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Last broadcast: making meaning out of the mundane
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Content
Last Broadcast
Making Meaning out of The Mundane
by
Collette Quach
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC SCHOOL OF CINEMATIC ARTS
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF FINE ARTS
(INTERACTIVE MEDIA)
May 2023
ii
Acknowledgements
Thank you to my advisors: Tracy Fullerton and Andreas Kratky for watching and advising me as
I grew this project from a year ago until now. Your advice and feedback have been invaluable.
Thank you to Banana Chan, Felice Kuan, and Jane Pinckard for advising me on my future career
as game designer.
To Ray Savord for being the champion of helping me with the theory I needed for this paper. For
disseminating and discussing academic and philosophical topics.
Thanks Mom and Dad for dealing with me every time I call after three weeks and ask where I’ve
been with my response being “you know working on my project”
To Jerry Cortez for dealing with me as I yelled into the void for an entire year and still thought
“Yeah my partner is fine. Losing it. But fine”
And thank you to my entire Last Broadcast dev team. I never could have imagined making this
game as it is without you all. I have learned so much from you all as a director and writer. Thank you so
much part of this game. This is as much your project as it is mine.
iii
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................................................ ii
Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................................................... iii
List of Figures ........................................................................................................................................................................... iv
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................................................ v
Chapter 1: What Is Last Broadcast? ................................................................................................................................. 1
1.1 Why? ................................................................................................................................................................................. 1
1.2 Narrative Premise ....................................................................................................................................................... 2
1.3 Mechanics ....................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Chapter 2: Existentialism, Agency, and Choice ............................................................................................................ 5
2.1 Existentialism ............................................................................................................................................................... 6
2.2 Choice as A Mechanic of Resistance ..................................................................................................................... 6
Chapter 3: Techniques for Branching Narrative ......................................................................................................... 9
3.1 Technique 1: Big or Small, Acknowledge the Choice .................................................................................... 9
3.2 Technique 2: Meaningful Agency ........................................................................................................................ 10
3.3 Technique 3: Player Characters as Characters .............................................................................................. 11
Chapter 4: Did Choices Really Matter?.......................................................................................................................... 13
Chapter 5: Conclusions ........................................................................................................................................................ 14
5.1 Lessons Learned ........................................................................................................................................................ 14
5.2 Final Thoughts ............................................................................................................................................................ 15
Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................................................ 16
iv
List of Figures
Figure 1 Narrative Structure of Last Broadcast ............................................................................................ 2
Figure 2 Core loop of Last Broadcast ........................................................................................................... 3
Figure 3 In-game screenshot of the collage mechanic .................................................................................. 4
Figure 4 Choice pyramid from Tracy Fullerton's Game Design Workshop (Fullerton, 2019) ..................... 5
Figure 5 Example of Branching Choices in Last Broadcast ....................................................................... 10
v
Abstract
Branching narrative has been a staple in games where players can interact with the story
through their actions. Games such as Life is Strange by Don’t Nod or Fallout: New Vegas by
Obsidian Entertainment, allow players to influence how events unfold and be part of the conflicts
in the game. A topic that is often debated within game narratives is whether choices are
meaningful or not. This paper explores how choices can be meaningful on a smaller scale using
my thesis game, Last Broadcast.
Last Broadcast is a narrative-focused game about a radio broadcast at the end of the
world where players are the DJ, helping people who call in looking for assistance. The game uses
its small space and short time span before the player character dies as a way for the players to
think about if their choices matter on a larger scale and what impact they leave in the world. In
addition, Last Broadcast uses the themes of existentialism as a narrative design framework when
designing decisions.
Using knowledge from tabletop roleplaying games and from working on Last Broadcast,
this paper seeks to refine techniques of developing branching narratives through constructing
narrative design pillars, creating meaningful agency, and looking at the minor choices in games.
This paper seeks to push what meaningful choice is in games further and by keeping games
within scope.
