Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Striking Writers May Work on Games

Posted by Zonk on from the fewer-hackneyed-cliches-sounds-like-a-good-thing dept.

The ongoing Writer's Guild strike may soon impact even the games industry. While most of the copy writers working on games are not a part of the guild, via Eurogamer comes a Variety article about a possible Hollywood writer's migration to other media. "While the WGA has made no secret that it would like to eventually cover vidgame writing, it hasn't pushed the issue yet and is allowing members to work on games during the strike. 'It has been an interesting shift," says one tenpercenter who focuses on vidgames. "The literary agents are now saying, 'Why don't we get our clients over there during the strike?' even though in the past they thought the money wasn't good enough or the work is too demanding.'"

5 of 124 comments (clear)

  1. Is this good or bad? by 644bd346996 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'm not sure whether I should rejoice that more games will be getting competent writers, or weep that gaming is going to be degraded to sitcom quality.

    1. Re:Is this good or bad? by hudsonhawk · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Soap opera writers have been breaking away from the union and crossing the picket line.

      The union's fight is not their fight - soap operas don't sell DVD's or get watched online.

  2. Hollywood writers are good? by AHumbleOpinion · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Why are so many people acting as if Hollywood writers are good? Go to your local bookstore and buy some of those compilations of the year's best science fiction short stories. Read the stories. I think these upcoming authors would form a far more valuable talent pool. If you look at some of the older compilations you will notice some short stories that have become movies and the true value of the typical Hollywood writer becomes painfully apparent.

    1. Re:Hollywood writers are good? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I don't think it's that the Hollywood writers are poor - you don't get a high-paying gig without having some skills. I think it's a matter of their producers instructing them to dumb down the content - apparently, simple slop sells. Blame the drooling masses that so obviously soak up the dribble that passes as 'prime time content', as reinforced by the high ratings of these shows.

      Indeed - everyone should go to the bookstore. I totally agree. Or rather, let them stay home and gel on their sofas...I'll gladly climb over them.

  3. I wouldn't worry either way by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The writers aren't likely to see any work on video game projects. The game industry is like most others in that you are generally paid for a job, not paid residuals. Also writing is a lesser part of a game than it is of a movie. In a movie, the whole plot has to be provided. In a game, the player themselves provides a lot of it, the game is more of a framework. Some kinds of games often need very little writing at all. Civ 4 would be a good example. There is technical writing in terms of documentation, but there is no story that needs to be written.

    Also, since game companies already have a successful business model, they are quite likely to have a "take it to leave it" kind of attitude. The WGA can't "strike" against them since they aren't needed.

    My guess is that most will find that game writing just won't give them the kind of pay scale they want, and probably won't end up taking a job.