Latest Articles

Fight Magic Items: Cover

Interview:
Aidan Moher

An interview with Hugo Award-winning writer and editor Aidan Moher, author of Fight, Magic, Items.

StoryScan: Soul Reaver & Openings

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver’s opening efficiently establishes the story’s plot, characters, and setting.

StoryScan: Mario vs Zelda & Continuity

The Super Mario and Legend of Zelda franchises both have fuzzy relationships with continuity, but they express it in different ways.

About Cutscene University

At Cutscene University, our goal is to teach the essentials of storytelling by using the vibrant, engaging stories from both classic and modern video games. Visit our Narrative Analysis section to learn the fundamentals of story, and our StoryScan section to read about strengths and weaknesses in popular game stories.

Updates Every Friday.

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Recommended Reading

Narrative Analysis 101:
The Basics

Learn the fundamentals of storytelling: structure, character, setting, and themes.
Resident Evil 4: Opening

Narrative Analysis 201:
Next Steps

Go beyond the basics with topics like exposition, pacing, and stakes. 

StoryScan: Critical Hits, Weak Points, and Versus

Study the highs and lows of popular video game stories. 

Storytelling has a shape. It dominates the way all stories are told and can be traced back not just to the Renaissance, but to the very beginnings of the recorded word. It’s a structure that we absorb avidly whether in art-house or airport form and it’s a shape that may be – though we must be careful – a universal archetype.

John Yorke

Producer and Script Editor