Hi everyone! Thanks for joining us in the Captilight Team Highlight Series. Last blog we spoke with...(me! Deana...) but today we'll be talking to Steven Seidman, our Narrative Designer. This interview is conducted by Deana Galbraith, the CEO/Creative Director at Captilight.
Deana: It’s your turn in the hot seat Steven. Have a seat.
Steven: Sure, thing boss.
Deana: Why don’t we start with the “Who are you?”
Steven: Well for starters I’m a screenwriter and have been one for a long time. I teach screenwriting to middle school and high school students. At one point I wanted to be a lawyer… Everything I do has to fulfill one thing for me and that is to help others, whether that’s through actual help or creating experiences for people that can help them. I went down the screenwriting path when I got to college and before that, I always loved video games and one day wanted to be a video game writer.
Deana: That’s a unique background, how did that bring you to getting involved with Captilight?
Steven: Well, I got involved with a co-working space called, “The Orlando Game Space” and on that fateful day I was just a guy doing stand up comedy in a bar with no audience except some amazing people celebrating a birthday and I was just funny enough to tag along. Then for the next year I worked with as a photographer with them and a few months ago I heard that you, Deana were looking for a Narrative Designer and I was like, “I got to talk to her.” Now here we are.
Deana: To think if you didn’t do comedy and photography you wouldn’t be here right now.
Steven: I try not to think about the what if, I’m grateful it happened and I’m here working on this amazing project with an amazing team and leader.
Deana: Aw, flattery won’t get you out of this interview.
Steven: Worth a shot, haha.
Deana: What excites you about Path of Kami?
Steven: I’m excited to have this opportunity to craft a story with the team and you to create characters that will hopefully impact people. I'm also really excited to know if we make someone cry.
Deana: ...yass! Steven: In a good way! Deana: Of course!
Deana: Tell us a bit about your process when working on a new project?
Steven: The first thing I do is think of the what type of story am I trying to tell and then I think about the structure of the story. Once that’s done, I work with the characters and try to come up with a title. One thing that works a lot is giving something a name, if it has a name giving it life is easier. After all that I start working on the Hero’s Journey for the main character. At some point, I’ll feel good enough to start writing and see where the character takes us.
Deana: So, when working on Path of Kami where do you draw your inspiration from?
Steven: It was talking with you and hearing what you wanted to do and see, looking over the concept documents and doing a bit of research online about Japanese wolves.
Deana: Okay now for something fun, what is your favorite type of game?
Steven: I love games with a great story and great characters. The genre of the game isn’t a big factor for me. A few of my favorite games are Witcher 3, Marvel’s Spiderman, Metal Gear Solid (1,2,3,4 not 5), Uncharted series, and Kingdom Hearts to name a few.
Deana: Let's do one more… What advice would you give to someone wanting to work in the games industry?
Steven: Well seeing how I’m new to this industry I’ll keep it tailored to writing. My advice is to learn about different kinds of myths, study themes, and the Hero’s Journey. I recommend reading anything by Joseph Campbell. I recommend him because understanding how and why a story is told makes you a better storyteller. While you're doing that learn the format for what you're writing for and get that information from professionals. I can say that you can be the best writer in the world but if you submit something improperly as a new person you run a high risk of losing your opportunity.
<End Interview> Thanks so much for joining us! Next week we'll be talking with Mark Choi, the Music Composer behind Path of Kami!
Sincerely, Deana Galbraith Captilight Team