After a successful launch on iOS devices, the writing team behind High School Story knew that in order to keep and retain a dedicated player base, they had to come up with a strategy. 

When tasked with creating an ongoing interactive narrative, how should writers go about ensuring players will stick around? 

In this 2014 GDC session, Pixelberry Studios' Kara Loo and Royal McGraw explain High School Story's combination of using drama, romance, comedy and cliffhangers to drive user engagement and retention.

Fellow writers may appreciate that they can now watch the talk completely free via the official GDC YouTube channel!

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its accompanying YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC or VRDC already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.

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