Nailing Video Game Script Writing – What You Need To Know

Video Game Script Writing - How It’s Done

Most video games are full of words . But where do these words come from? They’re written by writers of course! Like any creative industry, writers are an essential part of video game design. However, video game script writing is distinct from that of films or stage productions for a number of key reasons…

This article gives you a rundown of what it means to write video games scripts, how you can build a career writing for games , and how to write a script that warps a player into the world you’ve created for them.

What is a video game script?

How to write a video game script, what makes the best video game script, examples of video game scripts.

  • Are voice acting scripts for games different?

How to become a video game scriptwriter

What is ‘scripting’ in video games.

Broadly speaking, a script encompasses all of the written text relating to an entertainment production – plays, films, radio broadcasts, video games, and so on.

As shown in the table above, there are quite a few differences between traditional scripts and video game scripts. Video game designer Ian Bogost explains it best :

“…games abandon the dream of becoming narrative media and pursue the one they are already so good at: taking the tidy, ordinary world apart and putting it back together again in surprising, ghastly new ways.”

While traditional narratives do have a place in video gaming, the majority of stories told through video games involve what Bogost calls ‘procedural rhetoric’ , a term he coined. This is the idea that a story can be told through the audience interacting with, and learning from, a new world of rules and processes.

Components of a video game script

Plot/narrative: Plumber saves mushroom princess from… a dinosaur? A dragon maybe? While Bogost firmly believes in a future where games present only the environment in which the player builds their own story, most games like to offer a bit more. (FYI Bowser is actually a ‘great demon king’).

Characters: Choose your fighter! Character descriptions and biographies occur in traditional scripts as well. A good character profile is helpful because it keeps all the information you have on a character in one place, creating a kind of handy reference sheet if you need to figure out how they might act in a situation or conversation. The MasterClass staff cover the basics of character profile creation .

Dialogue: “Hey, listen!” Game dialogue can be very different from a film, for example. This is because unless an actor is forgetting their lines or ad libbing, they are supposed to stick to the exact conversation outlined in the script. Even when actors are improvising, a conversation only ever happens once; with the exception of time travel. In video gaming however, decision trees, friendship meters, alignments, replayability, and more can turn one interaction into a multitude of possible routes. For more info, check out these game dialogue tips from the New York Film Academy.

Cutscenes: Skippable, if you’re lucky… Cutscenes are probably the closest you’ll get to traditional scripts during video game production. This makes sense, since cutscenes are usually short video sequences designed to provide exposition, as well as breaking up levels or sections within levels of a game. As writer/director Greg Buchanan explains in detail :

“It is therefore crucial… to be able to practice and excel at non-branching narrative.”

Other non-dialogue texts: Perhaps the archives are incomplete. As mentioned in the table above, there’s a wider range of texts in a game than in traditional media. While much of these texts are optional for the reader, they are important for fleshing out the world that’s being created and providing a richer experience for those interested few looking to immerse themselves deeper into your game. Examples include:

  • Flavour texts
  • In-game lore
  • Item/environment descriptions ( it’s bread )
  • Instructions/tutorials/options menus etc.

9 (or 10?) steps for writing a game script

  • Either a. Outline your plot b. Outline your game design
  • And then do the other one
  • Preproduction
  • Worldbuilding
  • Character design
  • Create your story flowchart
  • Write your narrative
  • Flesh out your script

Outline your plot ⇌ design: The chicken-script or the game-design-egg? Whether story or design come first in gaming is a tricky question. It can be the case that you have a concept for a game and you then create a story in which to embed your game mechanics. Or for more narrative-based interactive story games you may want to outline a plot first and then decide how your story will literally ‘play out’. Have no idea where to even begin?! – Let writers.com get you going .

Preproduction: Where to start before starting. The preproduction stage is an important place to cement the idea for your game before spending any money. Part of that process is a prototype script which will give the gist of the story you’re planning to tell, before you spend time and money telling it in full.

Worldbuilding: It began with the forging of the Great Rings… Even a 2D platformer has a backdrop ( Mario 3 was a play dontcha know?). When writing a game, you need a place for your game to take place, for the player to explore, and for your characters and events to exist and take place. MasterClass strikes again with their guide to starting worldbuilding .

Character design: Round 2, fight! As mentioned above in our ‘what is a video game script?’ section, character design and profiles help to envision and consolidate aspects of a character to help you decide how they would and should behave during your story. This includes heroes, villains, supporting characters etc.

Story flowchart: If ‘yes’, read on… Now you have the ‘where’ and the ‘who’, you need to figure out the ‘what’ and the ‘when’. This is going to be a meaty (or meat-substitute-y) task because you need to document what is going on at each stage of your story, across all possible story routes, and how the stages of your story flow into and out of one another.

