Videogame Writing

Radium217

Hey guys,

New user here. I currently work in the CT film industry but it was always my intention to transition into videogame writing (stories, dialogue etc). Does anyone know of a good way to go about that transition or if any companies in CT are actually looking for screenwriters or game writers for their projects?

Thanks :)

EvanGreenwood

A couple things you could do (though I don't think there's an obvious easy path to make that transition):

Attend game jams. This is where groups of developers get together and make games on a weekend (or over a short space of time). This is an opportunity to meet developers and as these events are short and relatively low pressure, it's easy for teams to try out different team members (so you can get to work on something, get a little experience and maybe add a portfolio piece).

Try out tools like Twine and RPG Maker. There are tools out there that require relatively little coding or art to make something, but allow you to express your writing skills. You can build a bit of a portfolio, and learn about writing for games, and maybe even make something great. For example, the game Dear Esther started as a mod for Half-Life, working in an existing engine and using existing assets allowed the developer to focus on making a beautiful piece of writing that could be played through.

There are some big differences between screenwriting and game writing. The biggest one I've seen is that if the writer doesn't understand game development then the writer seldom can foresee how much things cost, and as a result writers who don't work in games tend to come up with a lot of ideas that just are too expensive to execute (when often there are more elegant solutions that would be nearly as enjoyable for the player and allow the team to make a far richer game as they're not blowing their budget on a few expensive and inefficient setpieces).

Radium217

EvanGreenwood said:

A couple things you could do (though I don't think there's an obvious easy path to make that transition):

Attend game jams. This is where groups of developers get together and make games on a weekend (or over a short space of time). This is an opportunity to meet developers and as these events are short and relatively low pressure, it's easy for teams to try out different team members (so you can get to work on something, get a little experience and maybe add a portfolio piece).

Try out tools like Twine and RPG Maker. There are tools out there that require relatively little coding or art to make something, but allow you to express your writing skills. You can build a bit of a portfolio, and learn about writing for games, and maybe even make something great. For example, the game Dear Esther started as a mod for Half-Life, working in an existing engine and using existing assets allowed the developer to focus on making a beautiful piece of writing that could be played through.

There are some big differences between screenwriting and game writing. The biggest one I've seen is that if the writer doesn't understand game development then the writer seldom can foresee how much things cost, and as a result writers who don't work in games tend to come up with a lot of ideas that just are too expensive to execute (when often there are more elegant solutions that would be nearly as enjoyable for the player and allow the team to make a far richer game as they're not blowing their budget on a few expensive and inefficient setpieces).

Thanks for the response, Evan. I see you were the creative director on Broforce. That's awesome. I am planning on attending a game jam this month, actually. It'll be my first.

I understand the transition is not exactly simple and there are fundamental differences. I have thought about and come up with some relatively simple concepts in the past and so while I am no expert I think that having played many indie and AAA games I've developed an understanding of what is feasible and what isn't.

Out of curiosity, as you are in the industry, what methods would you use in seeing if a writer has what it takes to write a game? Would you look at a portfolio or actually give him/her a practical task to do? Be it writing a mission or a cutscene etc.

Thanks again

EvanGreenwood

I can only speak for myself personally when I talk about how I would evaluate whether I want to work with a writer.

Currently I am working with a writer on a project, but he is a friend of mine who I have known for a long time. I have found that his theatre/directing background has come in handy, but I wouldn't necessarily have known the worth of that beforehand.

What I think I'd want to see in a portfolio is work in games, I'd like to see small games that strike a similar tone to the work I want to collaborate on. Like if I were trying to make a game with an existentialist/introspective tone then a game like Dear Esther would be a perfect portfolio piece. If I needed a writer for a comedy then Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and The Terribly Cursed Emerald would be a brilliant portfolio piece (though of course that game is fairly complicated). I wouldn't be that concerned about the technical execution, but rather the ability to hit a specific tone in the writing.

For me generally, I don't want to make text heavy games. I do want to make games with narration, so finding a writer who can direct a voice artist is necessary. So I'd probably want to see a portfolio with narrated games in it, like Thomas Was Alone or The Stanley Parable or Gone Home, though obviously I don't expect the games to be as lengthy, well-rounded and technically excellent as these examples (and I think it is possible to trigger recorded dialogue relatively cheaply in most game engines, I'd expect most programmers on these forums to be able to pretty easily build a game like Thomas Was Alone if they had a good writer).

dammit

I would definitely say making games is vital to being a game writer. Nothing in your education will prepare you properly otherwise, though it's absolutely vital in grounding your understanding.

Make games with other people and also make games on your own. Both are different opportunities to learn. Also, make games that require no narration and make games that have a huge amount of detailed text. I think understanding when to use either is vital, and understanding when more is less and when more is great is essential.

And, figure out what kind of games you want to make so that you can create a portfolio that speaks to that and will land you up in a career making those kinds of games. I think the worst would be to make a whole lot of games that don't appeal to you and then spend your career kind of aggravated about the games you've ended up being involved in.