Machinima: Screen Stories: Narrative in Games and Film

“We tell ourselves stories in order to live” Joan Didion. Narrative in games has become more sophisticated thanks to photo-real graphics, surround-sound audio, larger screens and professional scriptwriters, but how does the experience of gaming on the latest consoles compare to storytelling on the big screen? Is the car chase in Bullitt better than running from the cops on GTA IV? Is the obelisk in 2001 more awe-inspiring than the Halo? And whose zombies would you rather have chasing you – George Romero’s or the ones in Dead Rising on the Xbox 360? Join technology writer Bill Thompson and a panel of industry experts to debate the future of narrative, with a batch of illustrative film clips, live gameplay and Machinima extracts.