David Gaider on Crafting Branching (Musical) Narrative

This week, I am excited to present my interview with David Gaider, a veteran writer and narrative designer who has made significant contributions to the gaming industry.

David started his career as part of the BioWare team, working on some of the most iconic games of our time, including Baldur's Gate II, Neverwinter Nights, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. As the lead writer for Dragon Age: Origins, he helped create the complex world of Thedas, which has captivated gamers worldwide. David's work on Dragon Age: Inquisition also earned the studio numerous awards and recognition from the industry.

So, come on in, grab your seat by the fire, and let's hear what David has to say about his journey and experiences in the worlds of gaming and writing.

We dig into, amongst other things:

• How David "stumbled" into the gaming industry,
• His history and experience creating games for tabletop rpgs and LARPs,
• Starting out at BioWare,
• How to craft a story without controlling the protagonist,
• The struggles of moving from prose writing to creating branching narratives,
• The importance of looking after yourself as a writer and avoiding burnout,
• Focusing on creating characters first and plot second, and
• The challenges and excitement of creating a branching narrative musical!

Give it a listen!

David's Links:

-> ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠

-> ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠

-> Bluesky⁠⁠

-> Summerfall Studios

-> Stray Gods on Steam

The Corner of Story and Game:

-> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-> ⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠

-> ⁠⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠⁠

-> ⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠

-> ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠

-> Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you have any questions or comments on this or any other episode, please let me know. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to hear more conversations with professionals in the video game, tabletop, and fiction industries.

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