The Game Developers Conference is excited to announce the 2024 winners of the annual Student Narrative Analysis Competition, who will be bringing their knowledgeable and insightful work to GDC 2024 in March.
Register for GDC 2024!
Every year, leading game design programs at universities around the world integrate the competition into their academic curricula. Participating students choose a game title and conduct a detailed and structured analysis of its narrative elements.
Papers are submitted to the Game Narrative Summit advisory board for review, and a select number are given passes to GDC 2024 and invited to present poster sessions of their work at the Game Narrative Summit. The Poster Review discussion areas will be open at lunchtime on Monday, March 18 and Tuesday, March 19 from 11am-2pm in West Hall, 2nd floor, Overlook 2014 and Overlook 2018.
This year’s winners have explored everything from award-winning AAA blockbusters to smaller, critically acclaimed indie titles—presenting complex and detailed analyses that foreshadow the contributions they will likely make to the field of game narrative over the course of their careers.
We’re proud to announce that this year’s winners are:
Platinum Winners
Vasilisa Shcherbakova, DigiPen, Katana Zero
Brooke Glasier, Northeastern, Stardew Valley
Amari O'Connor, Quinnipiac, Stray
Gold Winners
Noah Crissey, DigiPen, God of War
Jane Grantham, UC Santa Cruz, Sally Face
Kelsey Pham, University of Silicon Valley, OMORI
Samantha Khan, Sheridan, Sky: Children of Light
Douglas Kuras, Rochester Institute of Technology, OMORI
Christopher Dichmann, Sheridan, Faith: The Unholy Trinity
Asad Ali, Sheridan, Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Venus Foo, DigiPen Singapore, Heaven Will Be Mine
Ben Copas, George Mason, A Short Hike
Lindsay Parkoo, Kennesaw State, Until Dawn
Utkarsh Dwivedi, Penn, God of War
Somnarng Sin, Quinnipiac, PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo
Violet Li, Sheridan, Transistor
Ravi Butler, Sheridan, Signalis
Yifan Li, SMU, Stray
Xinyu "Layne" Zhang, SMU, Fatal Frame III: The Tormented
Dean Goodson, University of Silicon Valley, Journey
Ana Hunter, USC, Venba
Reagan Wang, USC, Umurangi Generation
Tate Donnelly, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, I Was A Teenaged Exocolonist
Platinum winners receive an All Access pass to GDC 2024, while Gold winners receive an Expo pass. All winners can present a poster session highlighting their work at the conference, and those sessions will be available for public viewing after the show on GDC Vault.
Sign up for GDC 2024 here.
GDC returns to San Francisco this March 18-22, 2024—and registration is now open! For more information, be sure to visit our website and follow the #GDC2024 hashtag on social media.
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