Latest Articles
StoryScan: Kingdom Hearts and Openings
Kingdom Hearts satisfies three separate audiences with an opening that emphasizes conflict and character development.
Narrative Analysis:
Subplots and Side Stories
Subplots and side stories add depth to narratives by expanding on the world while emphasizing themes and playing with tone.
StoryScan: DEATHLOOP and Endings
An incurious protagonist punts DEATHLOOP’s key questions to its endings.
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.
Recommended Reading
Narrative Analysis 101:
The Basics
Learn the fundamentals of storytelling: structure, character, setting, and themes.
Narrative Analysis 201:
Next Steps
Go beyond the basics with topics like exposition, pacing, and stakes.
StoryScan: Critical Hits and Weak Points
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