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Breaking Into Games Writing?
An anonymous reader writes "One of the biggest complaints I hear from 'discerning' gamers is how few and far between well-written games are. Titles like Mass Effect and the Black Isle series just appear far too rarely. Writing and storyboarding are aspects of the industry that have always appealed to me — I'm an enthusiastic hobby gamer with a real passion for well-developed games. But there's very little guidance out there on getting exposure as a writer in this world. I'm interested in working in the field, freelance/part time initially as I break in, then with an eye to professional employ after a time. My questions to you are: How can I get involved in writing for the game industry? Are there any game startups out there with good design but weak story that could use writing help from a college graduate? How do the big guys get people to write for them — am I just going to the wrong booths at the job fairs? What kind of degrees or relevant experience in the field are they looking for? Should I just put on my Planescape t-shirt and stand outside in the rain?"
I don't think the issue is so much that games companies can't find good writers, it's more they won't pay for it. So you get some designer/coder throwing shit together at the last minute.
You get a job with a game company the same way you get any other job:
First, you find companies that actually do what you're trying to get into doing. Don't apply to companies that aren't using writers for their games if you want to be a writer for games.
Second, you put together your portfolio. In the case of games, you'll want to have some dynamic media - sketched storyboards (art shouldn't matter too much, so keep it simple), play or movie scripts, and/or, ideally, game mods that have your name in the writer: line.
Third, you have to work hard, get lucky, make friends, and generally be very nice to people who often deserve it but sometimes do not.
Write. Write often. Then forget games and get into movies and television.
Some of the larger game publishers could learn a thing or two from Kingdom of Loathing. It's witty, engaging, and has a great development team who are constantly adding content. The best aspect, though, is that it's up to you whether you play casual or hardcore. I really appreciate that.
Light the blue touch-paper and retire immediately.
Whatever you do, DO NOT join up with some "game design" course. They are a complete was of time and money. You will learn how to make a script for Spongebob Squarepants, not Bioshock.
Try to find a Mod out there - one with a team who is actually building something - and pitch them a few missions, maybe a story vision.
:)
It's a little different writing well for a game, because you need to have you're fleshed out story-arc, which meshes with the gameplay, which can be brought in often enough that it moves the story forward, all without annoying the user. You're not writing a Novel, remember...
You'll probably get turned down at first at a lot of places (lots of people want to help with mods, but can't code/model, so they try to be writers...), but if you're actually any good then you'll find a crew.
Good Luck!
Should I just put on my Planescape t-shirt and stand outside in the rain?"
No, you should write your heart out and send it to as many people as possible. No degree in writing means anything if you can't prove you're what someone is looking for.
I personally would not hire anybody for a creative job if the main focal point of their application was a degree. That basically sends the wrong message.
The proof is in the pudding and like all games related jobs, see if you can get involved in open source projects first, so you have some direct prior work.
I record my sleeptalking
Desire and drive will get you further than talent. That is a fact. If this guy has the desire to do this, who are you to say he can't...or shouldn't.
More power to him, I say.
One of the biggest complaints I hear from 'discerning' gamers is how few and far between well-written games are. Titles like Mass Effect and the Black Isle series just appear far too rarely. Writing and storyboarding are aspects of the industry that have always appealed to me -- I'm an enthusiastic hobby gamer with a real passion for well-developed games. But there's very little guidance out there on getting exposure as a writer in this world. I'm interested in working in the field, freelance/part time initially as I break in, then with an eye to professional employ after a time. My questions to you are: How can I get involved in writing for the game industry? Are there any game startups out there with good design but weak story that could use writing help from a college graduate? How do the big guys get people to write for them -- am I just going to the wrong booths at the job fairs? What kind of degrees or relevant experience in the field are they looking for? Should I just put on my Planescape t-shirt and stand outside in the rain?"
You don't write well enough. Go re-read Strunk. You should be writing at least this well:
Well-written games are few and far between. Mass Effect and the Black Isle series do have good writing, but they're exceptions, not the rule.
Writing and storyboarding appeal to me. I'm an hobby gamer with a passion for well-developed games. But there's little guidance on getting into the game world as a writer. I'm interested in freelance/part time work as I break in, then professional employ.
How can I get into writing for the game industry? Are there game startups with good design but weak story? How do the big guys find writers? Am I going to the wrong booths at the job fairs? What degrees or experience are game companies looking for? Should I just put on my Planescape T-shirt and stand outside in the rain?
You need a tough English teacher, or a tough editor, to make you tighten up your prose.
Every 6 months pyweek.org runs a game contest. Join forces with a team that has the programming side but needs someone for the story side of it.
Seems like it would be the perfect way to show off and hone you skills.
Sean
I'm glad you brought up Portal. It is truly a game which is a story. While I love the gameplay, physics and so on in the game, what really takes the cake (sorry, sorry) is the dialogue. With only one spoken character in the game, Portal has many literary elements. Just recently in English class we were actually discussing the literary aspects of Portal. It has a plot (not just random shooting at things), it has characters with developing personalities, foreshadowing (you will be baked, and there will be cake), a motif (the cake is a lie!), beginning middle and end, etc. I wish more games were like this - Portal is fun to play, but the story is what makes it the excellent game that it is.
You seem to assume that Dickens is better than PKD. That's blasphemy in these parts. ;-)
I agree. I downloaded Sam & Max Episode 104: Abe Lincoln Must Die just to see what the fuss was about back when they released it for free, and I enjoyed the storyline/writing immensely. Not entirely /intelligent/, to be sure, but it was funny and well thought-out. Very obvious that they'd taken the time to consider (and then execute) what was appropriate dialog for that sort of game.
--- Mr. DOS
Being funny takes a LOT of intelligence, as most people who try to be funny for a living quickly discover.
Information wants to be anthropomorphized.
The ability to write a competant Space Opera is not "photocopy the cliche book and use the shuffling machine to introduce "originality" to your creations."
Lot's of games are ruined by a poor sense of aesthetics, even if they are technically competant. Portal wouldn't have been Portal with out a well written GladOS, even if the puzzles were exactly the same. System Shock wouldn't have it's current reputation if the story had been a neglected after thought.
One thing about me is I've read a lot of Dickens, a lot. Great writer. However, he was also writing popular, sentimental stuff for the masses. In fact, the format he was publishing in was the 19th century equivalent of the TV soap opera.
People miss that fact constantly. Most of the people who we think of as great writers these days were writing for the masses and popular acclaim, not for ivory tower intellectuals. When people disdain "popular" trash, and like some modern literature that only appeals to a very small segment of the population, they are just being snobs. A lot of the popular stuff is poor quality, but so is a lot of the elitist stuff.
"MIT betrayed all of its basic principles."
There are some genres that try to tell a story (especially FPSes seem to want that now and of course the obligatory RPGs) but yeah, the real mass market that flash games, Deer Hunter, card games, the Wii, etc serve doesn't want a story, it wants something that's fun instantly rather than spending hours on buildup and whatnot. Mostly because to people who don't spend all their time gaming a videogame is something that passes a short amount of time between other activities.
Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.