Here is a guide to the topics you can expect on this module:

Introduction to creative writing and the importance of practice.
Breakdown of production documentation related to writing disciplines.
Understanding choice-based patterns within different interactive platforms.
Crafting dialogue and in-game text for a variety of gameplay scenarios.
Awareness of scene setting, pacing, and environmental storytelling.
Working effectively with narrative devices, delivery methods, and story components.
Medium adaptation for established intellectual property and transmedia storytelling.
Comprehension of how narrative is utilised for AAA and Indie production.
Broader writing styles to facilitate journalism, marketing, film, and television.

Assessment Component 1 - Continual Assessment weighted at 30% consisting of:

A series of micro-submissions evidencing completion of a set of guided game writing tasks.

Assessment Component 2 - A Narrative Portfolio weighted at 70% consisting of:

Narrative Design Document – a multimedia document containing narrative research, overviews, iterations, diagrams, and samples (2000 words)

Learning and teaching activities will be delivered through a structured blend of scheduled and independent study designed to support a clear learning journey. Scheduled sessions will typically include lectures that introduce theoretical concepts and provide workshop activities that allow you to research games and engage in facilitated discussions. Independent study will involve recommended reading, tasks, and ongoing development of project work supported by the resources provided. Support sessions will also be provided for lecturer engagement and catch-up opportunities.

1. Integrate your knowledge and transferable skills in narrative to formulate appropriate, evidence-based solutions to complex player experience problems at the forefront of your field of study.

Application & Problem-Solving

2. Conduct academic research using writing methodology suitable to the context of narrative media.

Research Skills

3. Communicate effectively to professional and non-specialist audiences about the practical implications of knowledge and skills in writing for narrative media.

Communication

4. Take responsibility in engaging with lifelong learning opportunities in line with your development needs and aspirations to continue growing your professional narrative practice and transferable skills as a game development professional.

Personal Development & Entrepreneurship

Digital Academy Forum
Digital Academy Upload
Microsoft Office
Capture Editing Software

Bateman, C., 2021. Game Writing: Narrative Skills for Videogames. 2nd ed. New York: Bloomsbury Academic.

Case, J., Freeze, E. & Pane, S., 2024. Story Mode: The Creative Writer's Guide to Narrative Video Game Design. 1st ed. London: Bloomsbury Academic.

Dansky, R., 2025. The Video Game Writer's Guide to Surviving an Industry That Hates You. 1st ed. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

Despain, W., 2020. Professional Techniques for Video Game Writing. 2nd ed. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

Epstein, A., 2025. Crafty Game Writing - Secrets of Great Videogame Narrative. 1st ed. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

If you want to learn to write stories that others will love, this is the module for you! This module will explore the craft of creative writing within the context of interactive media. Through learning how to shape dialogue, set scenes, and conceive environments that respond to the player, you’ll practice production techniques used by writers and narrative designers from AAA spectacles to Indie gems. Along the way, you’ll discover how different game studios approach narrative and how writing adapts across platforms, including journalism and marketing.