NL
Minor Interactive Narrative DesignThe minor

Minor Interactive Narrative Design

About the minor

Minor
Minor Interactive Narrative Design
Mode of study
Full-time
School
Games
Duration
5 months
ECTS
30
Type
Minor
Language
English
Email
sz@hku.nl
Phone
+31 (0)30-2091540

The HKU Games Minor Interactive Narrative Design (MIND) in brief

  • You are introduced to the basics of using traditional storytelling techniques as a starting point to explore the possibilities of actively involving your audience.
  • You work together with students from other disciplines to create multidisciplinary storytelling projects with interactive elements, such as art installations, board games, digital games, theatre shows and escape rooms.
  • You follow workshops on creativity and different aspects of storytelling from industry professionals, and learn to combine text, visuals, sound, technology and interactivity in an engaging way.
  • You discover how interactive narrative design increases the opportunities in your own professional field.
Extern students: sign up via KOM
HKU-students: sign up via studentportal

About the minor

Storytellers who can tell interactive narratives are needed in a variety of fields, ranging from the game industry, to journalism, museums, film, theatre, social organisations and the world of advertising.

This minor teaches you how to write, think, and design as a storyteller of the future, with your own creative skills (writing, illustration, development, animation, acting, etc) as a basis. In two related projects (Express yourself and Present yourself), you combine theory and practice, and learn to identify the opportunities for putting interactive projects on the market.

Minor Interactive Narrative DesignWhat will you learn?
Minor Interactive Narrative Design

What will you learn?

Based on your own creative expertise, you learn which opportunities are offered to you by interactive narrative design. You learn the basic skills of interactive narrative design in the areas of design, writing, designing interactive narratives, forming and testing ideas, technology and working with people from different creative disciplines

You do two projects:

  • In Project 1, Express Yourself, students use the book and story structures 'The 36 Dramatic Situations' as a starting point for a personal artistic exploration. The goal is to create a short interactive story together with another student.
  • In Project 2, Present Yourself, you work in a larger team on a bigger prototype for an interactive story, based on a societal theme. During the project you will also develop skills in pitching your project, defining your target audience, and writing effective project plans.
  • The minor is rounded off by an endterm which consists of three parts: 1) a playtest of the prototype developed in project 2 for a committee of teachers and industry professionals; 2) a project proposal developed during the project, and 3) an individual reflection on your own development as an interactive storyteller during the minor.
In the so-called "interactive narrative labs", or just "labs" in the first block, you will get lectures and project supervision from the core teachers. Each lab runs for three weeks, parallel to the project. Each of the two labs focuses on particular parts of the process of creating an Interactive Narrative Design, such as dialogue writing, story structure, psychological audience models, giving feedback and doing revisions, and setting up effective playtests with an audience.

Labs

  • During Lab 1, you will dive deeper into the actual scripting and writing process of creating interactive narratives. We will start with the fundamentals of storytelling, exploring character, conflict, worldbuilding and plotting and from there on move on to the specific challenges and possibilities of interactive storytelling and creating engagement with your players. A 'script' in an interactive story can be quite diverse, so you will not only learn how to write dialogue and story, but also how to utilize tutorials, quests, item descriptions and visual storytelling to create a meaningful whole. But we will not only be looking at the structural and technical side of storytelling during the lab: you will gain more insight in how to create deeper emotional choices within your narrative by creating a 'heatmap' for your interactive narrative. This lab is the perfect beginning to your own creative MIND journey.

  • In this lab, we’ll dive into the world of interactive narratives, exploring everything from improvisational theater to digital games. Reflection is key: what happened, how did you feel, and how did the narrative designers craft that experience through their work? By playing and analyzing a variety of interactive stories, you’ll gain inspiration for your own creations. Through rapid prototyping and a series of smaller challenges, you'll write, design, ideate, test, and reflect. What insights did your playtest reveal? What can be improved? Using what you’ve learned, you’ll iterate and refine your story, shaping it into a compelling interactive experience.

Minor Interactive Narrative DesignApply for the minor
Minor Interactive Narrative Design

Application and admission

Entry requirements

A strong interest in (interactive) storytelling, and a demonstrable existing creative skill, such as writing, animation, game design, theatre directing, songwriting, etc. You want to combine your passion for telling stories with an interest in working with creatives from other disciplines

You can register for the minor from now on, please note: full = full!

Are you an HKU student? Then take a look at the studentportal.

Are you a student from another institution? Then register via Kies op Maat.

Students are selected on the basis of a CV, a study progress review and a cover letter of 1 A4. If necessary, the course leader will hold a matching interview.
There is a continual selection process up to the application deadline. For important dates, see Kies op Maat.