Hilton Brighton Metropole 9 - 11 July 2019

Insight:Inspiration:Networking

DESIGN

ART

AUDIO

BUSINESS

CODING

EVOLVE

INDIE

Discoverability

Blog Guest Blog: The Art of Storytelling

Posted: 6th June 2018

Games are one of the most interactive and immersive mediums available to us as storytellers. They provide the opportunity for players to actively affect the outcome of a scenario in a visceral way which has allowed us, as developers, to explore facets of the human experience in ways film, literature and television cannot.

Games in recent years have pushed the envelope on immersion and found ways to weaponise our interactions with a game, resulting in responses unique to the medium. When we hunt the beast and strip it for parts we feel pride from the kill, but guilt at taking a life. When we are forced to choose between saving one individual over another we feel remorse, but a satisfaction that comes when that decision pays off further down the line.

When I founded my company, I set out to make the games I felt were missing from my Library. I wanted to assemble a team to make something that told human stories from human perspectives, tapping into a wealth of collective experiences to really give the player moments they could relate to – and especially moments they can’t.

In Du Lac & Fey: Dance of Death we never wanted to shy away from important social issues such as abortion, sex, love and race. All of these are framed through the lens of women, as two of the three protagonists in our game are female with very different world views and upbringings. Our third, Sir Lancelot, must grapple with his own demons – monsters that sit outside of the usual male-lead revenge fantasy.

The Victorian era was rife with social upheaval, clashing cultures and contrasting values, and we are proud of the fact that we’ve managed to tell as many of these forgotten stories as possible within the walls of our game. It’s actually extraordinary how many parallels we can draw between us as people, despite there being over one hundred years between us. We have the tabloids and papers on our newsstands now, but this period gave birth to modern day journalism. Stories were fabricated without basis, gossip invented to sell papers, and facts overblown to keep people turning the page.

It is said that history is written by the victors, but, more simply put, it is written by those able to write. There are thousands of stories, both then and now, that’ll be lost to time due to one person monopolising the pen. We attempted to make amends with Du Lac & Fey, offering players a London they will have never seen before. London then is as London is now, a multi-cultural melting pot of ideas, lives and languages that birthed a new era of technology, art and belief. Who better to explore this new world than Arthurian immortals who, after all these years, can look upon this strange, exciting city with fresh eyes?

We are moving into a new era of game storytelling, exploring the way we handle and interact with topics such as mental illness, grief, and different sorts of love. Moreover, the demographic of gamers is shifting, and game developers seem to be accommodating that, or it could well be the other way around? It’s a fascinating time to be working in the games industry, especially when narrative-driven games seem to be at the forefront of our march forward. Above all else, I look forward to an increasing level of diversity in our developers, opening doors to new voices and the new stories those voices can tell.

Jessica Saunders is an Indie developer and and owner of Salix Games

Share this page

LATEST NEWS

Develop:Brighton 2019 Speaker Submissions Now Open 15th January 2019

New Format and New Name for Awards During Develop:Brighton the Develop:Star Awards to Focus on Creative Excellence 8th January 2019

Develop:Brighton Announce Record Attendance Figures 19th July 2018

What the Golf? and Skybolt Zack Win Indie Showcase Awards at Develop:Brighton 2018 17th July 2018

Guest Blog: Can Games Benefit From Blockchain-Based Public Infrastructure? 29th June 2018

Guest Blog: The Unexpected Variability of Physically Based Viewports 22nd June 2018

Building games is hard and it’s taxing physically, mentally and emotionally. So being around a community that understands that is great – there’s a comraderie here.

Haden Blackman

Hangar 13

There’s something creative about Brighton, so it’s the perfect place to have the conference.

Graham Devine

Magic Leap

I’ve been to every single Develop in the last 12 years. One thing you get here is networking - you will meet the most amazing individuals in the video games industry.

Kish Hirani

Terra Virtua

Develop is a very important place – it’s one of the few developer focussed conferences we have in Europe and that makes it very valuable.

Rami Ismail

Vlambeer

A lot of the opportunities that come from being here are speaking to other developers who are doing exactly the same thing as you. And there are some good parties – it’s very much a pleasurable work experience!

Gemma Foster

Dlala Studios

Develop is an excellent way of catching up with people – there’s a really nice community feel here.

Mike Bithell

Mike Bithell Games

There’s really something for everyone at Develop and the experience of being around like-minded people is really useful.

Grace Carroll

Creative Assembly

There really is a huge mix of people at Develop - loads of peers that you can learn from and the perfect blend of every element of game development as well.

Alex Moyet

Curve Digital

Develop always gets put in the diary. There are many reasons to be here, not just the talks, but the networking, people exchanging ideas about where the industry is right now and where it’s going to. It’s pretty essential to be here I think.

Ian Livingstone, CBE

I’ve felt a big passion here at Develop!

Tetsuya Mizuguchi

Enhance Games

Get involved today!

There are many ways you can be part of Develop:Brighton 2018 - including speaking in the conference, taking a booth in the Expo or becoming a sponsor.

Find out more