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Artwork for Game Narrative Kaleidoscope Podcast

Game Narrative Kaleidoscope Podcast

inkle
Narrative Design
Game Narrative Kaleidoscope
Shadows Of Doubt
Assassin's Creed
Miles Morales
Player Co-Author
Procedural Generation
Total War
Black Flag
Naughty Dog
Spotlight On Stark Holborn
Inkle
The Chinese Room
Gamergate
Authenticity In Games
Focus Testing / Npcs With Narrative Utility
The Last Of Us Part II
Dialogue Systems
World Building

Join hosts Jon Ingold (inkle) and Sagar Beroshi (The Chinese Room) in conversation with authors from the Game Narrative Kaleidoscope, as they discuss all aspects of the craft of interactive writing and narrative design.

Find out more about the Kaleidoscope at inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes16Founded3 months ago
Number of ListenersCategories
LeisureGames

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Artwork for Game Narrative Kaleidoscope Podcast

Latest Episodes

'I don't wanna put my lips on that:' An Ode to Adventure Game Protagonists

We're joined by Eric Stirpe (Fortnite, Minecraft: Story Mode) about adventure game protagonists with minds of their own. What role does the player take if the protagonist's ... more

Leave Nothing on the Table

Veteran games writer Anna Megill (Control, Guild Wars 2) joins us to talk about coherent storytelling using every part of the game dev team. How do we, as writers, get other creatives invested in the story? How do we inte... more

The Bricks & The Gaps: What We Do & Don't Need When Building Worlds

We talk with Total War and Star Wars: Jedi Survivor writer Pete Stewart about how to build worlds that leave the player with questions, even inside the walls of enormous franchises... more

The Tina Fey Hat Problem

We talk to Ed Stern (Brink) about the power and problems of understatement in games. We discuss how to leave room for nuance, surprise and - best of all - deception, with examples drawn from stage magic, theatrics, and the ... more

Key Facts

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Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

Eric Stirpe
Game writer and designer featured in the Kaleidoscope series
Telltale Games (former)
Episode: Episode 15: Eric Stirpe
Anna Megill
Game writer
Independent writer / AAA studios
Episode: Episode 14: Anna Megill
Pete Stewart
Writer in games with credits at Creative Assembly and Respawn
Respawn; Creative Assembly
Episode: Episode 13: Pete Stewart
Ed Stern
Writer and designer with Splash Damage background
Freelance / Game Industry
Episode: Episode 12: Ed Stern
Giles Armstrong
Experienced game writer and narrative designer
Wushu Studios (principal writer); BAFTA Games Committee; co-founder Tailspinners
Episode: Episode 10: Giles Armstrong
Jill Murray
Writer and designer with work across AAA and indie games
Montreal/Canada-based studios
Episode: Episode 9: Jill Murray
Holly Nielsen
Game writer, narrative designer and historian
Independent / Kaleidoscope contributor
Episode: Episode 8: Holly Nielsen
Ian Thomas
Narrative director at The Chinese Room
The Chinese Room
Episode: Episode 7: Ian Thomas
Kate Gray
Writer, journalist, and game narrative designer
Independent / Nintendo Life contributor
Episode: Episode 6: Kate Gray

Hosts

Sagar Beroshi
Narrative designer and writer affiliated with The Chinese Room; co-host and frequent guest on game narrative discussions.
Jon Ingold
Narrative designer and writer, affiliated with Inkle; co-host bringing industry experience from narrative-led adventures.

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 10 ratings
  • Great content, terrible audio

    This is a great companion podcast to the brilliant essay collection! The guests can expand on their contributions to the book in meaningful ways.

    I just wish that the audio quality was better. Half the time you can hear the guest‘s audio picked up on a host‘s mic, the other half it sounds like someone is assembling an ikea shelf. A bit uncomfortable to have that in your ear while listening to the insights into telling stories in an interactive medium.

