Blood on the Thames

This project simultaneously pulled from my collegiate background and challenged me in new ways. Editing was a critical part of my role on this project, as many assignments were handed to me with a draft of dialogue already written. Fortunately, my college undergrad was initially oriented towards book editing, so I felt very secure with this work. My editing on this project ranged from heavy handed content changes to fact-checking to copyediting depending on where we were in development. Early on in the process, my work in narrative game design overlapped with a degree of substantive editing as we made sure that the content needed to solve each mystery was accurately relayed to the player. This was especially true regarding the “confrontation” mechanic that ends each chapter of the game, because it requires the player to use the evidence they’ve collected to pinpoint contradictions in a character’s dialogue.

My editing work also included conducting sensitivity readings and leading discussions about sensitive content, especially in regards to the portrayal of women in a time period as constrictive as Victorian era London. Regarding this historical context, it was important to us when creating and structuring the story, and we based much of the narrative and writing around some of our favorite literary figures that either inspired or worked throughout the Victorian era. For this, my background studying classical British and American literature certainly came in handy! We drew inspiration from the likes of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Allan Poe, Oscar Wilde, Herman Melville, Mary Shelley, and Christina Rossetti, just to name a few. The result is a game with plenty of subtle (or overt) nods to some of our favorite works and characters; most notably, the names of the entire cast are references to our biggest inspirations.

This game posed a challenge in its sheer narrative density and content. I conducted extensive cultural research to prioritize accuracy and bring the setting of the world to life. Perhaps the most fun element of my research was studying period-accurate slang for the characters to use. I was happy with the resulting voice of each character, and this compliment was echoed in later reviews of the game. All said and done, the writing came out the equivalent of a novel and a half of writing and is the largest piece I’ve worked on to date. Working on Blood on the Thames was a fantastic combination of fun and challenge, and I’m so proud of my contributions.