BioWare Storytelling at Gamasutra

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Gamasutra has posted an article on the presentation BioWare's joint CEO Greg Zeschuk has given on storytelling at GDC 2005. Here's a snip:

Finally, Zeschuk explained what makes BioWare different with regards of story telling in three factors. First, he spoke about player influence: all BioWare stories orbit around the player, who is the center of everything. He even mentioned BioWare believed in the concept of games providing a sort of fantasy fulfillment, allowing you to become your secret dreams and desires. The second factor that sets BioWare apart is personalization of the story. All BioWare games allow the player a certain level of non-linearity, often linked to moral choices he must take during the course of the adenture. By doing this, the player is actually asserting who does he or she want to be within the game: a good or evil character, a hero or a villain. In Jade Empire this can notably be seen in the two sides: the way of the Open Hand and the way of the Closed Fist. Last, he spoke about the non-linearity present in all BioWare games. While he said a story-based game needs to have a story by nature, he said at BioWare they believe in non-linearity with guidance, this is, a linear story that can be advanced in non-linear ways. An example architecture for this would be a central hub location used to acquire new quests, and several non-linear satellite locations where actual adventuring takes place.

Read the whole thing at Gamasutra.