Hello, how can a new writer break into the gaming industry?
Here is something I just wrote up for people looking to become narrative designers at Obsidian, specifically:Narrative designers should not be confused with writers. "Writer" is not a position at Obsidian Entertainment. Narrative designers do write, but their jobs are more expansive than developing stories and writing dialogues. Obsidian’s narrative designers are integrated into the design team and work closely with area and system design to integrate narrative content into the game. Narrative content spans story and character development, writing dialogue, developing world and area lore, creating item descriptions and text for examinable objects in the world, and using the game’s mechanics in conjunction with the story’s development. During late development, narrative design is often also involved in voice casting and attending voice over sessions to provide information and feedback.
Things to do if you are interested in narrative design:
Analyze the Narrative Content of Games You Love - This includes writing, but also encompasses story structure (and how it interacts with gameplay – or doesn’t), presentation of narrative content (conversations, cutscenes, ambient barks, examinable objects), pacing, character development, and environmental storytelling.
Read Things - Read fiction, read non-fiction. Read a variety of fiction including some that’s not genre fiction. Play/read visual novels and games that are focused almost entirely on storytelling. Read poetry, read essays, read biographies. Read. Make notes on the things you like, the things you don’t like, and go back over those notes from time to time to remember what you were feeling and thinking. In retrospect, you will gain insights that help you in your own writing.
Write Things - You’re not going to get better at writing by not writing. You don’t have to craft your own Anna Karenina to benefit from this. Write short stories. Write single interesting sentences. Just write whatever comes to mind. Everyone who writes has their own processes that work best for them. The important thing is to actually get words down on a page on a regular basis – daily, if possible. Work toward finishing a short story. It’s a challenging format that showcases your command of language, character development, and plot pacing.
Seek Feedback on Your Writing - This really applies to anything designers make, but developing your writing skills requires an audience that can give you feedback. From friends to IGDA writing groups to online forums, feedback can (and should) come from a variety of sources.
Develop Interactive Stories - While we also suggest making mods (which can include writing, of course), would-be narrative designers have the ability to make interactive fiction through tools like Twine and ChoiceScript. Interactive fiction requires designers to focus on the consequences of branching dialogue and can be immensely helpful for anyone looking to be a narrative designer at Obsidian.
Hone Your Technical Skills - Narrative designers have to get their hands dirty with scripting and working within various editors. Learning scripting languages will help you during implementation and bugfixing. Learning how to use various game editors helps you understand other designers’ jobs and work with them on how to realize a shared vision.
As a side note, years ago Chris Avellone recommended Write or Die as a good program to write in. It’s excellent for people like me who tend to sit and stare at the screen for too long or fuss over every word as we go.
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