Advice needed, getting into the game industry.

[Orange Monkey]

Alright i'm really hoping you guys pull through for me on this one.

I am really interested in getting into writing for video games. I've always loved how video games can bring such happyness to people and to be involved in their creation would be the most fulfilling job I could imagine for myself. The problem is that I honestly do not know how I could insert myself into the industry, what requirements i would need to become eligible for the position, and how to go about applying in such a specifyed field as writing in video games.

If anyone knows anything that could be helpful in this situation, it would be greatly appreciated.

(EDIT) Just to clarify, by writing I ment the script, narration, dialogue, things like that.

 

[Lyri]

Look at developer sites and look at the career section?
I don't really know myself but that would be my first guess, then emailing people and finding out specific requirements from them.
It's better to ask around there, rather than here.

 

[Kuchinawa212]

Work very hard and become an intern at a development studio, than work you're way up.

I'm going to have to agree. Start small and learn from the pros and then maybe you could start your own company or something

 

[kevin_kaya]

Do you understand how games are made? Its a lot different to what people think and if you want to PROGRAM games, you will be spending most of your time just typing endless code, I'm not saying thats boring but just be prepared to what youre getting yourself into, the best thing to do is to go to a "career advisor" thing and they should tell you what you should do. How old are you and what country do you live in? Do you know ANY programing what so ever? Even something simple like html?

 

[CMon]

Do you understand how games are made? Its a lot different to what people think and if you want to PROGRAM games, you will be spending most of your time just typing endless code, I'm not saying thats boring but just be prepared to what youre getting yourself into, the best thing to do is to go to a "career advisor" thing and they should tell you what you should do. How old are you and what country do you live in? Do you know ANY programing what so ever? Even something simple like html?

He says he wants to be a writer, not a scripter/coder.

Most video games these days with storylines are buildt around written manuscripts.

 

[D_987]

If your talking about writing the scripts for games then I guess get something published...

Why don't you just Google it - there's a lot of information out there. Take Tom Sloper's site for example, he may be an "old-school" designer and therefore his advice may or may not be applicable to today's industry. I have no idea as I'm not involved but its an interesting read non-the-less.

Also, to quote Cliffy B in an interview "If you need to ask how to get into the industry you won't get in". (or something to that effect) by which I take to mean; if you don't have the drive to look this stuff up by yourself, you won't have the capabilities to succeed in such a competitive industry.

Try these sites:
. I have actually looked up information regarding the career your looking at but I'm not going to directly link you to the pages because instant gratification is not something you need.

http://www.sloperama.com/advice.html
http://www.gamecareerguide.com/
http://www.gamedev.net/

 

[kevin_kaya]

Ahh ok, hmm.. that must be pretty competitive as it doesent require any special "skill" or years of studying etc.

 

[Orange Monkey]

Do you understand how games are made? Its a lot different to what people think and if you want to PROGRAM games, you will be spending most of your time just typing endless code, I'm not saying thats boring but just be prepared to what youre getting yourself into, the best thing to do is to go to a "career advisor" thing and they should tell you what you should do. How old are you and what country do you live in? Do you know ANY programing what so ever? Even something simple like html?

By writing, i ment like Script and dialogue of characters. The in-game talking and such.

 

[EvilScott]

My advice would be: don't do it.

The VG industry is pretty ruthless and unforgiving. Low pay, long hours, high turnover. Get a nice cushy programming job for a laid back software firm and mod games in your free time.

Talk to some people (in person) who are involved in the gaming industry for a better feel about their jobs if you don't believe me.

 

[D_987]

By writing, I meant like Script and dialogue of characters. The in-game talking and such.

Well have you written anything of the sort before? I would start by always making sure your spelling and grammar is accurate...

Here's an example of a writers advertisement from Bioware - I have no idea how old the advertisement is but it's what a quick Google search brought up.

http://www.bioware.com/bioware_info/jobs/positions/austin_writer.html

 

[Froobyx]

You got any qualifications under your belt?

If not, I'd suggest going to uni and doing Creative Writing when you're old enough. In uni you can then do a sandwich year to do work experience I think, not sure all courses do it. But that would give you the experience too.

