The Meat Grinder of the Gaming Industry. How to Preserve the Soul of the Game in the World of Corporations

Walt Williams – a veteran of the gaming industry, screenwriter, and narrative designer. He has worked on such famous franchises as Star Wars: Battlefront, BioShock, Civilization, Borderlands, Mafia, and The Darkness, but his most well-known game is the third-person shooter Spec Ops: The Line. Before you are Williams' memoirs – an incredibly sincere and human story about how to survive in the modern video game industry. It has had a huge impact on pop culture, but its “inner workings” are still little known to those outside. Williams will unveil the veil of mystery and captivatingly, with humor, tell about his creative journey, working at one of the leading gaming companies in the world, the challenging role of a narrative designer, and how blockbuster games are actually created. If you have always wanted to look behind the scenes of the gaming industry, this book will be an excellent guide for you! “Developing AAA games is never easy. Especially when a publisher circles overhead like a black crow. Walt Williams has come a long way in a few years from a humble game analyst to one of the most sought-after screenwriters of today. And rest assured, this path was by no means strewn with roses.” – Alexander Nikitin, narrative designer and translator “This is not just a 'book about game narrative' from yet another 'veteran of the gaming industry'. It is a story – at times very personal, with ups and downs, with victories and defeats. This book can be viewed from any angle – and from any angle it will be interesting. It won’t make you a genius of narrative design, but it will definitely help you understand what it is, how it works, and why it is needed in the gaming industry. A must-read.” – Pavel Puzyna, narrative designer at Nexters