Join us on Saturday, May 16, 2026 for a full day of talks by experts in visual novel development, game design, voice acting, and more. You’ll learn practical techniques, explore new ideas and concepts, and learn about cutting-edge developments in the visual novel space.
Wow your audience
This year’s theme is “wow your audience”! We want to celebrate and share the art of creating unique, impactful games that stay with your audience long after the credits roll, and show ways you, as developers, can elevate your skills and games even further.
Schedule
The event will be held on May 16, 2026, in a private stage within the DevTalk Discord server.
| Time (EDT) | Event | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00 a.m. | Welcome & Opening Remarks | – |
| 10:10 a.m. | 5 Steps for the Perfect Screenshot | Vimi |
| 11:20 a.m. | Choose to be funny: Comedy Writing for Narrative Games | Conway Sutton |
| 12:20 p.m. | How to Script 1 Million Words in Ren’Py | Justinn |
| 12:40 p.m. | Storytelling Through UI | Pepper |
| 1:00 p.m. | Lunch Break | – |
| 2:00 p.m. | Adding FlaVOr: A Deep-Dive on Planning and Implementing Voice Acting | Jett Barker |
| 3:10 p.m. | The Z-Axis is Your Friend: 3D Environments for Visual Novels | Terrier |
| 4:10 p.m. | The Eccentricities of Naninovel & Unity | Campbell & Jordan Brown |
| 4:30 p.m. | Using Sound as a Storytelling Mechanism | James Krasner |
| 5:00 p.m. | Tactile Storytelling: Incorporating Physical Media Techniques Into VNs | FeatherBoy |
| 5:20 p.m. | Don’t Build Groverhaus: Narrative Design & Teamwork in VN Development | Runa |
| 5:40 p.m. | Making the Most of Your Music | Jeff Penny |
| 6:50 p.m. | Staging and Movement in Visual Novels | Floramisu |
| 7:50 p.m. | Closing Remarks | – |
Speakers & Talk Descriptions
Talk descriptions will be announced over time as the event approaches! View announced descriptions here.
Vimi
Veteran Game Developer, Designer from the Visual Novel Design Channel
5 Steps for the Perfect Screenshot (click for details)
You don’t even need all five steps! Steps 1-3 are enough to make your Visual Novel’s UI, sprites and background look great! Step 4 is just if you want your visual novel to FEEL good. And step 5? For Pros ONLY.
Conway Sutton
Monster Prom 4 Writer
Choose to be Funny: Comedy Writing for Narrative Games (click for details)
Players love a good comedy, but bad jokes will test their patience. From one of the Monster Prom 4 writers, discover how to make key comedic choices, common pitfalls to avoid, and tips for being funny even when you don’t feel like it.
Purchase tickets
The event will be held in a private stage within the DevTalk Discord server. Attendees will receive a Discord role allowing them to view the stage automatically after purchasing a ticket.
Tickets are $15 USD, and can be purchased on Ticket Tailor or in the “server shop” within the DevTalk Discord server.
Recordings of all talks are included with every ticket!
(Recordings will be provided after the event)
About VNDN
The Visual Novel Developer Network (VNDN) is a combination of community owned and operated websites, chats and services with the goal of helping people make their art, write their stories, speak their truth, and earn their livelihood through their passions.
VNDN is best known for DevTalk, the narrative game development Discord server. It also operates the VNDev Wiki and many visual novel jams.