Professional techniques for video game writing

Description

Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Preface Acknowledgments Editor Contributors Chapter 1 Getting Writing Jobs in Video Games 1.1 Game Writer 1.2 Narrative Designer 1.3 Story Editor/Loremaster/Lead Writer/Narrative Director 1.4 More Writing-Related Jobs 1.5 General Advice for Breaking In 1.6 Conclusion 1.7 Exercises Chapter 2 Game Script Formatting 2.1 There Is No One True Interactive Script Format 2.2 How Format Works in Studios 2.3 What You Need to Know about Screenplay Formats 2.4 Learning to Love Excel 2.5 Representing Branching and Nonlinear Narrative 2.6 Specialized Tools 2.7 Free Your Mind 2.8 Exercises Chapter 3 Documentation for Writers 3.1 The Pitch, the Treatment, and the Game Design Document 3.2 The Game Design Document 3.3 The Pitch 3.4 The Game Treatment 3.5 The Game Design Document 3.6 Documentation for Writers 3.7 Getting It All Down 3.8 Helpful Processes 3.9 Dialog 3.10 Dialog Trees 3.11 Dialog in Spreadsheets 3.12 Conclusion 3.13 Exercises Chapter 4 Writing Instructions, Helptext, Walkthroughs, and Manuals: Text to Train the Player 4.1 How Did You Get Here? 4.2 Gathering the Information 4.3 Who and Where to Get Information From 4.4 Instruction Sheets and Helptext 4.5 Text Walkthroughs 4.6 Knowledge Bases 4.7 Video Playthroughs 4.8 Manuals 4.9 Crediting 4.10 Conclusion 4.11 Exercises Chapter 5 Writing Tutorials: Write "Start" to Start 5.1 To Begin at the Beginning—What Is a Tutorial? 5.2 Do We Really Need Tutorials? 5.3 Design Models 5.4 What Do Players Need to Learn? 5.5 Adding Narrative 5.6 Making the Start Count 5.7 Establish the Setting 5.8 Gameplay Genre 5.9 Narrative Genre 5.10 Central Conflict 5.11 The Characters and Their Goals 5.12 The Story 5.13 Learning Curves and the Immersion Equations 5.14 Telling, Showing, Doing, or Feeling 5.15 Show, Not Tell 5.16 The Narrator 5.17 Getting Emotional 5.18 Story versus Structure 5.19 Structure the Plot 5.20 Narrative Drive 5.21 Demonstrate the Moment of Change 5.22 The Big Bang 5.23 The Slow Burn 5.24 Timing the Moment of Change 5.25 Expert Characters 5.26 Kill the Back Story 5.27 Getting the Story Started 5.28 Conclusion 5.29 Exercises Chapter 6 Practical Techniques for Productivity: Getting the Work Done 6.1 It’s a Matter of Scope 6.2 Eating an Elephant One Spoonful at a Time 6.3 The Basics Can Save Your Backside 6.4 Tips for Staying Organized 6.5 Strategies for Freelancers 6.6 Strategies for In-House Staff Writers 6.7 Beating Writer’s Block with a Clock 6.8 Exercises Chapter 7 Collaborating with Art, Design, and Engineering 7.1 Find Out What Your Teammates Are Passionate About, and Offer Help On It 7.2 Focus on Character 7.3 Ask “What If” Questions, Create Discussion 7.4 Iterate Fast, Get Feedback Often 7.5 Stand Up for the Right Stuff 7.6 Conclusion: Understand That You’re the Icing, Not the Cake 7.7 Writing Exercises Chapter 8 Writing for AAA Games: Playing in the Big Leagues 8.1 What Is a AAA Game? 8.2 What’s the Same? 8.3 IP 8.4 Story Size and Complexity 8.5 Team Structure 8.6 The Write Tools 8.7 Postrelease Content 8.8 Conclusion 8.9 Writing Exercises Chapter 9 Writing for Indie Games 9.1 Game Writing on the Side 9.2 Other Writing on the Side 9.3 Benefits of Working for Indies 9.4 Drawbacks of Working for Indies 9.5 Indie Realities 9.6 Conclusion 9.7 Exercises Chapter 10 Game Writing Remotely: How to Pay the Rent Working from Home 10.1 What’s Remote Work? 10.2 How to Find Remote Work? 10.3 Tools of the Trade 10.4 Success Strategies 10.5 Conclusion 10.6 Writing Exercises Chapter 11 Game Writing on Staff 11.1 Introduction: Game Writing Is a Team Effort 11.2 Joining a Writing Team 11.3 Collaborating with Your