Breaking into the Industry as a Game Writer - Part 1

A question I get all the time:

“Whitney - you’re so funny and smart and your hair is perfect, by the way - how did you break into the games industry as a writer?”

Well, for me, it was a combination of things. My writing background, while not in games, is reasonably solid and I’ve written in a huge variety of capacities. But in addition to that, I have a tenacity of spirit (see also: 100+ rejection emails in my inbox), a mix of wild enthusiasm and grounded humbleness, and a clear goal.

So how did I “break in?” I applied. A LOT. And I was rejected. A LOT.

Each time, I went back to the drawing board, revisiting my materials, continuing to make and share creative stuff, reading books, searching for growth opportunities, and on and on. Eventually - and by that I mean, a decade’s worth of applications - I finally got a couple of bites, which turned into my first game writing gig, and then another.

If you ask 15 other Game Writers how they got started… you’ll probably get 15 different answers.

“I was QA and eventually got assigned to write barks!”
“I was a summer intern for the studio!”
“I started as a Quest Designer!”

Each studio is different. Each project is different. Heck, the hiring needs for each position within a project are different! There is no ONE WAY to break in. And so much of the process is out of your control. They can adore you and still know that you’re not the right fit for their specific needs. In those cases, regardless of how great your portfolio or cover letter or resume or writing test or interview… that’s going to result in a rejection. The industry too - particularly right now - can be incredibly tight. That’s also out of your control.

But there ARE some things you can do on your own - things that are within your control! - to give yourself the best chance of success when applying for game writing jobs. Here’s a list, in no particular order.

Screenwriting Software

  • Get some hands-on experience with screenwriting software. Final Draft is great (if admittedly expensive), but Celtx is a good free option. Whatever it is, you want to play around with something that has true screenwriting tools and shortcuts. Not all studios use tools like this, but for big AAA studios, familiarity with these kinds of programs is a huge plus!

MAKE STUFF

  • Jump into Twine or Ink and make a small interactive game for yourself. Make it teeny tiny, the smallest scope you can think of - trust me, you don’t need complexity when you’re first starting out - then practice things like writing smoothly branching and rejoining dialogues, conditionals and events, etc.

SHARE STUFF

  • Find ways to practice sharing your creative work with others. This industry can be brutal if you’ve got thin skin. Most days, I hear “no” a dozen times before I even finish my coffee. And it’s not personal, either. It’s just the reality of being the most flexible piece in a giant collaborative machine. So, practice! Write short stories and post them on Reddit. Set up a writing peer group and share short play/film scripts. Get yourself used to the sensation of sharing your work and getting feedback.

READ STUFF

PLAY STUFF

  • Seems obvious, but it’s a great idea to play games with a critical eye. BUT, “critical eye” here does not mean, “This game is sh*t! I could write so much better!” Really think about it. What is working for you? What isn’t working for you, and most importantly, why? How might you do it differently? What restrictions can you imagine that might require the writers to approach the problem as they did? Who are your favorite characters and what do you like about them? What makes them memorable? What makes their dialogue sing? What are the themes in the game and how are the writing and gameplay working together to support them? (Are the writing and gameplay working together?) Go back and play some of your favorites and really dig down deep as to why exactly you like them.

RESEARCH STUDIOS

  • Read gaming news. Stay up to date on who is making what. You don’t want to waste your time (or theirs) by applying to studios who make games that are way outside your voice, values, writing range, or interest.

OTHER SOFTWARE

  • You’d be AMAZED at the amount of writing I do in excel-type programs. Different tasks require different tools, so brushing up on ALL the standard software will be to your advantage: Excel, Word, Outlook, Wiki-type documentation pages, etc. Boring? Sure. But recruiters and interviewers will be thrilled when you can confidently say you are fluent in this stuff. One less thing they’ll need to teach you!

SPELLING AND GRAMMAR

  • Yes, really. Some of the programs I write in on a daily basis DO NOT have spellcheck functions. So improving this skill can set you up to be an invaluable part of your future narrative team.

That’s it for now! I plan to write a bunch of blog posts like these, because I remember how hard it was for me to find good, helpful information when I was getting started.

yours in play,
W.

Whitney Rowland