Written By February/March 2010 : Page 10
designer, but the fact that she’s a gifted writer is a bonus.” Fortune Hunting Her primary responsibility at Naughty Dog has been overseeing the Unchart- ed series, an homage to the pulp genre centering around rebel-with-a-heart- of-gold treasure hunter Nate Drake. “We decided that we wanted to emu- late the classic, pulp action-adventure genre from turn-of-last-century pulp novels, to Saturday matinee series, all the way to the adventure films of the ’80s,” Hennig says. “We wanted to play in that sandbox and with those tropes, but in a way that feels fresh, with a con- temporary hero. We’re not trying to tell a retro story.” While most games of this ilk are little more than opportunities for play- ers to shoot bad guys and perform per- ilous stunts from the relative safety of their living room couch, Hennig and her team deliberately crafted a narra- tive that leaves little room for altera- While most games of this ilk are little more than opportunities for players to shoot bad guys and perform perilous stunts from the relative safety of their living room couch, Amy Hennig and her team deliberately crafted a narrative that leaves little room for alteration. tion. Sure, you have plenty of chances to plug villains and blow stuff up but, like it or not, you’re just along for the ride as Nate and his fellow adventurers THE FUTURE PAYS NOW! If you own passive backend profit participations in successful Feature Films, Television Programming or Music projects and want the benefit of receiving future income now, please call us for a consultation. We are a uniquely designed company that will purchase all, or a portion of, future revenue streams with values up to $25 million. We have successfully worked with creative individuals such as: writers, producers, directors, actors and showrunners who have a desire for liquidity. Reasons may include: estate planning, divorce, diversification of assets, buyouts of partnerships or corporations that own these assets, or simply a desire to have certainty of amount due. We can provide ongoing management of these assets including handling the audit and settlement process. Projects must have a reputable distributor. All inquiries and information kept in strict confidence. 10 • WGAW Written By february/march 2010 interact, learn from each other, and ac- tually have character arcs—something you don’t see too often in video games. They couldn’t give players too much say in the narrative, otherwise the clas- sic, lovable rogue Nate Drake might run the risk of losing his classic, lov- able roguishness. “He had to be a fully- fledged, relatable character, not like the silent protagonists you find in some first person games where your avatar is looking through the characters eyes and it’s up to you to impose the person- ality,” says Hennig. To accomplish this, the game inter- sperses play with a “wide linear” narra- tive. Many games feature a branching narrative, meaning the player calls the plot shots, thus allowing the story to branch off in many different directions. In Uncharted 2, which tells the story of Nate’s quest for the mythical king- dom of Shambhala, you solve puzzles and engage in plenty of action, but you can’t really influence the outcome (un- less you die, of course). “It’s a crafted For more information please consult www.contentllc.com or contact: Steve Kram or Steve Blume directly at content partners LLC 10877 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 603 Los Angeles, CA 90024 310 208-7300
