Between the Lines: A Screenwriter's Journey

Between the Lines: A Screenwriter's Journey « Between the Lines : A screenwriter's journey » is a choice-driven narrative game designed to help players better understand the realities and challenges of the screenwriting profession in Hollywood. Game Mechanics The player takes on the role of an aspiring screenwriter, faced with important choices that shape their life and career. Drawing on the mechanics of Reigns, the game challenges the player with a series of dilemmas presented as text-based cards, each offering two possible choices. Each decision affects four key indicators:- Ego — your ability to stand your ground and promote your vision despite industry, financial, and creative obstacles- Relationships — your ability to work with others and maintain professional connections- Money — the funds you rely on to keep your career moving- Screenwriting Skills — your level of craft as a screenwriter To succeed, you must keep the first three indicators (Ego, Relationships, Money) in balance. Letting any of them drop below 0 or rise above 100 ends the game. Depending on which indicator hit an extreme and in which direction, you'll see a different ending showing how this imbalance cut your career short. The fourth indicator, Skills, works differently — your goal is to raise it as high as possible to improve your protagonist's long-term chances of a successful career. Educational Component To enhance its educational value, the game includes an Insights mechanic. Insights are short, thematic texts you unlock as you progress through the game. Each of them summarises an important aspect of the screenwriting profession. Development Context The game was created as part of my master's thesis in Digital Humanities at the University of Lausanne, under the supervision of Isaac Pante and David Javet. It was built using Kaboom.js, a JavaScript game programming library. The game's content is based on an analysis of the main social and industrial aspects of the screenwriting profession in Hollywood, identified through academic research for this thesis. It also draws inspiration from the real challenges I have personally faced as a young screenwriter. AI Tools Used The development process involved the use of AI tools: - ChatGPT and Claude were used to assist with coding tasks.- Midjourney was used to create all the graphics in the game. Acknowledgments My deepest thanks go to my thesis supervisors, Isaac Pante and David Javet, for their guidance, insightful feedback, and inspiring passion for their work. A very special thanks to Ivan Popkov for his technical help, patience, and advice throughout this project. And thanks to everyone who took part in playtests and conversations around the game.