This guide is a reference intended for existing game writers, writers from other media considering working in games, newcomers to the game industry who feel that game writer is a role they could fill and anyone who is about to or is considering working with a game writer.

It paints a familiar picture of the game industry. Most of the work writers would imagine for themselves is actually in the hands of game designers. Writers are usually brought in to provide dialogue for characters someone else has imagined in situations someone else has defined. Or to provide a story to make sense of movement through levels someone else has already designed via game mechanics someone else has already determined. The writer is one of the last people brought in — like the audio designer. That’s why there’s nothing like a writer’s “pitch” or “spec script” in the game industry.

Of course, there are exceptions. James Leach has worked with designer Peter Molyneux (at Bullfrog and Lionhead) from the early stages of projects. He’s worked in-house, so that he can be involved in projects every step of the way. As he succinctly puts it in this interview, describing his role in Black and White: “I’ve written most of the Black & White story, as well as the quests, challenges and all the dialogue. I’ve also written for the website and for the press.” There are also writer/designers like Tim Schaefer who take on all the things writers would imagine for themselves and more, and do them well (the dialogue for his Grim Fandango was one of the most praised elements of the game).

But the white paper exists to talk about the realities for most game writers, rather than these sorts of exceptions. For this reason it also has an extensive section on writing for licensed properties. One interesting moment for me at GDC was meeting a writer who is tasked with trying to emulate Tom Clancy’s authorial voice for the Clancy-licensed games.

I’ve still got another 10 pages or so left to go, so I may write more here before long (or even another top-level post).

It’ll be a while before I can sit down to read it, but I’m very glad to have found it.