Writing Team 11.4 Collaborating with Other Disciplines 11.5 Giving Constructive Feedback 11.6 Receiving Feedback 11.7 The Life of a Dialogue Line 11.8 Finding Your Joy 11.9 Conclusion 11.10 Exercises Chapter 12 Keeping Localization in Mind: When Game Narrative Travels Abroad 12.1 The Importance of Localization 12.2 Transliteration vs. Translation vs. Localization 12.3 Bad Localization 12.4 Maintaining a Healthy Process 12.5 Thankless Job 12.6 Conclusion 12.7 Writing Exercises References Chapter 13 Writers in the Recording Studio 13.1 Does Good Voice Acting Even Matter? 13.2 Why Do Some Games Have Such Terrible Voice Acting? 13.3 Games with Great Voice Acting 13.4 Casting 101 13.5 Creating Scripts for Voice-Over Actors 13.6 Working with a Voice Director 13.7 When the Writer Is the Voice Director 13.8 Tips for Eliciting Believable Performances 13.9 How to Direct Celebrities 13.10 How to Direct Non-actors 13.11 Microphone Techniques 13.12 Directing Barks without Killing Your Actors 13.13 Editing and Postproduction 13.14 Acting 101 13.15 Conclusion 13.16 Exercises Chapter 14 Writing for Existing Licenses 14.1 Canon or Non-Canon 14.2 Must You Be a Fan? 14.3 Expect Change 14.4 Keeping It New and Interesting 14.5 Navigating Big Changes and Different Audiences 14.6 Fandom Cuts Both Ways 14.7 Conclusion 14.8 Exercises Chapter 15 Writing for New IP 15.1 The Game Writer and New IP Creation 15.2 The Starting Line—In-House 15.3 The Starting Line—Freelance 15.4 The Golden Window 15.5 Parachuted In 15.6 Overview: The Role 15.7 Overview: The Scope 15.8 Standalone IPs 15.9 Existing Franchise IPs 15.10 Building Narrative Worlds 15.11 Flesh on the Bones 15.12 The Story Without and the Story Within 15.13 Case Study: The World of Overlord 15.14 Writer Onboard 15.15 Expanding the World—Overlord: Raising Hell 15.16 Importance of Character 15.17 Character Case Studies: Overlord—Mistress Rose and Mistress Velvet 15.18 Conclusion 15.19 Exercises Chapter 16 Script Doctoring 16.1 What Is Script Doctoring? 16.2 The Basics 16.3 Integrating with the Team 16.4 Prioritization 16.5 Script Doctoring in the Recording Studio 16.6 Quick-and-Dirty Secrets 16.7 What Not to Do 16.8 The Script Doctoring Secrets of the Hidden Masters 16.9 Conclusion 16.10 Exercises Chapter 17 Writing Compelling Game Characters 17.1 Introduction 17.2 Goals and Worldview 17.3 Strength and Weakness 17.4 Aligning Player and Player-Character Motivations 17.5 Player-Character: Driving the Story 17.6 Antagonist: Hero of Their Own Story 17.7 The Importance of Actors 17.8 Conclusion 17.9 Exercises Chapter 18 Hiring Philosophies: We Can Do Better 18.1 Job Postings for Writers 18.2 The Way I See It 18.3 The Way I Got In 18.4 How Things Got This Way 18.5 Putting It All Together 18.6 Tom & Bobby’s Principles For Narrative Team-Building 18.7 Conclusion 18.8 Exercises Chapter 19 If it Works, Break It: Game Narrative Tropes and Innovation 19.1 Introductory Tease 19.2 I Can’t Remember What I Forgot (Amnesia) 19.3 Where Is Everybody? (The (Mostly) Empty Game World) 19.4 Secret Secrets Here! (Audio Logs, Etc.) 19.5 Breadcrumbed to Perfection (Guided Critical Paths) 19.6 I Am Both Helpful and Absent (Walkie-Talkie Voice) 19.7 Midpoint Transition 19.8 Press X to Maybe Move (Conflict between Player and Avatar) 19.9 Drilling Down into the Sandbox 19.10 Really Time? (Embracing Real Time) 19.11 Cut to Shape (Editing) 19.12 No One Wins Together (Collaborative Play) 19.13 What Was That All About? 19.14 Exercises Appendix A Call oF Juarez: Gunslinger Script Sample–Screenplay Format Appendix B Bratz: Forever Diamondz Script Sample-Modified Screenplay Format Appendix C Barks and Task Spreadsheet Appendix D Casting Sides for Call of Juarez Index