Telling stories through play is thousands of years old, but today we see storytelling in games through many different forms: in the dialogue spoken by characters; in the writing used to describe people, places and objects; in the careful arrangement and design of 3D environments; and in the rules that dictate how players act and what they strive for. Although writing and narrative design for games still rely on the hard work of writing words by hand, the craft is intrinsically linked to many computer science concepts, including generative systems, graph theory, interaction design, logic programming, data science, and visualization; and writers are often known to build experimental tools and games that play around with the form through technological means.

Human-computer interaction (HCI) is a subfield of computer science that is interested in what happens when people come into contact with technology. HCI research covers a wide range of topics, from designing and building new systems, through to critically analyzing the impact of technology on societies, organizations, and individuals. The field is composed not just of computer scientists, but psychologists, designers, artists, sociologists, and more. In this seminar, we’re interested in composing these two fields of practice together. What can HCI researchers learn from the cutting edge of narrative design craft, and what new futures for game writing can researchers potentially open up? What can we teach each other, and what surprises will we find in each other’s work?

This Dagstuhl Seminar brings together researchers, designers, writers, and critics to explore the future of storytelling in games, and to understand how HCI and AI research can help support writers in creating, organizing, and understanding the stories they want to tell. Our invitees include experimental artists, award-winning storytellers, professional game designers, and practitioner-researchers; all of whom have their own experiences in making games, telling stories, and working with technology. Building on our past seminar focusing on game design, we will lead a practical, making-focused seminar where each day we get together into small groups, discuss a new idea or question, experiment with some techniques together, and then bring our thoughts back to the group. We hope everyone comes away with fresh ideas, new collaborations, and exciting projects to build on and extend.

Creative Commons BY 4.0

Michael Cook, Florence Smith Nicholls, Clara Fernández-Vara, and Jason Grinblat

This seminar qualifies for Dagstuhl's a LZI Junior Researchers program. Schloss Dagstuhl wishes to enable the participation of junior scientists with a specialization fitting for this Dagstuhl Seminar, even if they are not on the radar of the organizers. Applications by outstanding junior scientists are possible until November 20, 2026.