1
Chapter 1: What Is Last Broadcast?
Last Broadcast is a 3D first person narrative game set in a small radio station at the end of the
world. Players take on the role of D-Jay, a down-on-their-luck host of a local indie radio station. The sun
expands, turns red and causes sudden global climate change. D-Jay runs their last show before the world
burns down.
1.1 Why?
Last Broadcast was created from my own personal anxieties about living: What is my purpose in
life? Is there a point in me doing anything if I’m just going to die at the end? I eventually found myself
reading content about existentialism, specifically on how people of color deal with the feeling of
powerlessness.
Academically, I wanted to explore narrative design, specifically choice based narrative games.
What is a meaningful choice? When players think of meaning they think of the larger choices that cause
apparent outcomes in a story, such as deciding a character lives or dies. Through Last Broadcast, I wanted
to look at how minor choices can be meaningful as well. I wanted to use Last Broadcast as a way to
examine branching narrative and the act of making a choice. My previous experience in tabletop
roleplaying design has taught me that designers and game masters must maintain a balance between
allowing the players agency and keeping them within the game’s scope. With Last Broadcast, I wanted to
bring my design knowledge into a digital experience.
2
1.2 Narrative Premise
D-Jay is the new disc jockey of WDFA. Down on their luck, they took this new role to get away
from their mainstream radio job they got fired from. While they easily fall into their radio personality,
deep down they struggle with finding purpose after losing their job.
The game begins right before the apocalypse, on a normal clear day. The sky briefly grows dark
before the sun grows large and turns a dark red. The mysterious phenomenon causes the world to go
through sudden climate change. Fires break out, earthquakes shake the buildings, and everyone is
panicking.
An earthquake causes part of the building to collapse in front of the station exit, trapping D-Jay.
With the radio broadcast still on and a chance at doing the right thing, they continue their radio show.
Figure 1 Narrative Structure of Last Broadcast
3
Throughout the game D-Jay is contacted by three callers. The player, as D-Jay, helps callers with their
issues and tries to give them advice in a world that is uncertain.
One caller is a firefighter crew, asking D-Jay to help them pinpoint the fires after they lost contact
with their dispatcher. As time goes on, the firefighter team grows more weary. One firefighter is trying to
decide whether to stop being a firefighter and leave to be with his family. Or he can continue his job so he
can help those in need.
Another caller is a woman who is separated from her fiancé. D-Jay helps calm her down, but she
is unsure whether she should wait for her to return or leave the city in hopes of getting away from chaos.
This storyline deals with themes of hope, connection, and love.
The final storyline is from a woman named Lyra that is interested in why D-Jay is doing what
they are doing. She grills D-Jay about regrets, and by extension, the player on why they made their
choices in the game. By the midpoint of their relationship, it is revealed D-Jay was not a good person
throughout their career and used their platform to cause harm to others. Lyra reveals that an incident with
D-Jay’s show landed her in the hospital, which led to D-Jay’s firing. Lyra may forgive them depending on
how D-Jay has acted throughout the game.
While the game ends with D-
Jay's death, the goal for players
is to build connections with the
characters and the stories they
tell. The narrative encourages
players’ self-reflection, with the
aim for them to leave the game
hopeful rather than depressed.
Figure 2 Core loop of Last Broadcast
4
1.3 Mechanics
The core game loop is broken up into two sections: “On air” and “Break”. The on-air portion is where the
narrative takes place, with D-Jay talking to the callers and giving advice. When D-Jay goes on break, they
play music from the vinyl shelf which acts as the transition point. While on break, the player as D-Jay can
explore the space and work on the collage located in the other room.
The collage is a meditative tool that allows players to reflect on the story and be creative. There
are various images players can find in the station they can cut up and put on the window. The goal of this
mechanic is to have players try to interpret and design a window space that is slowly covering up the
outside world. By the end of the game when the station is destroyed and D-Jay is gone, the last memory
of them is the collage that has remained intact after the destruction.
