iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Replies

Anna 🌿👁️ @annacwebs.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

Sad to see that the GDC State of the Games Industry '25 confirm what I have suspected for a while: narrative roles particularly hard-hit by layoffs in the industry. Narrative is sometimes seen as expendable on a project: when the reviews of our story come out, are we still on the team?

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Stellbound: Stellraiser II @antlervel.vet · 21/01/2025

CRAZY I NEVER EXPECTED THIS,,

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Ian Berridge @kliqimb.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

*looks at chart* *looks at roles listed in bio* Sickkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk.

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Chride Lassheikki ✨ @classheikki.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

I think part of this is that there's a stronger emphasis on 'evergreen' (aka. repeatable, aka. grindy) game loops in order to keep running costs low. Narrative could be the perfect secret sauce to keep those fresh, but the uninformed think $$$ single-use cinematics when you say narrative.

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Christal Rose ☀️ Hazelton @hellohazelton.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

It's also funny how game writers are viewed inside/outside the studio. Fans think writers have so much power and sway over a game when, in reality, that's seldom true.

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Sa-ilent Hill Bajaj @sahilbajaj.dev · 21/01/2025

It is just now hitting me how often folks in Narrative end up being somewhere else entirely by the time the reviews come out...

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Sally Beaumont | BAFTA Breakthrough | Voice Actor & Writer @sallybeaumont.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

Seeing some of my (very hard, very skilled) work referred to as “help” or “support” has been so demoralising. I’d been used to justifying myself as a freelance writer but now I’m just…what? A little helpmeet?

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Bertine van Hövell 🛝 Gamescom @baroness.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

Guess which department has a high number of juniors and marginalised folks?

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Queen of Land @queenofland.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

Arrrrrrgh. I fought for literally years for narrative to even start to be included. It's so infuriating watching this go backwards. Gaming will become so boring with this move, and I am old enough to remember PONG.

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Nossemanden @nossemanden.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

Big studios don’t seem to understand that the best selling games are often also the ones with the best writing.

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Jade Fae Britzman @jadefae.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

While it’s certainly true narrative is often hit hardest and is undervalued, don’t trust the GDC report. It is not representative. More than 50% of respondents said they were “Either solo developer or the primary worker at their company.” It is not an accurate state of the industry report.

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Cyrus Nemati @ahoymehearties.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

I guess brand development is pointless when the simulacra of meaning derived from purchased IPs is good enough. 🤷 I have to believe this style of development will end when the nostalgia cow runs dry.

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webradley.bsky.social @webradley.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

I would say that the single best game I ever played was Planescape: Torment and it was definitely the narrative that made that game the success that it was.

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Callum Darval @moonlightdm.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

Gameplay overall is the easiest to create. (Not saying it will be satisfying or be good but simply easy to create.) Writing and Narrative must be established early and must be high quality or it REALLY shows. Not to mention paying for Voice Actors or fully Mocapped scenes are seen as overly costly

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Evillivy 🎨🖌 Commissions Open @evillivy.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

I will never understand how the gaming companies manage to make EVERY bad decision possible. They can just look at how the story has made multiple indie games crazy successful, but they are blinded by greed. And its not like AAA games have gameplay that justifies it either.

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Jaclyn Seto (Jackie) @jaccplays.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

Emotional resonance is what keeps franchises alive. FANDOM is what keeps franchises alive. People pushing for short-term profits have never been part of those communities, nor do they have any understanding of them. Money is all they understand.

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Anna 🌿👁️ @annacwebs.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

I'd argue that now, more than ever, studios need to be investing in well-written, sustainably-crafted story. This means building writers' rooms that are designed to grow with the studio, building institutional knowledge in a positive environment that also fosters new voices/bringing in juniors.

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Jill Murray @jillmurray.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

I'm not sure we can use that survey to draw clear conclusions. Respondents were not proportional to the makeup of the industry. It's too bad we don't have a better source of data.

a graph showing that 32% of respondants to the GDC state of the industry survey were from indie studios, compared to only 25% from "AAA and AA." Mobile etc... are not listed.

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Grumpy De Grumpster @grumpyphotoguy.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

And then they will wonder why their games aren't selling.

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Deric Lee @dericlee.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

Bad narratives have turned me off many a game.

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The Real The Davey @therealthedavey.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

I spent a year playing Fortnite and never want to return bc I realized a month before quitting how much I missed a purpose. I went into FFXV and then Death Stranding and never looked back.

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Larry S Williams, MA @lswma.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

*sigh* We need good stories. This is what happens when profit is at the expense of community. If consumers are left with only bad choices, how do we advocate for something better?

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