 

[themanthatbebig]

if your going to do a course DON'T DO Computer games management...I known people that have done that course and none of them are in the industry. If you want to do a course to help you into the industry either do computing with maths/physics, computer arts or a "good" computer games tech course, not one of these genric course made up by uni's just wanting to get on the band wagon

 

[scnj]

Do a creative writing course, write stuff in your free time and get some stuff published, then answer any ads from game studios looking for writers.

 

[New Troll]

Do a creative writing course, write stuff in your free time and get some stuff published, then answer any ads from game studios looking for writers.

I agree with everyone that's said take classes over writing. Taking programming classes wouldn't hurt, but isn't as important as writing. Once you've gotten your degrees, then just get to work and stay focused. Remember, this is something that could possibly take decades to finally get into. If you luck out, possibly only several years. Just kind have got to be at the right place, at the right time, with all the right credintials.

What I would most recommend is spend your free time, your "hobby" time, on writing transcripts, wether they be for live performance or not. Get your story ideas formulated and pre-edited so when the opportunity comes, you'll have not only your education to show, but also already have some progression under your belt.

And absolutely most important of all, try to have fun and enjoy your art or else it will show in your work.

Good luck.

 

[effilctar]

*sigh* Please note that I am not trying to be harsh towards you in any way. You, like myself, are a teenager, a teenage gamer to be exact, and one thing we all experience is the urge to be a game developer and make millions a year.

While it is a dream of yours right now, in the next few months you will either: (1) Commited yourself to this goal and don't want to do anything else at all; or the more likely (2) Realise that pastimes and work don't mix, keep gaming restricted to the recreation part of your life and aim for a great job that you deserve.

All I'm saying is that this is your dream, follow it but don't set your heart on it when you have your whole life ahead of you. You may get to a point eventually when the dream dies and you think "God, this really isn't for me."

I do of course wish you the best of luck.

 

[riskroWe]

(2) Realise that pastimes and work don't mix, keep gaming restricted to the recreation part of your life and aim for a great job that you deserve.

Or choose something else as recreation. Like ice skating. Then you can enjoy your work, unlike so many other people.

I am really interested in getting into writing for video games... Just to clarify, by writing I ment the script, narration, dialogue, things like that.

Write short stories or screenplays in your own time, or even develop some indie games with good plotlines (if you know coding, or you can get a team together), so that you have a portfolio of accomplishments with which to impress potential employers.

 

[Iori Branford]

The most important thing for any aspiring writer, I think, is to read! And not just the sort of thing you're trying to write, be that fantasy, SF, comic books, whatever. You need to read everything. Read fiction, non-fiction, magazines, newspapers. Read history, historical fiction, biography. Read mystery novels, fantasy, SF, horror, mainstream, literary classics, erotica, adventure, satire. Every writer has something to teach you, for good or ill. (And yes, you can learn from bad books as well as good ones -- what not to do)

And write. Write every day, even if it is only a page or two. The more you write, the better you'll get. But don't write in my universe, or Tolkien's, or the Marvel universe, or the Star Trek universe, or any other borrowed background. Every writer needs to learn to create his own characters, worlds, and settings. Using someone else's world is the lazy way out. If you don't exercise those "literary muscles," you'll never develop them.

Given the realities of today's market in science fiction and fantasy, I would also suggest that any aspiring writer begin with short stories. These days, I meet far too many young writers who try to start off with a novel right off, or a trilogy, or even a nine-book series. That's like starting in at rock climbing by tackling Mt. Everest. Short stories help you learn your craft. They are a good place for you to make the mistakes that every beginning writer is going to make. And they are still the best way for a young writer to break in, since the magazines are always hungry for short SF and fantasy stories. Once you've been selling short stories for five years or so, you'll have built up a name for yourself, and editors will start asking you about that first novel.

This is true whether writing story or writing code. (Except the programming analogue of original settings and characters might be original algorithms and data structures.)

Now if you are particularly focused on writing for games, you can write Choose Your Own Adventure stories. In these stories, the reader plays the role of the main character, and the story branches wherever the main character makes a plot-critical decision, like: "To take the stairs turn to page 99; to slide down the chute turn to page 198".