Chris Klug

What really makes a video game story interactive? What's the best way to create an interactive story? How much control should players be given? Do they really want that control in the first place? Do they even know what they want-or are their stated desires at odds with the unconscious preferences? All of these questions and more are examined in this definitive book on interactive storytelling for video games. You'll get detailed descriptions of all major types of interactive stories, case studies of popular games (including Bioshock, Fallout 3, Final Fantasy XIII, Heavy Rain, and Metal Gear Solid), and how players interact with them, and an in-depth analysis of the results of a national survey on player storytelling preferences in games. You'll get the expert advice you need to generate compelling and original game concepts and narratives. With Interactive Storytelling for Video Games, you'll:

What really makes a video game story interactive? What's the best way to create an interactive story? How much control should players be given? Do they really want that control in the first place? Do they even know what they want-or are their stated desires at odds with the unconscious preferences? All of these questions and more are examined in this definitive book on interactive storytelling for video games. You'll get detailed descriptions of all major types of interactive stories, case studies of popular games (including Bioshock, Fallout 3, Final Fantasy XIII, Heavy Rain, and Metal Gear Solid), and how players interact with them, and an in-depth analysis of the results of a national survey on player storytelling preferences in games. You'll get the expert advice you need to generate compelling and original game concepts and narratives. With Interactive Storytelling for Video Games, you'll:

Displaying faith, courage, and perseverance, snowboard racer Chris Klug battled for years to have his "extreme" sport accepted in the mainstream. He rose through the World Cup ranks and won a bronze medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics less than two years after undergoing a lifesaving liver transplant. Not since Lance Armstrong's It's Not About the Bike has a stricken athlete's story been as poised to transcend the sport. In 1996, during snowboarding's World Cup season, Chris was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis,the same disease that would cause the death of his childhood hero, football great Walter Payton. His four-year wait for a donor came to an end when his rapidly failing liver prompted doctors to move him up on the transplant list. With the shooting death of a thirteen-year-old boy, Chris was given the organ that gave him a second chance at life. From his youth as a high school football hero, to his campaign for snowboarding's acceptance, and through surgery, recovery, and Olympic glory, every setback and victory in Chris Klug's ride is riveting. To the Edge and Back will be cherished as a story of an athlete who represents the best of the human spirit.