Ideas change everything

How video games turn players into storytellers

857,496 plays|

David Cage |

TED2018

• April 2018

Have you ever watched a film or read a novel, wishing that you could change the narrative to save your favorite character? Game designer David Cage allows you do just that in his video games, where players make decisions that shape an ever-changing plot. In a talk and live demo, Cage presents a scene from his new project, letting the audience control a character's decisions. "Interactive storytelling can be what cinema was in the 20th century: an art that deeply changes its time," Cage says.

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

Have you ever watched a film or read a novel, wishing that you could change the narrative to save your favorite character? Game designer David Cage allows you do just that in his video games, where players make decisions that shape an ever-changing plot. In a talk and live demo, Cage presents a scene from his new project, letting the audience control a character's decisions. "Interactive storytelling can be what cinema was in the 20th century: an art that deeply changes its time," Cage says.

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

Read our curation guidelines.

About the speaker

Interactive storyteller

See speaker profile

The creator of emotional, immersive games like "Heavy Rain," "BEYOND: Two Souls" and "Detroit: Become Human," David Cage uses games to push the boundaries of storytelling.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

Read our curation guidelines.

David Cage: How video games turn players into storytellers | TED Talk