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General discussionWriter positions in game companies(33 posts)(33 posts)
(33 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted June 14, 2018
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KneeTheCap: Thank you all for your responses, they're greatly appreciated!

I'm under no illusions, I know no-one is coming to my house and offering me a job :D It's going to be tough, I know, but I'm willing to take the shot. I just don't know how.

As for Traum, I didn't just write the story. I also designed most of the game and how it works. I had to take into account the very serious limitations of the engine and the fact that we had only one coder and no animator. It was a bit challenging. But writing is, however, the part I'm quite proud of and what the game got praised for (alongside of the sound design).

I can't just send open job application emails to companies, right? Isn't that considered a tad rude?
Not necessarily rude. Depends on how you approach it. If you want to intern somewhere, show what you've done and all of anything is available that would benefit both of you. I don't see that as rude at all. Just don't go looking for a senior writing position.

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tort1234: Becoming a writer in the American gaming industry is a fairly simple task

Just be a left wing SJW feminist who likes to put his political and ideological agenda in every single game.

That's what majority of E3, 2018 games were about.
And that's why someone who can reveal the core of our humanity through their with can really show off.
Post edited June 14, 2018 by Tallima
Posted June 14, 2018
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KneeTheCap: I've been looking at the Careers -tab of many video game company websites and basically none are looking for a writer. I suppose that's because it's a position that doesn't need much expanding and are usually one of the first to be filled. I get that. But it's still a bit disheartening :D
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Didn't Chris Avellone suck up all of those positions? The guys seems to be everywhere nowadays. It's like he's the Alan Moore of video games or something. :P

Anyway, as a lazy, but aspiring writer, I wish you good luck! :D I hope you find a position soon and a good one.
Posted June 14, 2018
tort, were you dropped on your head a lot as a baby? :P
Post edited June 14, 2018 by tinyE
Posted June 14, 2018
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Falci: Didn't Chris Avellone suck up all of those positions?
American daytime soap operas all used to be brainstormed by a single woman.

Google says I'm thinking of Agnes Nixon but the name doesn't ring any bells.
Posted June 14, 2018
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KneeTheCap: I've been looking at the Careers -tab of many video game company websites and basically none are looking for a writer. I suppose that's because it's a position that doesn't need much expanding and are usually one of the first to be filled. I get that. But it's still a bit disheartening :D
...
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Falci: Didn't Chris Avellone suck up all of those positions? The guys seems to be everywhere nowadays. It's like he's the Alan Moore of video games or something. :P

Anyway, as a lazy, but aspiring writer, I wish you good luck! :D I hope you find a position soon and a good one.
Avellone is a legend and he can do whatever he wants :D
Posted June 14, 2018
In my experience in dev, writing/story boarding/ even graphic design is usually freelance or maybe annual contract work. Perhaps spin up as a free lancer. Again my personal experience only, people tend to code to what they think is cool, interesting on a grand scale and mold the story around it rather then the other way around. Anyway, last I read somewhere, Tell Tale games is starving for talent on their story driven, chapter games. Perhaps a start there since you already have some credibility.
Posted June 14, 2018
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KneeTheCap: Keep writing, I know, I'm already doing that. Still, writing just for myself doesn't bring food to the table.
Then don't just write, make games. There are plenty of tools out there to get you started with visual novels or jrpgs rather quickly. Both genres offer great storytelling opportunities. Make them short, make them digestible. Then link to them or add them in your application.

Who could resist an application like this?
http://rickrocket.de/df/
Post edited June 14, 2018 by Vainamoinen
Posted June 14, 2018
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KneeTheCap: I can't just send open job application emails to companies, right? Isn't that considered a tad rude?
Yes you can. No it is not rude.

Helps if you have an in. Subject line: Mutual Friend suggested I contact you "Hey, Rob! I got your contact info from Mutual Friend who suggested I look you up. I recently published the game Traum which got some good notice/won some awards - and I'm looking to make some more inroads in the industry. Would you have some time to meet with me next week? I'll take you out to lunch at Chipotle so I don't cut into your busy work schedule."

And then at lunch you broach the subject of writing gigs in game develpment. "Who should I contact to talk about writing gigs?" Etc.

But even without an in. Subject Line: Application for Employment. "Dear Person, I recently published the game Traum which got some good notice/won some awards - and I'm looking to make some more inroads in the industry. I love the work your company has done, especially Game Name and Other Game Name. I am particularly interested in your company's approach to dialogue. I hear you have New Game in development or I hear you are embiggening your mobile department. I would love to be part of such a dynamic team. Atttached is my CV. Sincerely, Me."
Posted June 15, 2018
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KneeTheCap: I can't just send open job application emails to companies, right? Isn't that considered a tad rude?
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misteryo: Yes you can. No it is not rude.

