Dates:
- Session 2B (July 12-16, 2027) @ DigiPen
Early Bird Price: $999 $799.20
Location: DigiPen (Redmond, WA)
Visual novels sit at the crossroads of literature and software, where the reader’s decisions drive the plot and the code keeps track of every consequence. Whether the story is a detective mystery, a sci-fi thriller, or a survival drama, building interactive fiction requires the same skills professional narrative designers use: structuring complex plots, writing distinct character voices, and programming systems that respond intelligently to player choices.
Innovators will design, write, and program an original visual novel driven by their own Python logic. Students go beyond simple branching to build state-tracking systems, multiple endings shaped by cumulative decisions, and custom gameplay mechanics, all while documenting their work the way industry writers and developers do. Their ProjectFUN visual novels become polished, playable pieces they can publish online and include in a creative writing or computer science portfolio, showing colleges they can combine storytelling with real programming.
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- Branching narrative design and story mapping
- Character development and dialogue writing
- Python logic, variables, and game-state systems
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- Programming an investigation or deduction system
- Building a reputation or trust system that changes how characters respond
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- Ren’Py Engine
- Python programming language
- Laptop
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- This workshop’s curriculum has been reviewed by a panel of college-level faculty from DigiPen Institute of Technology to ensure its relevance and appropriateness for students aged 14–18.
- As with every Open World workshop, a special visit by an industry guest has been arranged to help students see the connection between their workshop and real-world careers.
My kid loved it.
Parent of an Innovator
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