Description
Every year, leading game design programs at universities across the country integrate the GDC's Game Narrative Review competition into their academic curricula. Each participating student conducts a detailed structured analysis of the narrative elements of a game title of their choice. The resulting papers are submitted to the GDC writing board for review, and the submitters with the most promising entries are then invited to create a poster as a visual synopsis of their review. Successful poster submissions are declared winners and exhibited at the GDC.
I won the gold award for my narrative review on Undertale. I created an essay and poster, both of which can be viewed and downloaded on this page or the GDC vault. I primarily wrote about the use of gameplay mechanics and medium as storytelling tools. I go over a brief introduction to the world and characters, so even if you haven't played the game you should be able to follow along.
Lessons Learned
With this essay, it wasn't so much learning something new, as it was putting into words what I already knew. Undertale is a game that expects you to analyse it, that excepts you to crunch away at every detail, and crunch away I did. From its darkest moments to its most lighthearted goofs, it was an amazing experience from start to finish. So most of all, I learned to love organizing my thoughts in a way that could be easily shared with others.
Development
Undertale is one of my all time favorite games. From its characters, to its themes, to its many narrative quirks, there is so much I had to say. Sadly, that essay would be far too long for this contest, so I decided to focus on Undertale's use of mechanics and medium to tell a story. This alone was enough to write an 8 page paper on though, it seems.
My decision to enter the contest came kind of late. The submission was due in two days, and I was just starting. It was a weekend, the fridge was stocked, my brain was charged, and I was ready to hammer it out. I spent a full 24 hours straight typing away at this paper, which is actually fairly normal for me, but usually I'd be programming.
Undertale's music is top notch, and its plethora of tracks perfectly encapsulate the emotions and experiences had in the moment. I listened to the soundtrack on loop for that 24 hours, changing up the song depending on the section of the paper I was writing. This kept me in the headspace of that moment, how I felt, and why I felt it. It really was the fuel that kept me going.
Notes
This essay and poster contain heavy spoilers for the game Undertale.
Undertale - Narrative Review
A narrative review, written for the annual GDC Game Narrative Review Competition. In this award winning essay, I dive into the facets of storytelling through use of mechanics, as well as the excellent utilization of medium, that made Undertale a worldwide phenomenon!
Release Date:
12/07/2015
Platform:
PDF
Role:
Writer
Skills:
Narrative Deconstruction
Narrative Comprehension
Tools:
Google Docs
Adobe Illustrator
Photoshop
Client:
GDC Game Narrative Review Competition 2016
Work Dates:
12/06/2015 - 12/07/2015
Essay
Poster
GDC Vault
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