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Branching Narrative & Video Game Writing Skills Development: Over 3+ months and 12 live group workshops, craft your own game with a direct line for one-to-one mentoring and feedback
Taught by Dr. Greg R. Buchanan
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- Writer of the BAFTA-Winning Video Game NO MAN’S SKY - over 10 million copies sold, with a 30 hour long branching text story introduced post-launch.
- Worked on major franchises such as DARK SOULS, UNTIL DAWN, THE DARK PICTURES, METRO & more.
- Voice Director for DIVINITY: ORIGINAL SIN 2.
- Bestselling Author of SIXTEEN HORSES (TV adaptation announced from Gaumont, the studio behind HANNIBAL & NARCOS) & CONSUMED.
- PhD in identification and ethics across novels and video games, teaching classes in literary theory and lecturing at King’s College London.
- Taught almost 100 students over three years since the workshop’s inception.
- Started his career with an early version of the BAFTA-longlisted text game AMERICAN ELECTION — using the exact same tools as this very workshop.
"Greg moved heaven and earth for me to keep working when I could and to give me the space to do what I needed to do. I'm going to publish a game this year: that is down to this course and what it has taught me.”
- Alastair Stuart (The Magnus Archives VA; Doctor Who TTRPG; Game Developer)
Alumni have worked for:
Rockstar Games, Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty, Cloud Imperium’s Star Citizen, Raw Fury, The Lord of the Rings, PUBG Corporation & more, with writing across TTRPGs, TV, film & bestselling novels
"The one-on-one support from Greg was a really helpful and unique offering that I found even more personal and helpful than most of my college-level workshops. In the end, I created a prototype for a game that I was really happy with, and I loved getting feedback from industry professionals.”
- Luna Raydue (Gamedev, Voice Actor, Twitch Streamer, MFA Stony Brook)
“Greg’s guidance & the support of fellow students make this an invaluable experience for anyone interested in writing for interactive mediums.”
— Nathan Vokal (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Infinity Ward)
"I really think that without this course it wouldn't have turned out as good as it did. The group feedback and dialogue exercises helped me streamline my work and create a range of dialogue options that were fun and interesting for the player to explore."
- Jillian Nerat (Narrative Designer and Storyboard Artist, BFA Game Design)
“This is the sort of structure that interactive narrative is crying out for. Access to honest, gentle, professional feedback in a medium where it can be hard to find is a blessing.”
— Thomas Davies (Whispers in the West)
WRITING INTERACTIVE NARRATIVES: WORKSHOP
The Interactive Narrative Workshop guides participants in developing game writing skills and producing polished work.
We welcome aspiring and experienced writers alike. If accepted, the goal is this: produce and refine a prototype text-based interactive fiction game over the span of thirteen weeks.
There are no pre-recorded videos — we study your work each week, playing through and making choices in a live playtest followed by MFA-style group discussion and critique. Between sessions, students are able to request one-to-one feedback and advice as standard: I’m there every step of the way to help you challenge yourself, improve, and produce new work.
And if you sign up early? We can start interactive skills and project planning exercises before the main video sessions even commence.
Don’t wait for a perfect time to create: such a thing does not and will not exist.
Why Choose This Workshop:
- Create a full game with passion and curiosity, synthesising all the fragments you might make in a portfolio into one project.
- Smallest class size among the leading game writing workshops: we cap classes at just 10-15 people per cohort. Everyone gets the attention they deserve.
- Direct one-to-one consultation from a writer of BAFTA-winning & long listed games across indie and AAA every single week — included as standard with no extra cost.
- Don’t wait to get started: as soon as you sign up, you start working on interactive exercises designed to build your project proposal and improve your skills;
- Join a selective community of more than just fun and mutual support: challenge each other and raise each other up through kind and committed feedback. By editing the work of others, you hone your own thinking.
Finish the workshop with:
- Tangible proof of your abilities and creativity that goes beyond fragments in a document—setting you apart in a competitive industry and giving you the basis for your first (or next) indie release.
- At least 30 minutes+ gameplay with a polished 8 minute demo presented to a senior industry guest at our showcase
- Graduation Certificate with LinkedIn Integration for those who meet criteria of quality and diligence
- Free Lifetime access to the Substack
"There's no substitute for other people reading & critiquing your work. Doing so in the safe & encouraging space that Greg provides has been genuinely career-changing.”
— Kate Gray (Moonstone Island, Winding Worlds)
NOTE: If the application form does not appear below or there are any problems, please click one of the ‘Apply’ buttons on this page to be taken to an off-site version
- Worried you don’t have enough experience? The application process will ensure you have the skills required to take the course - don’t worry!
- Experienced game writers have been present in almost all of our past classes — you will find a structured framework to refine your skills and explore narrative potential beyond the creative and/or time constraints of indie and AAA.
