Prof Stephen E. Dinehart IV

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Welcome to The Narrative Designer

Gain Magazine featuring Narrative Designer Stephen E. Dinehart IV
Interviewed This Month In Gain Magazine!

This year German game journal, GAIN Magazine is circulating an in-print only in-depth interview with Professor Stephen E. Dinehart conducted by the insightful Arno Görgen. In this the last issue of the magazine, Dinehart delves into various facets of his work, life, and career. The opportunity to listen in on such meaningful discourse about the intricacies of narrative design within the gaming landscape is both enlightening and rewarding.


Rarely do professionals within the industry have the chance to explore their craft in such depth. The thought-provoking questions posed by Görgen allow Stephen to reflect on his journey as a narrative designer in ways previously unexplored. The interview is exclusively available in print and is published solely in German.


To acquire a copy directly, interested individuals are invited to visit: www.gain-magazin.de. Don't miss out on this exclusive opportunity to gain access to a wealth of knowledge and inspiration in this the last issue of Gain Magazine.

Award-Winning

From Cloud and Company of Heroes, to Super Nintendo World and Mario Kart, Professor Dinehart has won and been nominated for numerous awards.

Storytelling expert

Prof. Dinehart co-created, wrote and took the first Narrative Designer role in the entertainment industry in 2006. The role has gone on to redefine how stories are made in contemporary. 

Games Scholar

Of his many accolades Professor Dinehart is a honorary scholar many times over, including Electronic Arts, The Annenberg Foundation, Gene Autry, and The David Lynch Foundation. 

Speaker & Writer

In additon to being an international speaker, Prof Dinehart is also a professional game and screenwriter, most famously penning 'Mario Kart' for NBC Universal.

What is a "Narrative Designer"?

Professor Dinehart in his office "The Story Room" at Relic Entertainment in 2006.

The "Narrative Designer" is a role created out of necessity. One Tarrnie Williams had the vision of a new kind of role and  asked Stephen to help him with it at THQ Canada dba Relic Entertainment where he was then General Manager. After talking about it over many months, Dinehart wrote the job description in a basement in Wisconsin. Approved weeks later, the role as written was initially called "Narrative Director", but was eventually settled upon by the team as "Narrative Designer". It would take another six months before Dinehart would be offered the job. Moving to Vancouver, British Columbia to first take the role in October of 2006. In the almost 20 years since, the Narrative Designer has changed the landscape of story development in interactive entertainment and now employs thousands of people worldwide.