What really makes a video game story interactive? What's the best way to create an interactive story?How much control should players be given? Do they really want that control in the first place?Do they even know what they want-or are their stated desires at odds with the unconscious preferences?All of these questions and more are examined in this definitive book on interactive storytelling for video games. You'll get detailed descriptions of all major types of interactive stories, case studies of popular games (including Bioshock, Fallout 3, Final Fantasy XIII, Heavy Rain, and Metal Gear Solid), and how players interact with them, and an in-depth analysis of the results of a national survey on player storytelling preferences in games. You'll get the expert advice you need to generate compelling and original game concepts and narratives.With Interactive Storytelling for Video Games, you'll:

While writing for straight, linear media like films or novels requires certain skills, writing for video games requires a whole new set of skills. Writers need to contend with overlapping stories, different conclusions based on different actions taken by the player. It's challenging to create compelling digital storylines - and writers need help. In video games, highly interactive stories are the way of the future, but what really makes a story interactive? What's the best way to create an interactive story? How much control should players be given? Do players really want that control in the first place? Do they even know what they really want, or are their stated desires at odds with their unconscious preferences? All these questions and more are examined, carefully explained, and answered in this definitive book on interactive storytelling for video games. Features include clear and detailed descriptions of all major types of interactive stories, case studies of popular games (including Animal Crossing, Bioshock, Braid, Chrono Trigger, Donkey Kong, Fable, Fallout, Final Fantasy, Grand Theft Auto, Heavy Rain, Kingdom Hearts, Mass Effect, Metal Gear Solid, The Sims, World of Warcraft) and how players interact with them, notes from notable writers and game designers, and an in-depth analysis of the results of a national survey on player storytelling preferences in games. Game writers will get the expert advice they need to generate compelling and original game concepts and narratives for games.

Displaying faith, courage, and perseverance, snowboard racer Chris Klug battled for years to have his "extreme" sport accepted in the mainstream. He rose through the World Cup ranks and won a bronze medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics less than two years after undergoing a lifesaving liver transplant. Not since Lance Armstrong's It's Not About the Bike has a stricken athlete's story been as poised to transcend the sport. In 1996, during snowboarding's World Cup season, Chris was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis,the same disease that would cause the death of his childhood hero, football great Walter Payton. His four-year wait for a donor came to an end when his rapidly failing liver prompted doctors to move him up on the transplant list. With the shooting death of a thirteen-year-old boy, Chris was given the organ that gave him a second chance at life. From his youth as a high school football hero, to his campaign for snowboarding's acceptance, and through surgery, recovery, and Olympic glory, every setback and victory in Chris Klug's ride is riveting. To the Edge and Back will be cherished as a story of an athlete who represents the best of the human spirit.