The Game Developers Conference is happy to announce the 2023 winners of the annual Student Narrative Analysis Competition, who will be bringing their knowledgeable and insightful work to GDC 2023 in March.
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 2023 and invited to present poster sessions of their work at the Game Narrative Summit.
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
Yanfei Chen, Sheridan, Remember 11: The Age of Infinity
Ellen Heitmann, DigiPen, Xenoblade Chronicles
Asad Ali, Sheridan, Fate/Stay Night [Realta Nua]: Unlimited Blade Works
Gold Winners
Jasmin El-Tahry, Sheridan, Fire Emblem Awakening
Connor Runyon, DigiPen, Steins;Gate
Marisa Fernandez, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Superliminal
Olivia Peck-Kropywnyckyj, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, The World Ends With You
Gabe St. Onge, Sheridan, LISA: The Painful
Tian Yang, USC, Nishan Shaman
Mathew Rosario, Columbia College of Chicago, Nier Automata
Canon Coker, DigiPen, Bloodborne
Vasilia Shcherbakova, DigiPen, Little Nightmares II
Katarine Culver, Kennesaw State, Genshin Impact
Amari O'Connor, Quinnipiac, The Wolf Among Us
Max Kenny, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, It Takes Two
Carl Stadtler, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, To The Moon
Juan Alarcon, Sheridan, Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin
Sile Keenan, Sheridan, Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Braden Kubit, Southern Methodist University, Tetris Effect
Balpreet Purewal, Southern Methodist University, Twelve Minutes
Tianze Wu, Southern Methodist University, Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Melissa de la Vega, University of Silicon Valley, OneShot
Marshall Sandoval-Clark, University of Silicon Valley, Disco Elysium (The Final Cut)
Joey Centofanti, USC, Goragoa
Will Farhat, USC, Celeste
Nicholas Frangie, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Mass Effect
Platinum winners receive an All Access pass to GDC 2023, 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.
Register for GDC 2023 Here
GDC returns to San Francisco this March 20-24, 2023, and registration is now open! For more information, be sure to visit our website and follow the #GDC23 hashtag on social media.
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