Video game writing has come a long way since the retro era. Gone are the days of “all your base are belong to us” as the last few years in particular have seen games arrive with strong stories and nuanced narratives. And now, the American Writers Museum in Chicago has a brand new exhibit all about storytelling in games.
Level Up Your Game Writing Knowledge With Level Up: Writers & Gamers
Opening today, Level Up: Writers & Gamers explores how Americans engage with games and the narratives they provide. It introduces visitors to game writing from the 1970s to the present day. Not just confined to video games, the exhibit also focuses on tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons.
In a press release, the American Writers Museum shared that the exhibit aims to highlight the importance of game writing and its influence on storytelling. Level Up: Writers & Gamers also hopes to inspire young people to try a new form of writing, and enrich visitors’ understanding of writing through fun and interactive forms.
And of course, the video game writing exhibit showcases a number of narrative-rich games from the last 50 years. Some of these include Zork, Baldur’s Gate III, and Final Fantasy VII. The latter of these recently received a reimagining with a narrative we called “jaw-dropping” in our review.
But the exhibit also focuses on the folks behind beloved game titles. Some of these include Roberta Williams, co-founder of Sierra and designer of King’s Quest, and Michael Pondsmith, founder of R. Talsorian Games and contributor for Cyberpunk 2077. The exhibit also showcases other kinds of game writers, such as journalist and streamer Tanya DePass.
Admission to the American Writers Museum includes access to Level Up: Writers & Gamers. Tickets are $16 for adults and $10 for seniors, students, and teachers. Children 12 and under are free. And the museum is open Wednesday through Monday, 10am to 5pm.
Level Up: Writers & Gamers runs through May 5th, 2025. So you have a year to get out to Chicago to experience it. However, for those who can’t make it to the Windy City, the American Writers Museum will also offer exclusive online content in the near future.
