player should care.

Drawing on decades as a game writer, narrative designer and academic, Colin Harvey takes you inside the writers’ rooms, VR labs and blockbuster studios where today’s most innovative stories are made. From Sony’s VR action game Blood & Truth to epics such as The Last of Us, Ghost of Tsushima, Grand Theft Auto and cult indie titles, he reveals how video games reinvent storytelling by handing agency to the player – and what that means for plot, character and emotion.

Organised in short, highly readable chapters, the book explores:

• Games versus stories – why games aren’t just “interactive films”, and how interactive storytelling and game narrative must solve problems other media never face.
• The hidden history of non-linear and participatory tales, from Tristram Shandy to Choose Your Own Adventure, that paved the way for modern games.
• The craft of narrative design in video games – pacing, player choice, “ludonarrative dissonance”, and the tricky business of aligning what the player does with what the story wants.
• Dialogue, character arcs and “world logic” – the nuts and bolts of writing stories for video games so they feel alive rather than scripted.
• Time, space and open worlds – how game storytellers choreograph exploration, repetition, side-quests and hub-and-spoke structures to create satisfying journeys.
• Pipelines, performances and collaboration – how writers, level designers, actors, coders and artists actually work together on large productions.
• The ethical dimensions of game design: choice, consequence, violence, representation and the politics of letting players “do anything”.
• Worldbuilding in the age of franchises, live services and streaming – from tightly crafted indie gems to sprawling universes, Harvey offers a practitioner’s guide to worldbuilding for video games.

Later chapters look ahead to the metaverse and mega narrative, interrogating what happens when stories stretch across films, comics, novels, streams and persistent online worlds – and how the tools of game storytelling help us make sense of these tangled universes.

He also examines storytelling in games and VR, and asks what the future of interactive storytelling might look like as AI, virtual reality and new platforms accelerate the collision between the player’s world and the fictional one.

Accessible yet rigorously informed by game studies narrative theory, When Worlds Collide is both an introduction for newcomers and a thoughtful video game narrative design guide for working professionals and students. Whether you are:

• a novelist, screenwriter or playwright curious about writing for games
• a game designer or developer who wants to understand story craft
• a narrative designer or writer looking to deepen your toolkit
• a lecturer or student on a game design, creative writing or media course
• or simply a player who loves story-rich games and wants to peek behind the curtain

…this book will change how you see the games you play, the stories you watch – and the stories you might create yourself.

If you care about where narrative is going next, When Worlds Collide is your essential guide to the most exciting storytelling laboratory on the planet.

Reviews

'Drawing on his expertise as both a practitioner and a storyteller, Harvey skillfully examines the ways in which games are revolutionising how we engage with, experience, and create stories. Each chapter blends theory with practice, making the ideas accessible and engaging, while inspiring both creators and fans alike to rethink the boundaries of narrative. Whether you're a gamer, writer, or simply a lover of storytelling, When Worlds Collide is an eye-opening and thought-provoking read that will forever change the way you look at stories.' – Damien Goodwin (Star Wars Outlaws, The Casting of Frank Stone, Returnal)

'People often ask why I care about storytelling in games. From now on I'll just give them this book' – Antony Johnston (Dead Space, Resident Evil Village, Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor)

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