The loop for Last Broadcast is fairly loose. Break sections are only mandatory after certain
narrative beats (Figure 1). However, players can go on break at any time to work on the collage. The loop
is loose since after playtests, I found that the collage became a task rather than a fun break tool if it is
imposed often and would not reflect a realistic experience of running a radio show. So, we decided to put
them at required times but allowing the player to step away from the story to take a break.
Figure 3 In-game screenshot of the collage mechanic
5
Chapter 2: Existentialism, Agency, and Choice
While there were many themes or pillars that we followed in production, the game had two main
ones: Existentialism and Choice. Since Last Broadcast is a narrative focused game, these pillars became
the narrative design pillars in order to dictate how we wrote and designed the branching narrative.
Figure 4 Choice pyramid from Tracy Fullerton's Game Design Workshop (Fullerton, 2019)
Due to the scope and goal of the project, Last Broadcast’s narrative choice design focused on
what Tracy Fullerton’s Game Design Workshop choice pyramid would call minor or inconsequential
choices (figure 4). These choices have smaller consequences or feedback that do not affect the
overarching story. They help flavor the play experience and show that the story is moving forward
because they are choosing how to respond to a character in the game. As one of the main themes of the
game is existentialism, we wanted to make sure they were highlighted in the choices we designed. In our
own lives, many choices we make do not have large significance in the larger world, so having the minor
choices affect only the moment they are presented is important.
While the narrative still has important and critical choices, they are used sparingly to not make
the branches out of scope and to focus on the game’s theme of existentialism. These types of choices are
crucial in a branching narrative to give feedback to the player that they are part of the story they are
playing. When looking at the major choices, we designed towards the idea of “choice agony,” aiming to
make choices that are both equally bad and good. The agony comes from deciding which choice is more
6
important to the player. (Sawyer) This aims to provide a more compelling experience than a standard
“good versus bad” choice.
Outside of the branching narrative mechanics, the collage and music selection also are designed
to have minor choices. When players choose a song or put something on the collage, D-Jay comments on
the action. While minor, it gives player feedback that they are doing what they need to do.
2.1 Existentialism
Existentialism is a philosophy that explores the role and purpose of human existence. The belief
tangles with the question of what it means to live. How do we live with purpose? Or do we have no
purpose? A subset or related belief that Last Broadcast used is Absurdism, through the essay The Myth of
Sisyphus by Albert Camus. He introduces the philosophy in this essay through the use of the Greek myth
of Sisyphus, the king who is sentenced to roll a boulder up a mountain forever and if it ever reached the
top, it would roll back down. The summary of the belief system is that trying to find meaning in a world
that is meaningless is a lost battle. One must accept that and essentially live in the present.
As one of the main themes and pillars of the game, existentialism is key to the Last Broadcast
experience. D-Jay will not survive. It is made clear at the start and through the game’s tone that the story
is not about D-Jay saving the world or escaping the radio station. Instead, players have conversations,
choose music, or create collages while the world around them ends. These mundane tasks become absurd,
but the intention is for players to accept the situation they are in and enjoy the experience they create
during their playthrough.
2.2 Choice as A Mechanic of Resistance
While the story of Last Broadcast is bleak and depressing throughout, we want players to leave
hopeful and enjoy the journey rather than the destination. While absurdism is the foundation of one of the
game’s pillars, I also looked at writings from activists that highlight choice and agency. Activist and
educator Mariame Kabe in her interview, says:
7
"Because in the world which we live in, it’s easy to feel a sense of hopelessness, that everything
is all bad all the time, that there is nothing going to change ever, that people are evil and bad at
the bottom. It feels sometimes that it’s being proven in various, different ways, so I get that, so I
really get that. I understand why people feel that way. I just choose differently. I choose to think a
different way and I choose to act in a different way." (“Hope is a Discipline”)
Kabe argues that people of color and other marginalized folks feel hopeless within the systems
we live in. That change and hope comes so slowly. She argues that choosing to live with hope is an act of
resistance. When designing the narrative system, we drew on that principle. We wanted to enforce that
making choices feels natural. D-Jay is never meant to be a hero that could stop the apocalypse, rather they
are leaving an impression on the people that call in. In early designs of the game that we wanted to
implement, there would have been a “game over” state where if the player decides to not do anything, the
game ends early. While there is an instinct to continue the game, our goal was to push the player forward
simply by doing the various tasks within the station.
