How Video Games Made the Metaverse

From Pixels to Portals
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-041-01534-5
Verlag: CRC Press

Buch, Englisch, 184 Seiten, Format (B × H): 178 mm x 254 mm

This book offers an unflinching look at the creative and structural challenges of storytelling in interactive media. Drawing on over 30 years of industry experience, Kelly Vero explores the rich interplay between narrative, design, and technology, making the case for why story, far from being a cosmetic layer, is foundational to player engagement, emotional investment, and lasting value in games and virtual worlds.

The book unpacks how narrative design works across different genres and platforms: from AAA games and sandbox titles to immersive metaverses, offering a toolkit of questions and techniques to help creators build experiences that resonate. Vero brings the reader inside the design process, examining iterative workflows, empathy versus hypothesis testing, and the importance of building for diverse, evolving user bases. She draws from case studies including The Legend of Zelda, BTS Universe Story, Final Fantasy XIV, and even Runescape’s infamous party hat, showing how stories are told not just through dialogue, but also through UI, environment, mechanics, and player choice.

Crucially, How Video Games Made the Metaverse: From Pixels to Portals is about building worlds that people want to live in. Whether you're a product lead, a writer, or designer, this book explores how to integrate content, interaction, and community into a unified whole. It challenges creators to abandon ego-led development and instead embrace deep user understanding as the compass for creative direction.

By the end, readers will understand how to apply storytelling techniques not only to games and metaverses, but also to digital products more broadly, from loyalty programs and education platforms to virtual retail and AI companions. Vero’s reflections on narrative, purpose, and legacy offer a roadmap for making digital experiences that matter, not just entertain.

Zielgruppe

Professional Practice & Development

Autoren/Hrsg.

Vero, Kelly

Fachgebiete

• Mathematik | Informatik EDV | Informatik Programmierung | Softwareentwicklung Spiele-Programmierung, Rendering, Animation

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Introduction to Technology, 2. Early Tech Stacks, 3. Game Engines and AI, 4. Avatars, Digital Twins and Plug-ins Part I, 5. Avatars, Digital Twins and Plug-ins Part II, 6. Introduction to Narrative and Design, 7. Design and Game Thinking, 8. Good Stories, 9. A Life in the Metaverse, 10. Introduction to User Experience, 11. Interoperability, 12. User Acquisition, 13. Communities and Influencers, Afterword

Über Autor(innen)

Kelly Vero is a game developer, futurist, and technology pioneer with 30 years of experience in the interactive entertainment industry. She has worked with leading studios and brands worldwide, and is a frequent keynote speaker on the metaverse, narrative design, and AI. Her previous book Breaking Through Bytes was published in 2025.