Heroes Villains Gamers

11/04/2024

Are visual novels ready for a great leap forward?

Where reaction time and manual reflexes are in other genres, visual novels prize critical thinking and the ability to interpret characters’ motivations.

06/04/2024

Review: Grand Theft Hamlet

21/03/2024 - In their SXSW-winning film, Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane retell their unexpected staging of a Shakespearean classic within the notoriously violent video game Grand Theft Auto Online

05/04/2024

Open Roads review: a short but bittersweet story about families and secrets

Open Roads is a well-observed, empathetic story about families and secrets, wrapped up in some lovely art and with barnstorming performances at its heart

04/04/2024

Hidden choices, small ripples: How CDPR merged cinematics and interactivity in Cyberpunk 2077

"[Interactivity] is a way to increase player engagement in story moments, which in turn maximizes immersion."

03/04/2024

42 games from legendary British indie Jeff Minter's psychedelic back catalogue are now bundled with an 'interactive documentary' on Steam

Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story tells the tale of one of gaming's most legendary figures.

09/03/2024

Immersed in narratives: the art of interactive storytelling

Chad Kunimoto talks to GEMA Digital’s Francisco Portal about storytelling when creating interactive entertainment attractions

08/03/2024

The Tremendous Yet Troubled State of Gaming in 2024 — https://buff.ly/3TqVc8M

Receive every essay via email; day of release Email Address Sign Up Thank you! Featured Feb 6, 2024 On Spatial Computing, Metaverse, the Terms Left Behind and Ideas Renewed Feb 6, 2024 What’s old is new again, but sometimes reinterpreted, distorted, or weighted with what came in between. What matt...

02/03/2024

Where are you going to find speakers from:
MIT Open Documentary Lab
CD Projekt Red (Cyberpunk: 2077 and Witcher games)
+ a Twitch Streamer, AI expert and a panel all about the biggest WOW! moments in interactive storytelling?
At the Modern Audience Conference of course… on Monday 4th March between midday and 6pm.
The conference happens online and tickets are free: https://buff.ly/3JUHoxi
WHY?
Because we LOVE interactive stories and the fantastic peeps who make them. OK?
Go here for all the info and to get your free ticket: https://buff.ly/3JUHoxi

A one-day online conference about interactive stories – their creators, fans and commentators. How is interactive storytelling drawing and expanding from video games, social media, advertising and leftfield artistic forms?

01/03/2024

Impossible question, but what’s the answer anyway… What would you tell a younger you? Phil Birchenall - join us to find out more - 4th March at – - More info & free tickets:

A one-day online conference about interactive stories – their creators, fans and commentators. How is interactive storytelling drawing and expanding from video games, social media, advertising and leftfield artistic forms?

01/03/2024

Join us at the Modern Audience Conference on 4th March. Tickets are free:

Featuring: Kat Cizek (MIT Documentary Lab) - Magdalena Zych (CD Projekt Red), Bilal Zafar, Phil Birchenall, Bettina Bodi, Anna Zaluczkowska and Pete Woodbridge.

Organised by: Bellyfeel and Leeds Beckett University

A one-day online conference about interactive stories – their creators, fans and commentators. How is interactive storytelling drawing and expanding from video games, social media, advertising and leftfield artistic forms?

29/02/2024

A that you always come back to…? Bilal – find out more about Bilal’s work on 4th March at – free tickets:

A one-day online conference about interactive stories – their creators, fans and commentators. How is interactive storytelling drawing and expanding from video games, social media, advertising and leftfield artistic forms?

28/02/2024

What do YOU do to when you’re stuck on a creative project?– Magdalena from CD PROJEKT RED -- find out more about her process on such as and on 4th March at - free tickets https://buff.ly/3JUHoxi

24/02/2024

A that you always come back to… Phil ?
4th March at - Free tickets here:

A one-day online conference about interactive stories – their creators, fans and commentators. How is interactive storytelling drawing and expanding from video games, social media, advertising and leftfield artistic forms?

23/02/2024

What do YOU do to when you’re stuck on a creative project?– ? find out more with Bilal on 4th March at

A one-day online conference about interactive stories – their creators, fans and commentators. How is interactive storytelling drawing and expanding from video games, social media, advertising and leftfield artistic forms?

22/02/2024

An impossible question, but what’s the answer anyway… What would you tell a younger you Magdalena Zych ? -- join us for more from Magda on 4th March at –
More info and tickets: https://buff.ly/3GDhKdy

21/02/2024

What do YOU do to when you’re stuck on a creative project Phil Birchenall ?

find out more from Phil about making interactive stories with AI on 4th March at https://buff.ly/3JUHoxi

20/02/2024

An impossible question, but what’s the answer anyway… What would you tell a younger you? Bilal - find out more on 4th March at – - more info and tickets: https://buff.ly/3GDhKdy

19/02/2024

A that you always come back to… ? Magdalena from CD PROJEKT RED – find out more 4th March at -- https://buff.ly/3JUHoxi

07/02/2024

Leeds Beckett University welcomes acclaimed creatives for The Modern Audience Conference 2024

Global experts specialising in interactive documentary, twitch streaming, standup comedy, AAA console games, AI and academia feature in free online conference.

06/02/2024

The Modern Audience Conference 2024... 4th March online -- tickets available - for free but it will sell out so book your place now...

For me that’s a long time ago! I remember climbing up into a car we used to have, a Morris Minor, but I must have been six by then. I swear I remember being bathed in the sink as a baby, it’s probably a memory of a memory. Perhaps a stronger recall than reality? Either

02/02/2024

Definitely my fave article of the week - and the pics are ace too! Say cheese: Rats like taking selfies --

With a camera attached to their cage, two rodents were taught how to take their own photos over the course of a week — and then kept doing it.

23/01/2024

The Last of Us Part 2’s roguelike mode is a playable identity crisis

More big-budget roguelikes please

13/01/2024

7 Grand Strategy Games That Have In-Depth Stories

In terms of stories and shaping one's story, these grand strategy games provide the most immersive playground for creative players.

21/12/2023

The Inquirer’s best interactives of 2023

Our favorite visual stories from the past twelve months

07/12/2023

This year's most poignant and powerful narratives were in video games

In 2023 the most mature, poignant and thoughtful narratives were in video games. Games such as 'Venba,' 'Thirsty Suitors' and 'Super Mario Bros. Wonder' showed the importance of play-driven narratives.

06/12/2023

Find out where the story is going in this most unusual video game “Clive is a Good Guy” - – and then some more ideas about crossovers between TV gameshows and reality TV – too ambitious? You decide!

Krishna Stott talks through Clive’s story in the game, Clive’s inner drives and guilt + ruminations on gameshows and reality TV in relation to the game being...

15/11/2023

How did Clive become Clive..? character and scripts - behind the scenes Clive is a Good Guy - FMV game 15th November 2023-- go here:

Krishna Stott, Richard Davis, Joseph Adams and Taro Craddock in various development meetings about Clive as a character within the story of the game, Clive i...

12/11/2023

'Thirsty Suitors' Is a Hilarious and Refreshing Gam

I feel seen by this game.

11/11/2023

Unravel a real-life conspiracy in this interactive crime thriller

A Hand with Many Fingers challenges players to connect the dots of a vast and deadly mystery

26/10/2023

Here's a trailer for a trailer that we made for a game. The game is a game and that comes later, the trailer isn't a game, it's a productivity app that claims to favour procrastination... go figure!

Live by the Spin – app release from Indolent Games 19th October 2023