Games as a Narrative Medium
About this Advisor Studio
In Advisor Studio sessions, film and television industry professionals share field experiences and insights into their specific areas of craft, including writing, directing, and producing for TV and film.
Unlike other forms of storytelling, video games place narrative control in the hands of players, transforming them from passive observers into active contributors to the story. The presence of well-defined rules, mechanics, and outcomes means that every decision a player makes influences how and when events unfold, resulting in a unique, personalized narrative experience — an aspect that distinguishes games from other forms of storytelling.
In this interactive Advisor Studio, you’ll learn how narrative design serves as a fundamental framework in video games, directing the player's journey and maintaining sustained engagement throughout the experience. We’ll pull back the curtain on how games get made and demonstrate different story forms and narrative techniques through case studies. You’ll learn the similarities between game and film screenplays, as well as the differences in how they are implemented.
Whether you are a writer transitioning from films to games, or simply curious about how video games get created, you won’t want to miss this opportunity to learn more about this dynamic storytelling format.
Topics include:
- How traditional screenplay structure applies to games
- The importance of the hero’s journey
- Choice and player agency
- Bios, bibles, and barks: writing compelling characters and dialogue
- Creating DLC (downloadable content)
- Distinct approaches to narrative design
- Collaboration in game writing
- Studio structure and writers’ rooms
If you would benefit from an accommodation to fully participate in this event, please complete this form, contact us at (435) 776-7790, or email us at accessibility@sundance.org to discuss your specific requests. Every effort will be made to accommodate advance requests; however, requests made within 5 days of the event may not be guaranteed.
A recording of this Advisor Studio will be posted to Sundance Collab on the first business day after the live event. Once it is posted, all registered attendees will find the recording in the “My Purchases” section of their account.
Advisor StudioTeam
Nic Yulo
Nic Yulo is a New York City–based author-illustrator and filmmaker working across literature, film, and AAA video games. She is a writer for Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint and has written for major franchise expansions, including Splinter Cell, Terminator, Future Soldier, Rainbow Six Siege, and Operation Motherland DLCs, bridging cinematic storytelling and interactive design across globally recognized titles.
Her debut picture books sold in a four-house auction and were published by Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
Her work has been recognized by the Sloan Film Summit (presented by Film Independent), Adobe Top Talent, SeriesFest, Shondaland, and Disney. She is the recipient of a New York Women in Film & Television Scholarship, an Alfred P. Sloan Screenwriting Award, a Breaking Barriers Grant for Female Directors, an Adobe Design Achievement Award, and was named a Chinonye Chukwu Emerging Writer.
Nic earned her MFA in Film from Columbia University’s School of the Arts. In 2021, she was inducted into the BAFTA Newcomers Program as its first video game writer, and has since served as a Vance Byrd Program Mentor and juror for the BAFTA Games Awards.
Erica Elson
Moderator | Digital Course & Event Producer
Erica Elson is a Producer, Writer and Educator based in the mountains outside Los Angeles. Her short film, WING NIGHT, premiered at Method Fest in Los Angeles. She is the co-author of the book THE AWKWARD HUMAN SURVIVAL GUIDE and co-hosted a podcast by the same name on the 5by5 network for five years. Elson's articles have been published by HuffPost, Lifehacker, and Reader's Digest. Prior to working in education, she worked in television development and writers’ rooms such as VH1’s HINDSIGHT, where she had the chance to write for the spinoff web series PLANET SEBASTIAN.
Elson joined the Sundance Collab team in October 2021 and produces courses, Master Classes, and events in the areas of screenwriting, television writing, directing, producing, and documentary filmmaking. She has moderated conversations with Sofia Coppola, Richard Linklater, Alexander Payne, and Susannah Grant, among others.
Prior to Sundance, Elson was the Thesis Production Supervisor at the American Film Institute for five years. She oversaw several award-winning graduate thesis films, notably the 2021 BAFTA student film winner APART, TOGETHER and the 2023 Sundance Film Festival short WE WERE MEANT TO. While at AFI, Elson developed a passion for sustainable production and created the Green Film School Alliance, which includes forty schools on four continents. She holds a BA in Communication and Film Studies from Concordia University and an MFA in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute.