Humans all need purpose, and that’s why we have mission statements at work to take our minds off the daily grind. Likewise, a strong narrative gives players more meaning behind your core gameplay loop and this keeps their heads in the game.

So how do you design a good story that hooks players in early and leaves them emotionally satisfied when they defeat the final boss? How do you steer a branching narrative to that sweet spot between player agency and a strong story? What makes characters memorable and worthy of fan fiction? This workshop gives you the skills to design a narrative that turns your game from a series of button presses into an emotional adventure!

Games is has become a familiar with as a source of entertainment to everyone – but have you ever wondered what goes into designing a game? Can Game Design be for anything else besides entertainment? How does one start exploring game development as a career? Participants will get an introduction to the basics of game design before getting some hands-on experience in designing their very own game prototype. You will be learning game design concepts through simply pen and paper, so no prior programming knowledge is required.

The world of scholastic esports is rapidly growing and offers numerous career pathways for students. Participants will discover the research-to-club model, explore the NASEF dashboard, and gain an understanding of the eight-step club start-up methodology. This workshop will take you beyond the game, exploring the many opportunities and potential career pathways in this exciting and rapidly growing field.

Learn about the key skills and requirements needed to become a successful college to pro-level coach, including consistent meetings, trials, and practices, and physical conditioning. The workshop will discuss the social-emotional learning skills players can develop through esports and techniques to help players identify and manage tilt. You’ll also learn about the four principles of purposeful practice and the social-emotional and interpersonal dynamics inherent in college and professional teams. Whether you’re a coach, player, or simply curious about the world of esports, this workshop is the perfect opportunity to learn from industry experts and level up your knowledge.

Discover the many potential career opportunities available to you and learn how to identify your domain within the esports ecosystem. Through the Sorting Hat activity, you’ll identify your strengths and interests within the esports industry. You’ll also have the opportunity to explore degree choices that can help you pursue your esports career goals. Our knowledgeable trainers will guide you through the various career pathways and help you understand the skills and requirements needed to pursue them. You’ll also learn about the many opportunities available beyond the game, including event planning, social media management, and more.

Develop your esports skillset with our workshop. Through a series of activities and challenges, you’ll build essential skills in team-building, resourcefulness, leadership, and conflict resolution.

Attendees will be sorted into four domains and be provided a tournament-style activity for each domain. You’ll have 30 minutes to design key elements in each domain and another 30 minutes to create and practice those elements. The workshop will culminate in a 30-minute tournament, with one wild card seat on a bracket of eight challengers.

Attendees will manage all parts of the tournament to completion. This workshop is the perfect opportunity for you to try out and level up your skills!

Drew is a jack-of-all-trades storyteller, with notches on his belt for screenwriting, visual effects, and indie game development. He created Gloom and Doom, a dark comedy visual novel about supernatural slackers and suicide prevention, and Teenage Textbook: The Series, a teen comedy nationally televised in Singapore. During the day, he helps brands tell their stories as an Account Director at creative and media agency VaynerMedia APAC. At night, when the emails finally end and the kids are asleep, he likes to scribble and doodle his own stuff as the one-person team at Neo Tegoel Games.

Jedidiah Siah
Co-founder & Director, AlterCulture Studios 

Jedidiah Siah is Co-founder and Director of AlterCulture Studios Pte. Ltd, which does game design consultation, education, and promoting the usage of games across non-gaming industries. He is also an Associate Trainer at Civil Service College (Singapore) for Game Design. He is also the Creative and Design Lead at Living Theories, and the co-founder of the Heritage Game Jam organizing ground-up collective, the Sagakaya Collective.

Jorrel holds a BA in Human Development and a Career Technical Education (CTE) Credential. He grew his roots as an instructor for various nonprofits, taught English in South Korea, volunteered as a virtual educator for students in India, designed a statewide STEM enrichment program for expanded learning centers in California, and now leads the global development of education in esports as the Chief Operating Officer for NASEF while continuing to cultivate esports community leaders through the Scholastic Fellow Program. When not at work, he loves gaming & traveling with the wife, UAV tinkering, 3D printing, multimedia & design, exploring VR/AR, and playing with all things related to the future.

Kevin is a licensed CTE instructor (high school and college), mentor teacher, accomplished linguist, and wears the mantle of Chief Academic Officer as a founding member of the North America Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF). Working on a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration yet also a life-long gamer, he sees his job as the perfect linkage between parents, educators, and administrators, helping them cross the seemingly impossible divide between video game play and all of its inherent college and career-readiness as well as social-emotional merits.