Sundance Institute's Story Forum: Exploring Art and Innovation is a space to learn, collaborate, and join the conversation; inviting thoughtful dialogue about the artist-first tools and technologies supporting visual storytelling today.


Are you a filmmaker with an interest in video game narratives? Are you a gamer with an interest in learning more about how storytelling and art come together to create compelling gaming experiences? In this comprehensive panel featuring the artists behind several innovative indie games, you’ll hear a wide range of perspectives on narrative design, worldbuilding and what goes into making a great game. Several leading video game designers demystify how games are written, the importance of specificity in character development, and how an indie game gets published. Whether you’re an avid gamer or a complete novice, this conversation will give you new insights into this exciting medium.


Learn more about the games that will be featured in this discussion and watch the trailers at the links below:

  • Despelote: A soccer game about people 
  • Unpacking: A zen puzzle game about unpacking a life 
  • Venba: A narrative cooking game about family, love, and loss.

Explore Sundance Institute's Story Forum: On Demand Collection

Abhi
Designer and Programmer, VENBA
Abhi (he/him) is a game designer from Toronto who recently released his first game, Venba, to a great reception. He wants to tell intimate stories with interesting mechanics and hopes to see more games made from around the world with their own unique perspectives. more...
Tim Dawson
Technical Director, UNPACKING
Tim Dawson is a BAFTA winning narrative designer, game developer and co-founder of Brisbane indie game studio Witch Beam. Beginning his games career in Adelaide, Tim worked as an animator at multiple Australian game studios including Team Bondi, Pandemic and Sega Studios Australia, contributing to releases on consoles and handhelds. After co-founding his own studio in 2013, Tim helped create and release three award winning titles, including Witch Beam’s breakout success, UNPACKING. more...
Wren Brier
Creative Director, UNPACKING
Wren Brier is a BAFTA-winning narrative designer, artist and game designer best known for the indie game UNPACKING. She has worked in the games industry for over 12 years, starting at Halfbrick and later working as a freelance artist before developing UNPACKING with Witch Beam Games. She hopes to keep making personal games that engender empathy in players. more...
Erica Elson
Moderator | Digital Course & Event Producer, Sundance Collab
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. more...
Tags:Gaming

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