Outside of branching narrative, Last Broadcast’s collage mechanic is intentionally designed to not
have narrative impact within the game’s main story. However, we designed it such that D-Jay responds
when players interact with the collage, giving it emotional impact. In the end we wanted it to be an
experience that players want to come back to to express themselves and use it as a break from the main
story. The design was loosely based in tabletop role playing games or TTRPGs, where the core loop is
supposed to be more fluid. In Audre Lorde’s essay "Uses of the Erotic,” the considered phrase, "it feels
right to me," acknowledges the strength of the erotic into a true knowledge, for what that means is the
first and most powerful guiding light toward any understanding.” (Lorde, 4). Lorde uses the term erotic
not in a sexual way but in a deep emotional way. It is when you understand and experience something to
the fullest based on your own feelings.
In TTRPGs, players often deviate from what the facilitator has planned because it “felt right” or
in character. This deviation can lead to unique experiences that can be shared and remembered after
8
playing. While the call moves the narrative along in Last Broadcast, the player can spend as much time as
they want playing songs and decorating their wall. Having the collage be the only thing left behind after
the destruction of the radio station and that is saved within gives them the player something personalized
that they can leave with after playing the game.
When incorporating it to a digital space, the design team included minor choice feedback that
would be used in place of the “facilitator” in a TTRPG, which will be detailed in chapter three. With this
type of feedback and having minimal prompting in game, we wanted to experiment with giving the
freedom to be creative in a space. Lorde says, "In touch with the erotic, I become less willing to accept
powerlessness, or those other supplied states of being which are not native to me, such as resignation,
despair, self-effacement, depression, self-denial." (Lorde, 5) While the mechanics might not fit every
player’s desire to have that much freedom, giving the option in Last Broadcast to choose how to play in
the space gives people as much agency as the branching narrative can accommodate. Despite the
apocalypse, the station becomes a haven in the chaos to reflect and be in touch with what the player is
feeling. Having the design goal of doing what felt right for the player opened up possibilities on how we
approached choice design.
9
Chapter 3: Techniques for Branching Narrative
Throughout the development of Last Broadcast, the biggest challenge with creating the narrative
has been the scope and timing. This project had a timeline of little under a year to create a 3D branching
narrative game. With this in mind, the structure and screenplay had to be finalized very early on.
We also had to make our conversations concise to keep the players engaged. In early iterations,
conversations were over ten pages and when we tested them in the build, playtesters said that they lost
interest halfway through the conversations simply because they were too long. The writing team then
decided that each act of our three story lines were a maximum of ten pages of script, including different
branches. Branches deviated only slightly and always pinched back to a linear storyline.
To follow the design philosophy, three techniques emerged to help guide me and my writing
team. Through paper prototypes and digital testing, these became the pillars for the team to write within
our scope: acknowledging choice, “meaningful agency”, and having the player character be a character.
3.1 Technique 1: Big or Small, Acknowledge the Choice
While this technique is very apparent when designing narrative, Last Broadcast uses the
technique in a specific way. The game focuses on the branching narrative, players need to stay engaged
during the conversations.
Important or necessary choices (Fullerton, 545) from the choice pyramid have an impact that is
very apparent. For example, in our firefighter’s storyline, D-Jay spots fires in the game and has to choose
which ones they can send the team to. The writing gives information on the fires and the consequences of
choosing one over the other. The next time the player hears from them, the consequences are immediately
told such as a firefighter dying or not. It is the straightforward way for the players to know that their
choices matter.
