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  Where are the storywriters?
by Casper Sparre-Ulrich on 08/03/09 09:10:00 am
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  Posted 08/03/09 09:10:00 am
 

 As you probably already have guessed, this little blog is gonna be about storywriting. Not in general, but about my experiance in getting on the otherside of the door labeled "gaming industry".

 It's no secret that I'm uneducated within any field of storywriting, or writing in general, expect for what I've produced during elementry -, prep- and highschool. Although this can be viewed as an education in itself, I have learned that real education in producing stories comes from taking an idea and develop it, be it a daydream, newsstories ect. In my case math classes had a tendency to ship me of to a world I started calling "Joch" when I wrote my ideas and uncounted scenarios, most now lost in the twisting nether of history. This little idea have expanded over the last 10 years, I'm 25 by the way, and have grown to a complex world with different cultures, peoples and it's own mythology.

But... 

 (**Thinks for a moment**)

 Back to the subject.

 A year ago, when I started searching for some loop-hole into the gaming industry, be it diverse junior-, trainee-positions, or a regular job as a storywriter for games, I was meet by nothing but silence.

 I don't know how many application I've shipped out this past year, but I'm pretty sure I will have to include my toes to count them all... Hmm, sec.

(**Starts counting applications**)

.. Darn it, I ran out of toes..

 In defence of a few companies, I did recieve a few replies saying something in the lines of "Sorry, But we do currently not need anyone with your qualifications", and a single reply in french, which I to this day haven't been able to decipher, and I'm pretty sure it's not about eggs and ham, as Google translate suggested.. Da** you Google translate.

 What really eludes me is this: Does the game makers just spit out a concept which then magically transform into a living world on the conference table. Surely there must be a storywriter chained up somewhere in a damp dungeon, writing out plotlines on a rusty typewriter.

 I know for a fact that the MMO business is expanding, and that 45+ MMO's are in production, But noone needs any storywriters! Surely programmers, animators ect. are busy making the MMO's come to life, but to have them write out all the text aswell, I would love a spot just writing quests into the program code, not to mention dialogue! Oh precious dialogue...

 (**Cough**Sips tea**)

 I can't comprehend that the industry really doesn't need any storywriters, or so it seems in my eyes. I know countless of people who crave a game that tells a capturing story as they progress, but everything on the market at the moment (single player based) is sequals, not really adding to the universe, except maybe a new cool assult rifle.

 

Better finish this off before people start falling asleep..

 What the industry needs, in my eyes (again) is to hire some "thinkers" that can re-spark the stories in games, and not just writes "girlfriend died.. Me shoot bad people".. The last game I played which contained a story that was worthwhile was "warcraft III - Reign of Chaos" (2002). Even a game as "Dreamfall - The Longest Journey" (2006) which was really promissing turned out to have a story thin as water, and could have been much much more.

 Games need to get back to great storytelling again, and no offence to anyone: But only storytellers can do that.

 

 If anyone is in need of a storywriter you can reach me at: casper.sparreulrich@gmail.com 

... Da** it! Promissed myself I wouldn't do that!

 

 Regards

  

 

 
 
Comments

Ken Noland
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http://comic-con.gamespot.com/story/6214155/writing-for-games-panel-recap

Hanneke Debie
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It could help if you join the writers division of the IGDA. You could gain some contacts there, plus help you develop yourself some more.

I don't know what you put in your portfolio, but try developing yourself somewhat more into games. Writing stories on paper is one step- being able to write good stories for games is on another level. There are enough engines which you can work in (like never winter nights, and rpg). Working in there allows you to build more experience and build portfolio material.

Also, ,amy story writers get in a company either through another job (like level designers), existing contacts (game journalists) or word of mouth.

I'd also recommend the book 'Professional techniques for video game writing'.

Writing is just one of these jobs that game developers don't hire green, new people for- they often use people who already have experience in the field of game design, or a lot of writing experience for books and tv (as in- their work is published on a large scale).


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