Podcast: StoryForward, Episode 22 -- Chris Dahlen

Updates, Interviews and More - J.C. Hutchins

In this special episode, co-host J.C. Hutchins chats with narrative designer Chris Dahlen about video game writing, transmedia storytelling and “Mark of the Ninja,” an XBox Live game that Dahlen recently wrote. If you’ve ever wanted to learn about the unique narrative opportunities and challenges found in creating video games, this interview is a great primer. Dahlen also shares his past experiences as a video game journalist and how they influenced the game stories he now writes.

The conversation takes a fascinating twist as Dahlen also shares his experiences as a transmedia storyteller. Dahlen helped craft a key component of the out-of-book experience for J.C.’s novel “Personal Effects: Dark Art.”: the online persona of character Rachael Webster. Dahlen discusses how writing Rachael became something more creatively rewarding than he ever expected. We also discuss lessons learned.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Chris Dahlen’s website
• Dahlen’s Twitter page
• “Mark of the Ninja” website
• Klei Entertainment, developer of “Mark of the Ninja”
• Dahlen’s essay on crafting the online persona of fictional character Rachael Webster
• PixelVixen707, Rachael Webster’s blog (archive)
• Rachael Webster’s Twitter page
• Kill Screen Magazine

Download StoryForward, Episode 22