The design team used the minor choice technique (Fullerton, 545) in smaller choice branches. In
the first conversation in the Connection storyline, Lyra asks the D-Jay why they are helping people. The
player can then choose between three choices: it’s their job, it’s the right thing to do, or it’s the best thing
10
they can do at the moment. The choices are not designed with a good or bad option in mind, but rather
valid reasons that can be interpreted in different ways morally. It was a way to have the players think
about the situation presented. Creating these choices had the players engage both by physically having to
choose but mentally by having them think for themselves why they are helping in the first place.
The minor choices also were placed to reward players with new information. Sometimes, this
information gets called back in later acts. For example, in the firefighter’s storyline, when one of them
comes concerned about one of their coworkers and the player learns that from early, it gets recalled by D-
Jay. Other times, different choices can lead down a path where we learn more about the characters and
their motivations. In the Lovers storyline, the players can choose to distract the caller by asking her what
their wedding will be like, which calms them down (Figure 5). Both branches acknowledge the player's
choice by having the game itself remember that you learned something from a character or by changing
the emotional tone of a section to connect with a character.
3.2 Technique 2: Meaningful Agency
Borrowing from the tabletop role playing games or TTRPGs, the writing team looked at when
players were allowed to choose or not. There are quite a few TTRPGs that use narrative control as a
Figure 5 Example of Branching Choices in Last Broadcast
11
mechanic. The games Bluebeard’s Bride by Whitney “Strix” Beltrán, Marissa Kelly, and Sarah
Richardson and Ten Candles by Stephen Dewey have rolling mechanics, a common conflict resolution
technique in tabletop games where opposing players roll to see who wins based on the set of rules for that
game. These TTRPGs use that mechanic by determining who takes narrative control: the player or the
facilitator. That means the players no longer dictate what happens or what the character is doing, leaving
it up to the facilitator to dictate what happens. The intention for the design is to raise the stakes of the
game. The facilitator still acknowledges the players’ moves and incorporates it in their storytelling.
We used this technique to keep the team grounded and to make sure choices do not branch too far
out where it would be out of scope. Last Broadcast also drew inspiration from visual novel designs when
looking at branching narrative. In the GDC talk, “All Choice No Consequence: Efficiently Branching
Narrative” given by Cassie Phillips, director of story for Episode at Pocket Gems, she talks about
outlining the story first and adding choices after where appropriate (Phillips). Last Broadcast was first
written and outlined linearly. We then looked at the emotional high and low points to see which moments
had to stay linear. While some moments can be branched, others could not. For example, there is a
moment where the player can get D-Jay to admit they wronged Lyra in the past. Whether they do or not,
both have the same emotional impact it needed for the plot point. According to data Phillips presented,
the amount of choices did not affect players' replayability, rather the quality of the story itself. She notes
that the most played story at Episodes, is a game that had only one major choice at the end but had a lot of
smaller choices that built the relationship of the characters within the story (Phillips). It is reflected when
play-testing our game, where most people had notes on the narrative as a story rather than how few or
many choices there were in the conversations we had. Testers enjoyed asking questions to the characters
to learn about who they are and how they are feeling.
3.3 Technique 3: Player Characters as Characters
While characters can be stand-ins for your player, it can be compelling to also give the characters
their own motivations. In Josh Sawyer’s GDC talk “Choice Architecture, Player Expression, and
12
Narrative Design in Fallout: New Vegas,” he brings up designing the player character based on another
character from a pre-existing medium the player will want to play like or as in a role-playing game at the
start. It becomes the basis of how you design choices for the character. In a non role-playing game, we
can use it as a way to show the player character’s personality which provides a deeper experience than a
stand in for the player
In Last Broadcast, while we did not reference an existing character in particular, the prototype
was to play a charismatic radio host that is trying to atone for their past. D-Jay’s internal battle is about
struggling to accept their past mistakes and leaving them behind. Many of the minor choices were
structured around the struggle D-Jay is going through. For example, D-Jay tries to keep their showy,
lighthearted radio persona to deflect questions about them and focus on helping those who call in. On the
other hand, D-Jay also tries to be genuine and share their own experiences to connect with the callers.
