Fellow Traveller’s celebration of narrative videogames returns on Steam from May 5th
LudaNarraCon is returning for the fourth consecutive year, with special guests Lucas Pope, Meg Jayanth, Greg Lobanov, and many more. LudaNarraCon (named after ludonarrative, the word that describes the narrative of a video game) is a global digital convention hosted on Steam, the largest storefront for PC games. Concieved by indie label Fellow Traveller (Genesis Noir, Citizen Sleeper, Glitchhiker) and galvanised by partnerships with indie publishers and developers, the convention celebrates the titles that push the boundaries of interactive storytelling, the people responsible for them, and the fans who love them. The online event is from May 5th-9th, and works by giving each participant the opportunity to exhibit their game via livestream on their respective Steam store page. Even if you miss the livestream, the footage will be available to view throughout the duration of the event.
LudaNarraCon 2022, will showcase 42 exhibiting games, and 33 demos will be available (including titles such as the BAFTA-winning Before Your Eyes, and the upcoming Coffee Talk 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly). There will also be a sale on over a hundred narrative games during the event!
In addition to all this, there will be a central “theatre” stream featuring 56 panelists. This will host fireside chats with as-of-yet unannounced mystery guests as well as 12 panels featuring luminaries in videogame storytelling. These panels include, but are not limited to:
- Wholesomeness and Grief: How to Make Tea For Cats — a delve into “the co-option of ‘softness’ queer theory, cuteness in capitalism, and the separation of meaning and context that occurs in the distilling of aesthetics and branding”. Features Len Predko, Saffron Aurora and Stephanie Cooke
- Innovating the Detective Genre in Narrative Games — an exploration of games that tackle deduction and detective mechanics and how players can become more immersed in that role. Features Lucas Pope, Mark Brown, Tim Sheinman and Victor Breum
- The Question of Content Warnings & Filters in Videogames — a conversation about the struggle presented when a developers desire to engage the audience with more difficult subject matters meets that developer’s duty to protect that audience. Features Claris Cyarron, Dr Raffael Boccamazzo, Sy Raffoul and Tanya X. Short
- Shocking Developments: Subverting Expectations with Game Stories — a discussion where the panelists talk about how to craft immediately compelling narratives while also challenging the audience’s expectations. Features Antony Johnston, Heather Albano, Richard Rouse III and Xalavier Nelson Jr.
- History Repeats – New Stories from the Past — a panel confronting the difficulties in balancing historical accuracy with crafting a narrative that’s easily accessible to modern gamers. Features Chella Ramanan, Daisy Fernandez, Florent Maurin, Francois Alliot and Jared Tan.
- The Art of the Twist — where the guests talk about those moments in stories that completely recontextualise the plot, and what does and doesn’t make them work. Features Greg Lobanov, Sam Barlow, Sarah Northway and Tanya X. Short
LudaNarraCon promises to be an enlightening experience that will enhance the discoverability of storyrich games that may otherwise fly under the radar. It will give everyone the opportunity to recieve the core content of a physical convention, but without the long queues, time limits, rampant body odour and inevitable con-flu. While you’ll miss out on the merchandise and face-to-face connections of an in-person event, LudaNarraCon makes up for it by being available to a global audience for free. Check it out, if you have the time!
You can check out the full list of panels and exhibiting games using these links. You can also keep up with LudaNarraCon and Fellow Traveller’s other work on their Discord and Twitter
He/Him
A flamboyant ultra nerd, Dave participates in the Underlevelled Tournament both for the thrill of the fight, and to avenge the orphans lost in the climax of the previous tournament.
Born: London
Height: ???
Weight: ???
Hobbies: street dance, collecting manga volumes, reading, editing
Likes: short-to-medium walks on the beach, pointing out how things can and will be misconstrued as racism, fighting games, RPGs, anime, Hades, alternative hip hop, conscious hip hop, Mara Wilson, overly long bios, ice-cream
Dislikes: insincere media, his own uncanny resemblance to Richard Ayoade, mayonnaise
