The Corner of Story and Game

The Lenses of Game Design: Part 00 Welcome back, wanderer. This episode kicks off something a little different for The Corner of Story & Game - a series of episodes exploring the lenses from The Art of Game Design . But before we dig into the lenses individually, why not introduce them with the professor himself, Jesse Schell ? Jesse is a luminary in the game design cosmos, with his book and f...

Welcome back, wanderer. In today's episode, we sit down at the table with Nick Sampson of Epic Realms to talk about the unique intersection of TTRPGs and the streaming world. Nick is a fellow podcast creator, a Twitch streamer, and a general lover of games, fiction, and storytelling. He brings a unique perspective to the discussion with a background steeped in the arts and performance. Grab a...

Welcome to a special Valentine's Day episode of "The Corner of Story and Game." Today's chat by the fire is with Heidi McDonald, and we dive into discussing romance in video games. With over 12 years of experience in narrative design, game development, and creative direction, Heidi has left an indelible mark on the industry. Her illustrious career includes collaborations with ren...

We are in for a treat in this episode of The Corner of Story and Game as we are graced by TWO brilliant writers/designers! Xalavier Nelson Jr. and Winter Mullenix stop by to explore the vital topic of inclusion and diversity as it applies to the craft of storytelling. It is a topic that I have wanted to create some space to explore for quite awhile now, and I am extremely honoured that these two m...

In this episode of The Corner of Story and Game I get a chance to talk with another one of the superstars at Something Wicked Games - Will Shen! Will is the Lead Content Designer at SWG, and is the former Design Director at Bethesda Game Studios - having worked on such massive titles at Elder Scrolls Skyrim and Fall Out 4 's add-on Far Harbor . Will and I chat about: How he got into gaming, Th...

Season Two kicks off strong with Crowe Whitney joining me to discuss the highlights of 2023 and what is ahead in 2024. Crowe is not just a dream chaser armed with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Game Design but a narrative designer, tabletop roleplayer, Twitch streamer, and game writer. At their core, Crowe is a storyteller who thrives on collaboration and the art of improvisation. As a proud graduate...

Well, it has been a fun wandering through Season One, trying different things and talking with a wide variety of folks - BUT, it is finally time to put and endcap on it and get ready for Season Two! The Corner of Story and Game: -> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

If you are a fan of The Onion, specifically between 2008 and 208, there is a good chance you are a fan of Dave's work. Aside from his time working on the well-known satire and comedy paper, he has contributed to television, haunted house experiences, VR games, and most recently Marvel Snap and Lord of the Rings: Moira. Dave and I chat about: Moving into comedy writing coming out of school, His...

Welcome back to The Corner of Story and Game ! This time around I get the chance to pick the brain of the founder and CEO of Story City - Emily Craven. She is a published author, a speaker, and a storyteller with a degree in Astrophysics but a love for interactive experiences. Story City is a social enterprise that believes local stories and storytellers matter and that connecting places with stor...

Welcome back to The Corner of Story and Game ! In this episode, I sit down with Susan O'Connor . She is the founder and CEO of The Narrative Department, an award-winning game writer, and an all-around fantastic person. Join us as we discuss the importance of story in games, narrative design concepts, and life in general as a creative person. Some of the specific topics we cover include: The Na...

Welcome to the latest episode of The Corner of Story and Game! In this episode, I have the pleasure of chatting with legendary Canadian writer and game designer Ed Greenwood . Ed is the mastermind behind the beloved Forgotten Realms universe, and he shares some fascinating insights on world-building, game writing, and so, so much more. Join us as we explore the creative process and learn how Ed ha...

For Brady Sadler , the life and career of a creative has taken a winding road. He has been the drummer in a label-signed metal band, has designed numerous board games, and recently released his second published novel, The Acrid Sky . Not content with that, he has also set his eyes on breaking into the video game industry. Brady and I discuss the narrative design masterclass we are in, the importan...

This week, I come at the theme from a different angle – gaming (and stories) from the POV of a game-related content creator. WintersWolfcry (Evan in the physical world) has been building community and playing games since 2018, going from talking to himself with an empty chat to the engaged and friendly community he has now. Along the way, he has played a LOT of different games in pretty much every...