While most players end up choosing to be more genuine, those who ended up choosing the radio
personality were able to experience a more lighthearted, almost comedic tone that can be a change of pace
in a bleak narrative. Letting the player characters also be characters, with their own wants and needs in
the narrative, makes the game feel more personal but also allows for players to choose to move past the
good and evil choice dynamic.
13
Chapter 4: Did Choices Really Matter?
With the three techniques the writing team used to structure our narrative choices, the question is:
does it work? When we tested the game, players never felt bored of the narrative and not compelled. At
first, the main concern was the length of the conversations. Because of the lack of mechanics or
interactions in the game, if a conversation is long and there is no choice for a while, players start to check
out. As stated earlier, making sure we go no longer than ten pages per conversation and making sure there
were choices every other page was strong. Designing choices ended up being more technical than
creative. Knowing when to put them and how they flow in the overall structure became important.
While there were issues where players in digital playtests needed prompting to choose music and
collage. Once they figured the loop out, they enjoyed going through the motions. Most players either
spent extra time working on the collage or going back to them even when it was not required to do so.
As with any game and especially branching narrative ones, more time would have allowed for
more choices. I think the game would have benefited from a longer and a slightly slower pace to really
see how the minor choices add up to a fuller experience.
14
Chapter 5: Conclusions
My thesis asked the question: What is a meaningful choice? How do we create meaningful
experiences in smaller choices? Last Broadcast explored written methods and refined techniques of
branching narrative and choice design which has themes of absurdism and existentialism as its’ design
pillars. I specifically went into depth on three techniques. My conclusion is no matter how large or small
the choice is, having the characters acknowledge that they made a choice keeps the player engaged with
the story. These techniques can be implemented mechanically, such as a character following the choice of
the player, or having a choice be referenced as a narrative point. The second is “meaningful agency”
which is knowing when it is purposeful to give a player a choice. If you are choosing not to give a choice,
be intentional about why not as it relates to the narrative. The final technique is allowing the player
character to play as a character within the game, even if that character has their own wants and needs. In
the context of the game, this technique can be a tool for character development and conflict. Embodying a
character’s story makes the player engaged.
Having my themes be grounded in realistic themes such as what it means to be remembered and
allowed the game to focus on the here and the now as an experience rather than a more mechanical
experience. The techniques we have employed reinforce the pillars by touching on minor, inconsequential
choices. Player choices flavor the “here and now” concept as the game is all about a present tense
experience and making meaning of the choices ourselves.
5.1 Lessons Learned
With more time, I would refine the story more to highlight the smaller choices in the game. Those
choices built the relationship between the player and the characters in the game. From what I learned in
testing, that a good story will always be better than having choices that change the story, so making sure
the characters in Last Broadcast were compelling is important. With the additional time, I would like to
have time to rework the narrative, post-playtests, before moving towards voice acting and
implementation.
15
There is tremendous value in recognizing the split between narrative design and writing; were I to
do it again, I would have a narrative team consisting of the two roles. Narrative designers would set story
beats, branches, and mechanical limitations. Writers would then be tasked to write set dialogue based on
the direction. While many studios are beginning to create that division, it is often at bigger studios. Even
in smaller teams, I encourage that split in tasks and duties while keeping the collaboration between the
two together.
5.2 Final Thoughts
Given the scale and scope of the game, Last Broadcast had a lot of successes. Players enjoyed the
narrative overall and the choices never felt empty. In fact, it enhanced their engagement with the
characters. Seeing choices have an effect in the game is the reason why people are drawn to games like
these. What I wanted to do was honor the smaller choices in games. We focused on the player's response
to narrative in playtest feedback as opposed to whether they felt their choices had an impact.