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    Terriblasque
    Germanya month ago
  • The Art and Craft of Game Narrative

    Just a few episodes in, but this is already an essential listen for writers interested or involved in games. Two knowledgeable hosts interviewing a writer in a focused, in-depth interview on their work and techniques. No fuss, no distraction, just an informative conversation to sit in on.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Cerandor2
    Ireland2 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Thoughtful, craft-forward discussions with practical takeaways for writers.
Hosts keep conversations focused on process and technique rather than hype.
High-quality interviews with deep dives into narrative design and dialogue systems.
Guests span AAA and indie, offering broad perspective on game narratives.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#238
Canada/Leisure/Games
Apple Podcasts
#211
France/Leisure/Games
Apple Podcasts
#83
Ireland/Leisure/Games
Apple Podcasts
#106
Poland/Leisure/Games
Apple Podcasts
#129
Ukraine/Leisure/Games
Apple Podcasts
#141
Brazil/Leisure/Games

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Episode 13: Pete Stewart
Q: Awesome. So your article is called The Bricks and The Gaps. Would you like to just sort of outline what was the thesis? What did you want to say?
Pete explains that the central thesis is about avoiding over-explaining world-building; it should reinforce the story and still leave room for interpretation, with gaps serving as a catalyst for player imagination.
Episode 12: Ed Stern
Q: What brought you to writing The Tina Fey Hat Problem?
Ed discusses how the problem crystallized from observing how writers police enthusiasm and how producers must balance creative impulses with practical constraints, making it a Rosetta Stone for game dev.
Episode 10: Giles Armstrong
Q: Could you summarize the core idea of the Grenade Paradox and why barks matter beyond being simple lines?
Barks are not just dialogue; they are the primary interface between players and the game, serving a function to inform and delight within a living system, and their effectiveness grows with how they're engineered, triggered, and repeated across contexts.
Episode 8: Holly Nielsen
Q: What are the practical considerations for balancing macro world-building with micro details that players will actually notice?
Focus on what players will see and experience; avoid overloading with every possible detail and instead use small, meaningful cues, like an emblem or a fragment of lore, to signal larger context. Collaboration with directors, producers, and historians helps keep the balance and prevents rabbit holes.
Episode 8: Holly Nielsen
Q: How does Neurocracy illustrate the ideas of cited sources and multiple layers of information in a playable way?
Neurocracy is an ARG-like game with a near-future fictional Wikipedia that gets updated weekly by multiple writers. Citing sources and footnotes lets players see different perspectives and understand how editing decisions shape the tone and interpretation, illustrating plausible deniability and the complexity of information.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Gender Skew
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Frequently Asked Questions About Game Narrative Kaleidoscope Podcast

What is Game Narrative Kaleidoscope Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A deep-docused series exploring interactive writing and narrative design for games, featuring long-form conversations with seasoned writers and narrative directors from notable studios. Episodes repeatedly examine how player agency, author intent, and production constraints shape dialogue, world-building, and pacing, with practical tips on blockouts, writing under word limits, and balancing emergent storytelling with a structured narrative. Noteworthy is the mix of AAA and indie perspectives, plus guests who bring hands-on experience from high-profile projects and a willingness to discuss industry challenges like harassment, audience trust, and collaboration within writers' rooms.

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Which podcasts are similar to Game Narrative Kaleidoscope Podcast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Game Narrative Kaleidoscope Podcast:

1. Post Games
2. Side Story
3. Triple Click
4. If Books Could Kill
5. Better Offline

How many episodes of Game Narrative Kaleidoscope Podcast are there?

Game Narrative Kaleidoscope Podcast launched 3 months ago and published 16 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Game Narrative Kaleidoscope Podcast?

Recent guests on Game Narrative Kaleidoscope Podcast include:

1. Eric Stirpe
2. Anna Megill
3. Pete Stewart
4. Ed Stern
5. Giles Armstrong
6. Jill Murray
7. Holly Nielsen
8. Ian Thomas

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