Narrative Jobs

Because narrative is still a relatively new area of expertise in videogames, there's not much consistency between studios about what all the various possible job titles mean.

Is it a writing job? Is it a narrative design job? Is it both, and more?

This page is a guide! For those who work in narrative, this may help you decide what to call yourself. And for studios, this resource can help decide what roles to give out, hire for, and create.

Ultimately this list is not completely exhaustive. No list ever could be. And studios will likely continue to use different words for different things. But if you're looking for suggestions, you can jump straight to the calculator, or keep reading!

Eight Types of Narrative Work

First, let's familiarise ourselves with the kinds of work that people think of when someone says "narrative". Being able to understand the differences between them is essential to being able to calculate all the different possible narrative roles.

Narrative Leadership

What is the overall narrative approach?
Storytelling approach, tone, themes, central conflicts, writing style / game voice

Story Design

What is this story?
Plotlines, characters, setting, choices

Worldbuilding

What are the truths of this world?
History, names, lore, metaphysics, background, socioeconomic/dramatic pressures

Direction

How can we get the best outcomes out of actors, scenes, and cutscenes?
Casting, voice direction, scene direction

Narrative Systems

What methods do we have available to tell a story?
Dialogue systems, quest systems, gameplay integration, art/animation/audio integration, procedural systems

Narrative Design

How is this story told?
Methods used, pacing/reveals, gameplay collaboration, art/animation/audio collaboration, content implementation

Writing

What are the words we use to express the story?
Text, dialogue, cutscene screenplays

Editing

Is the storytelling consistent?
Continuity, testing, quality, consistency

The Narrative Job Title Calculator

Wondering how these types of work translate into actual job titles?

Fill out the form below to find out!

You are aYour studio needs aThey are a
Writer*
Specialisms include: "Dialogue Writer", "Cutscene Writer", and specific genres such as comedy and romance.
Narrative Designer*
Story Designer*
Also known as: "Story Writer", "Storyteller"
Specialisms include specific genres, such as drama and historical fiction.
Worldbuilder*
Specialisms include: "Lore Historian", and as specific genres such as sci-fi and fantasy.
Editor*
Narrative Systems Designer*
Also known as: "Technical Narrative Designer"
Narrative Lead*
Also known as: "Head of Narrative", "Narrative Head", "Lead Narrative Producer", "Narrative Director"
Director*
Specialisms include: "Voice Director", "Mocap Director", "Cutscene Director"

References and further reading

Much of this thinking is cribbed directly from Job Functions in Game Narrative, by Ian Thomas

You may also be interested in:
Deciphering game narrative jobs, by Inari A. Bourguenolle
"Narrative Design Is Not Writing and Vice Versa", taken from "Writing for Games" by Hannah Nicklin
"In the Trenches", page 99, "Video Game Storytelling" by Evan Skolnick