Larger choices directly impact that story are still crucial to the story as an overall experience.
However, smaller choices are just as important for games and are crucial in branching narrative. Players
will always enjoy a good story, no matter if it is linear or branching. The smaller choices allow the player
to express themselves and build agency in the game space. It also helps build relationships with the
characters and having the players feel connected to them. These types of choices build to make those
larger choices more impactful through the connections the players built.
With making Last Broadcast, I wanted to push branching narrative design and other games that
use choice-consequence design by having it focus on a nuanced player experience rather than goal-
orientated choice. The notion in TTRPG design is that the game master wants the player to succeed even
through conflicts that might not be in the player’s favor. I wanted to move past choice-consequences as a
gamification of the experience (i.e., A player chooses something because it has the best possible outcome,
or it gets the “good ending”). I wanted to push what narrative can do to make it and the player focus
more on an emotional experience.
16
Bibliography
Beltrá n Whitney, et al. Bluebeard's Bride: A Horror Tabletop RPG. Magpie Games, 2018.
Camus, Albert. Myth of Sisyphus: And Other Essays. Random House US, 2012.
Dewey, Stephen J., and Scout Wilkinson. Ten Candles: A Roleplaying Game of Tragic Horror. Cavalry
Games, 2017.
Fullerton, Tracy. “Chapter 11 Fun and Accessibility.” Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach
to Creating Innovative Games, 4th ed., CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2019, pp. 534–591.
Kaba, Miriame, et al. “Hope Is a Discipline.” Beyond Prisons, 5 Jan. 2020, https://www.beyond-
prisons.com/home/hope-is-a-discipline-feat-mariame-kaba. Accessed 14 Mar. 2023.
Keenan, Justin. “Disco Elysium': Meaningless Choices and Impractical Advice.” Game Developers
Conference. Game Developers Conference, 19 July 2021. Online Lecture
Lorde, Audre. Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power. 1978, pp. 2–10.
Phillips, Cassie. “All Choice No Consequence: Efficiently Branching Narrative.” Narrative Summit.
Game Developers Conference. 22 Mar. 2016, Moscone Center, San Francisco. Lecture.
Sawyer, Josh. “Choice Architecture, Player Expression, and Narrative Design in Fallout: New Vegas.”
Narrative Summit. Game Developers Summit, 23 Mar. 2012, Moscone Center, San Francisco.
Lecture.
Abstract (if available)
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Quach, Collette
(author)
Core Title
Last broadcast: making meaning out of the mundane
School
School of Cinematic Arts
Degree
Master of Fine Arts
Degree Program
Interactive Media
Degree Conferral Date
2023-05
Publication Date
04/24/2023
Defense Date
05/09/2023
Publisher
University of Southern California
(original),
University of Southern California. Libraries
(digital)
Tag
Games,meaningful choice,narrative design,OAI-PMH Harvest,video games,Writing
Format
theses
(aat)
Language
English
Contributor
Electronically uploaded by the author
(provenance)
Advisor
Fullerton, Tracy (
committee chair
), Bilson, Danny (
committee member
), Kratky, Andreas (
committee member
), Nealen, Andy (
committee member
)
Creator Email
collettequach@gmail.com,quachcol@usc.edu
Permanent Link (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-oUC113078005
Unique identifier
UC113078005
Identifier
etd-QuachColle-11706.pdf (filename)
Legacy Identifier
etd-QuachColle-11706
Document Type
Thesis
Format
theses (aat)
Rights
Quach, Collette
Internet Media Type
application/pdf
Type
texts
Source
20230425-usctheses-batch-1030
(batch),
University of Southern California
(contributing entity),
University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
(collection)
Access Conditions
The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright.
Repository Name
University of Southern California Digital Library
Repository Location
USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA
Repository Email
cisadmin@lib.usc.edu
Tags
meaningful choice
narrative design
video games