How can a personal story become a playable experience in a video game? Join Exchange member Into Storymode and Marlène from Autoscopia for a conversation about As Long As You’re Here, with an opportunity to experience the game firsthand at the event.

Playable Stories is a conversation series exploring how games and interactive experiences can become a medium for personal storytelling. For the first session, Into Storymode are joined by Marlène from Autoscopia to discuss the making of As Long As You’re Here — a narrative game inspired by her grandmother’s experience with Alzheimer’s disease.

In this fireside-style conversation, they will look inside the creative process behind the project: how lived experience can shape interactive design, how difficult themes such as memory loss can be translated into play, and why games can offer a unique space for reflection and empathy. A small number of computers will be set up so that attendees can experience the game firsthand before the conversation begins. The evening will include a conversation with the designer followed by an open discussion with the audience.

This event is open to game designers, artists, writers, creative technologists, and anyone curious about how stories can become playable.

Event Schedule:

Tuesday, 14 April 2026 Exchange, Somerset House, London WC2R 1LA

6:00 pm — Welcome & Arrival Doors open. A small number of computers will be available for attendees to experience As Long As You’re Here.

6:30 pm — Conversation Begins A fireside-style conversation with Marlène from Autoscopia about the making of the game and the process of translating lived experience into an interactive form.

7:30 pm — Open Conversation & Discussion Audience Q&A and an open discussion with the designer.

8:30 pm — Event Ends

About the Speaker

Marlène Delrive is a game and narrative designer passionate about finding new stories to tell in videogames and evoking feelings through gameplay. She has worked across a wide emotional spectrum—from award-winning comedy games like WHAT THE GOLF? to more personal works such as As Long As You’re Here, a game about Alzheimer’s inspired by her grandmother. She is a co-founder of Autoscopia Interactive, a small studio working across three countries. As Long As You’re Here is the studio’s debut title.

About the Moderator

Ed Sibley is a London-based Creative Director and Narrative Designer with over eight years of industry experience. Best known as the original writer and former Narrative Director for the hit mobile title Love Island The Game, he has also served as Creative Director for Sunshine Days. Ed is currently the Studio Head at Whetstone Games and serves as the co-chair of the IGDA London Chapter, where he supports the local game development community.

About Playable Stories / Into Storymode

Playable Stories is an independent conversation series created and hosted by Into Storymode, a creative initiative exploring how personal stories can be transformed into interactive, playable experiences. Through conversations, experiments, and collaborations, Into Storymode aims to lower the barrier for storytellers—writers, artists, designers, and beyond—to engage with games as a medium. Each session invites a designer to share the thinking, creative process, and challenges behind a narrative-driven project, followed by an open conversation with the audience. This first session begins with Marlène’s work on As Long As You’re Here, a project that resonates strongly with this direction in how it translates lived experience into a thoughtful and playable form.

Event Credits

Playable Sto