Recommended Reading

Narrative Analysis 101:
The Basics

Learn the fundamentals of storytelling: structure, character, setting, and themes.

StoryScan: Critical Hits, Weak Points, and Versus

Study the highs and lows of popular video game stories. 

Editorials: Letters from the Editor

Conversations about writing and gaming with our Editor-in-Chief.

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. For a more casual look at video game storytelling, read our editor’s musings on game narratives in the Editorial section. 

Learn More

Featured Articles

Narrative Analysis: Kishōtenketsu

A four-act structure that de-emphasizes conflict, focusing instead on complications and change.

StoryScan: Snatcher and Inspirations

Snatcher combines its cinematic influences with original ideas, resulting in a story that could have only come from Hideo Kojima.

Editorials: Critiques and Feedback

Accepting feedback isn’t always easy, but it can help you grow as a writer.

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