Michael Bhatty
Prof. Dr. Michael Bhatty studied art (painting and photography), literature (Anglistic and American literature) and media sciences at the University of Osnabrück, earning an M.A. in 1995. In 1999 his dissertation on Interactive Story Telling - the first one in Germany focussing on Games as a new media form - was published.
Having alway been a practitioneer of art and media, Michael Bhatty broke into the games industry and created as Lead Game Designer for SACRED (2004) both story and world, thus including all the Archetypes of the Hero's Journey in one computer game.
In 2005 he lead the development department of Phenomedia, producing as Chief Executive Producer numerous casual titles, before setting up his own company Michael Bhatty Entertainment in 2007, serving as consultant for developers as well as an author for game-novels; Michael Bhatty wrote the official novels for AAA-brands like FARCRY and RUNES OF MAGIC.
In 2010 he became the first professor for game design at the MHMK, Munich, where he is implementing his interpretation of the 'Game Director', the creative and leading 'spearhead' of game development.
Early as in 2000 he started setting up a new education for game devlopers, starting with Bertelsmann's 'it akademie' and later as lecturer at the Games Academy in Berlin or the Business and Information Technology School in Iserlohn.
His major field of research lies on the dramaturgy of true interactive story telling and the leading role of the game designer in development, by defining 'a new role of the GAME DIRECTOR as author and director'.
Research interests
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InterestsAugmented Reality, Serious Games, Game Design, Interaction, Directing, Dramaturgy, Educational Games, edutainment, Casual Games, Interactive Story Telling, Game Director, Massive Multiplayer, chaosparadigm, alpha plot, Interface Science
Research experience
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Teaching: Game Design
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Teaching: Conceptual Design
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Teaching: Linear Story Telling
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Teaching: interactive Story Telling
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Teaching: Game Development
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Teaching: Game Engines
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Teaching: Gameplay vs. Story Telling
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Teaching: Narratology
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Teaching: Character Design
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Teaching: Music and Sound Design
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Teaching: Dramaturgy
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Teaching: Game Director
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Teaching: Production
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Teaching: Cinematics
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Teaching: Screenplay.
Other
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Other Interestssports, reading, fencing, body combat, tennis, writing novels and screenplays, producting media, photography and many more..., Digital Production, Making Games
Publications
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Dramaturgie der Gewalt
in: Politik & Kultur – Zeitung des Deutschen Kulturrates. 01/2008;
The article focuses on the perception of games as simplest solution for school shootings. Here another approach, focussing on games as a new form of media, has been provided.... [more] The article focuses on the perception of games as simplest solution for school shootings. Here another approach, focussing on games as a new form of media, has been provided.
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Der Game Designer als Regisseur IV – Interactive Story Telling
Gamestar Developer. 01/2008; 02/2008.
The essence of interactive story telling, games as a media form and why we aren't producing true interactive story telling yet.
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Emotional Game Design
in: Can a video game make you cry? Film und Games – eine Auseinandersetzung, Ed. Volker Kufahl, Internationales Filmfest Braunschweig. 01/2008;
A survey on techniques in game design for creating emotions we know from other media like film and literature.
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Interactive Story Telling – Anforderungen an die narrative Konzeption und dramaturgische Mechanismen einer jungen Medienform
in: Streitfall Computerspiele: Computerspiele zwischen kultureller Bildung, Kunstfreiheit und Jugendschutz, Hrsg. Olaf Zimmermann, Deutscher Kulturrat. 01/2008;
Bhatty defines games a media form of their own, thus demands at the developers come up, defining new roles for directing games and takling responsibility for the produced contents.... [more] Bhatty defines games a media form of their own, thus demands at the developers come up, defining new roles for directing games and takling responsibility for the produced contents.
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Interactive Story Telling
Politik & Kultur - Zeitung des Deutschen Kulturrates. 01/2007; 07/2007.
A survey why games are an art form and how the dramaturgy of interactive stories works.
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Der Game Designer als Regisseur III – Directing Action
Gamestar Developer. 01/2007; 11/2007.
the new role of the game designer as directing artist and how to do this for AAA-game-productions.
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Der Game Designer als Regisseur II – Der Weg für den Lead Game Designer
Gamestar Developer. 01/2007; 08/2007.
Bhatty defines the new role of the game designer as leading author and director, a creative-leading 'spearhead' of development, orienting at the structures of the New-Hollywood-Cinematographers.... [more] Bhatty defines the new role of the game designer as leading author and director, a creative-leading 'spearhead' of development, orienting at the structures of the New-Hollywood-Cinematographers.
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Der Game Director als Regisseur
Gamestar Developer. 01/2007; 05/2007.
Bhatty describes problems of the German games business and introduces his new concept of the game designer in a new role as autor and director, the creative-leading 'spearhead' of the production.... [more] Bhatty describes problems of the German games business and introduces his new concept of the game designer in a new role as autor and director, the creative-leading 'spearhead' of the production.
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Science Fiction und Fantasy in den audiovisuellen Medien
in: Fremdsprachenunterricht - Zeitschrift für das Lehren und Lernen fremder Sprachen: Themenheft Science Fiction. 01/2001; , Jahrgang 45/54.
A survey on the fantastic literature and media and how they influenced our reception since the Star Wars phenomenon.
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Interaktives Story Telling - Zur historischen Entwicklung und konzeptionellen Strukturierung interaktiver Geschichten
01/1999; Shaker Verlag.
ISBN: 978-3-8265-6717-9
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Geschichte und Vermarktung der Hollywood-Glamour-Photographie
01/1997; Peter Lang-Verlag.
ISBN: 3631317948
Following (15)
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Thomas Bartz-Beielstein
Fachhochschule Köln, Cologne University of Applied Sciences -
Soenke Dohrn
Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg -
Bilal Erkin
Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster -
Marc Mültin
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology