Should game studios use writers’ rooms, or is that a terrible idea?
What’s the best way to handle rejection from someone you admire?
And how the deuce does Hades manage to tell a great story (in a genre that makes it almost impossible)?
Today’s guest, game writer & narrative designer Phil Balli, has put in over 200 hours into Hades ( just on his Switch, don’t ask how many hours he’s put into the Xbox version). He’s here to tell you what he learned - and what we can all learn - about creating a killer player experience (pun intended).
Plus, he shares what he’s learned from his experience working in the writers’ rooms for FX’s Fargo and other HBO and Apple TV+ projects - and why one minor tweak can turn writers’ rooms from total boondoggles into a game studio’s secret weapon.
Plus, we talk about how our friendship started with rejection - and how my No turned into the beginning of The Narrative Department.
In this interview, we explore:
- Phil’s journey from games to TV (and back again). See where Phil started, where he is now, and how his journey could help other game writers and narrative designers.
- How to mash up journalism, television, and video games into something new. Learn how Phil’s past work experience in journalism and television and his lifelong love of games have shaped his unique approach to writing and narrative design.
- A Deep Dive Into Hades. Phil shares deep insights, offering a professional’s view on how the game takes a bug (endless death) and turns it into a feature (story-progression tool). He talks about what it takes to create a script that responds to the player at every turn and how that approach has influenced his own work as a narrative designer.
Want to see Phil’s storytelling ideas in action? In our Game Writing Masterclass, Phil created a pitch for a Hades DLC. His goal: create new characters, encounters, and story beats, all while staying true to the game's core loop of Try, Die, Discover - and then Try Again.
And you can visit his portfolio site here: https://pballi17.wixsite.com/philipballiwriter
Thanks again, Phil. It was lovely chatting with you. 😍
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Susan’s first job as a game writer was for “a slumber party game - for girls!” She’s gone on to work on over 25 projects, including award-winning titles in the BioShock, Far Cry and Tomb Raider franchises. Titles in her portfolio have sold over 30 million copies and generated over $500 million in sales. She is an adjunct professor at UT Austin, where she teaches a course on writing for games. A long time ago, she founded the Game Narrative Summit at GDC. Now, she partners with studios, publishers, and writers to help teams ship great games with great stories. She is dedicated to supporting creatives in the games industry so that they can do their best work.