Helps if you have an in. Subject line: Mutual Friend suggested I contact you "Hey, Rob! I got your contact info from Mutual Friend who suggested I look you up. I recently published the game Traum which got some good notice/won some awards - and I'm looking to make some more inroads in the industry. Would you have some time to meet with me next week? I'll take you out to lunch at Chipotle so I don't cut into your busy work schedule."

And then at lunch you broach the subject of writing gigs in game develpment. "Who should I contact to talk about writing gigs?" Etc.

But even without an in. Subject Line: Application for Employment. "Dear Person, I recently published the game Traum which got some good notice/won some awards - and I'm looking to make some more inroads in the industry. I love the work your company has done, especially Game Name and Other Game Name. I am particularly interested in your company's approach to dialogue. I hear you have New Game in development or I hear you are embiggening your mobile department. I would love to be part of such a dynamic team. Atttached is my CV. Sincerely, Me."
Hmm, I dunno :D It still feels like I'm pushing myself to others. And that's rather uncomfortable.
Posted June 15, 2018
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misteryo: Yes you can. No it is not rude.

Helps if you have an in. Subject line: Mutual Friend suggested I contact you "Hey, Rob! I got your contact info from Mutual Friend who suggested I look you up. I recently published the game Traum which got some good notice/won some awards - and I'm looking to make some more inroads in the industry. Would you have some time to meet with me next week? I'll take you out to lunch at Chipotle so I don't cut into your busy work schedule."

And then at lunch you broach the subject of writing gigs in game develpment. "Who should I contact to talk about writing gigs?" Etc.

But even without an in. Subject Line: Application for Employment. "Dear Person, I recently published the game Traum which got some good notice/won some awards - and I'm looking to make some more inroads in the industry. I love the work your company has done, especially Game Name and Other Game Name. I am particularly interested in your company's approach to dialogue. I hear you have New Game in development or I hear you are embiggening your mobile department. I would love to be part of such a dynamic team. Atttached is my CV. Sincerely, Me."
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KneeTheCap: Hmm, I dunno :D It still feels like I'm pushing myself to others. And that's rather uncomfortable.
Well, you are going to have to get over that discomfort if you want to work
Posted June 15, 2018
deleted
Posted June 15, 2018
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misteryo: Well, you are going to have to get over that discomfort if you want to work
Agreed, yeah. I blame my nationality and upbringing :D
Posted June 15, 2018
I know next to nothing of the real games industry (even though I used to personally know one fellow from Remedy Entertainment), but I'd figure:

- Actual story-writing needing a dedicated person for it is probably in such a small subset of games. The games which are mostly story-driven. Maybe for most games which have some kind of generic story, it is just something the whole team came up during the project, together. There was no dedicated person that had to write the story while rest of the team did the rest, like coding, music, level design, ordering pizzas for the crunch-weekends etc.

- Even in movies (which in general are more focused on story than games), the story is usually by freelancers? Every taxi driver in Los Angeles has an idea or even a full story for a movie in their glove compartment, they are just waiting for some producer to become interested in it. I figure the situation would be even worse for pure "story writers" in the gaming industry?

- Even if some big production games may have such dedicated story-writers, I presume they must have some real qualification, like having written a couple of best-seller fantasy books? Or at least having worked on some bigger (game) productions before, in story writing? If you have written the story for Traum and it has been praised for its story in Steam, that is certainly a good starting point.

If you want to earn your living with writing stories, would it be better to approach it from e.g. writing (for books)?

EDIT: Maybe my main point was that the game companies might be more interested in good stories, rather than people who at least claim to be good story writers. So they would buy a good story from your hands (that might be suitable for their future game), rather than hire you to produce more and more stories for them. After all, it might be only every fifth story produced by you is something they consider "good enough" or suitable for their games. They want to buy only the good ones.
Post edited June 15, 2018 by timppu
Posted June 15, 2018
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KneeTheCap: Any suggestions?
Have you tried writing interactive fiction? It could help showcase your writing abilities combined with game design.

You could try with Twine: http://twinery.org/

or

Choicescript: https://www.choiceofgames.com/looking-for-writers/

Choicescript is looking for writers to publish who use their programming language.The programming is pretty minimal.

Best of luck to you!
Posted June 15, 2018
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timppu: - Even in movies (which in general are more focused on story than games), the story is usually by freelancers? Every taxi driver in Los Angeles has an idea or even a full story for a movie in their glove compartment, they are just waiting for some producer to become interested in it. I figure the situation would be even worse for pure "story writers" in the gaming industry?
That's most likely the case, I know.
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General discussionWriter positions in game companies(33 posts)(33 posts)
(33 posts)