This week, I am excited to present my interview with David Gaider, a veteran writer and narrative designer who has made significant contributions to the gaming industry. David started his career as part of the BioWare team, working on some of the most iconic games of our time, including Baldur's Gate II , Neverwinter Nights , and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic . As the lead writer for...

British author and editor Marc Gascoigne is back to finish off the conversation we were having previously. With over fifty books and gaming-related titles under his belt, Marc is a true veteran in the industry. Best known for his work on the Fighting Fantasy series, Marc has also contributed to some of the biggest names in gaming, including Shadowrun , Earthdawn , Judge Dredd , and Call of Cthulhu...

This week on The Corner of Story and Game, I am thrilled to welcome British author and editor Marc Gascoigne to the show. With over fifty books and gaming-related titles under his belt, Marc is a true veteran in the industry. Best known for his work on the Fighting Fantasy series, Marc has also contributed to some of the biggest names in gaming, including Shadowrun , Earthdawn , Judge Dredd , and...

This week, we have the pleasure of interviewing Trent Oster , a BAFTA Award-winning veteran of the games industry. Trent's impressive career includes co-founding BioWare and leading the development of the award-winning Neverwinter Nights. He also co-founded Beamdog after leaving BioWare in 2009. In this episode, we dive into Trent's experiences in the industry, his insights into the creati...

For Divya Dias , chasing the dream of making games for a living meant leaving her home in India and coming to Canada - but she'll be the first to tell you it was worth it. She now is a Narrative Designer at Amazon Games, working on the hit MMO New World . In this episode, we dig into, amongst other things: Her journey into game design and playing games, Cutting her teeth in the game industry i...

This week's interview is a bucket-list chat for me, as I get to talk to Mark Meer! To any gamer growing up in Alberta, especially one with a love for theatre and performance arts, Mark has been a bit of legend since he stepped into the voice booth for BioWare. Mark is a voice actor, writer, and improv artist - and he is best known for bringing life to the male version of Commander Shepard in t...

This week's guest is none other than Emmy-winning Joshua Rubin . He is a writer, producer, director, and veteran of the entertainment industry, with 20 years of experience in Film, TV, Video Games, and XR. Joshua is best known for co-writing Assassin's Creed 2, and for his work as part of the core creative team at Bungie responsible for building the world of Destiny. Recently, Joshua was L...

Paul Reed joins us this week to let us peek into his mind and learn from his journey. Paul is a writer and game designer that started out as a Nintendo Game Counsellor, and has worked his way up from there. He has worked at studios like Retro Studios and Sony Online Entertainment - and today he is working at Cryptic Studios. In this episode, we dig into, amongst other things: Breaking into the vid...

Doug Levandowski takes a chair at the table this week, discussing all sorts of game design and writing topics. Doug is a board game and tabletop roleplaying game designer/writer (as well as an English teacher). He is best known for his work on Kids On Bikes , Kids on Brooms , Kids in Spaces , and currently is working on Kids In Capes . In this episode, we dig into, amongst other things: Giving peo...

Shanna Germain joins us this week to discuss a wide range of topics! Shanna is an award-winning author, editor, and game designer. She is one of the co-founders of Monte Cook Games and was the Lead Designer on No Thank You, Evil! and has contributed to dozens of other game products, including the upcoming Old Gods of Appalachia RPG. In this episode, we dig into, amongst other things: The choices w...

Winter Mullenix joins us this week to chat about writing for video games, her time as a model and a musician, and, as always, the importance of storytelling. Winter is an experienced writer and narrative professional with a whole swath of credentials - currently working as Narrative Director at Cryptic Studios. In this episode, we dig into, amongst other things: Her time as a model and musician, M...

Chris Pramas joins us this week to discuss the challenges of publishing in the game design, and many of the things he has learned along the way. Chris is a game designer and writer who is best known as the founder of Green Ronin Publishing and the designer of the Dragon Age RPG. He has worked on a lot of different games, including Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and Freeport: The City of Adventure. In...