The structure of each stage of a story flowchart will usually be:

  • The starting node of a stage
  • Nodes describing what is going on (visual environment, music/sound effects, characters, actions)
  • Choice/challenge nodes, where decision or dice rolls affect what comes next
  • Storylines splitting based on the outcome of nodes at step 3.
  • A repeat of steps 2. to 4. for each branching storyline
  • One or more ending nodes

At any step after 1., branching storylines can merge again. This happens very often during game scripts because otherwise you’d end up with an unmanageable number of unique storylines to write and create. See this handy guide from Game Developer.

Writing your narrative: Putting pen to paper code. Once the outline, design, world, characters, and structure are all in place, you’re free to enjoy writer’s block! Hopefully not, but it can be tough getting your full narrative written. ACMI have a great guide to the 4 main points of good video game narrative :

  • Point of view

Fleshing things out: The lawful-evil devil’s in the details. Even when your main narrative is written, there will likely be plenty left to work on. Side quests, alongside the other non-dialogue texts listen in our ‘what is a video game script?’ section above, require lots of additional writing. As long as they’re consistent with your tone and don’t contradict your main narrative then it’s just a matter of getting them done (and a chance to show a little flair and imagination).

Reviewing: It was the ‘blurst’ of times?! While this is last on our list, since it’s the last thing you’ll be doing, it doesn’t mean you’re meant to leave it all until now. Like most things in life, iterating (doing something over and over, improving it each time) when writing game scripts is best. So, you should be reviewing your script continuously as you go through the design and production processes. Also, reviewing doesn’t just include fixing smelling mistakes or errors between grammar (although these things are important!), it’s also about improving the overall quality of your script by ensuring it has the right tone, is fit for purpose, and all ties together properly.

Personal preference: Can’t please everyone… Some love a detailed story, some see it as getting in the way of gameplay. Some love epic, large-scale conflict, some love personal journeys. It’s impossible to write a script to please everyone – so pick a story you want to tell and do that well.

The player-character dynamic: Do as I do, not as I wouldn’t do. Coming back to the interactive vs linear debate, when a player is able to make their character behave as they would, it helps immersion. But, giving a player complete control over a game inhibits the designer’s ability to tell a story ( The Stanley Parable anyone?). Again there’s no perfect way to balance this dynamic, but it’s an important consideration as you write your script.

Helping the player explore the story: There’s no knowing where you might be swept off to. Regardless of how much control the player has over the story, it should still be presented in a way that allows them to engage with it and encourages them to explore at least ideas and emotions, if not also environments.

5 tips for writing a great video game script

  • Consider your audience – think about who you’re making the game for and adjust the complexity and tone accordingly.
  • Focus on believability – even in a world of fiction or fantasy, the story needs to be cohesive and plausible.
  • Set rules and stick to them – by deciding what does and doesn’t fit into your narrative, you can help maintain the themes and feel of your game.
  • Done is better than perfect – don’t let perfectionism stop your writing. You’ll have a chance to improve your work as you review and iterate.
  • Be passionate and creative – have fun writing and do what feels right for you. This will shine through your script and your audience will pick up on it.
  • Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead
  • What Remains of Edith Finch
  • The Last of Us
  • Silent Hill 2

Above are links to fan wikis (and IGN) that contain transcriptions of video games known for exceptional storytelling and impressive scripting. While they aren’t full scripts in the way you’d expect to write one for your own game (mostly just dialogue with description/stage direction), they can give you a sense of what a successful script includes. We’ve excluded games with literary source materials, since they won’t be relevant if you’re looking to write a novel script of your own.

BunnyStudio also have a great article with example excerpts from successful video game scripts, and explanations of why they work so well.

Here’s 6 steps for to building a career in video game writing:

  • Get educated – most jobs in game writing require you to have finished school at least. It’s likely a degree will help your prospects too, particularly one in Computer Science or English.
  • Immerse yourself in the gaming industry – sort of obvious really but being interested in gaming will help. But also, researching the industry and being interested in making games (not just playing them) will help.
  • Read and write really regularly – writing every day is good practice to hone your skills. Things like entering writing competitions, or keeping a diary or blog are great ideas. And it goes without saying that reading, particularly around video game scripts, will be beneficial.
  • Learn to code – while you won’t be coding the game yourself, a basic understanding is likely to be beneficial and get you a second glance over your CV from a potential recruiter.
  • Get experience and credentials – while we don’t think you should have to work for free, unfortunately volunteering can get you experience and publications to put on your C.V. Also, starting your own project might be the way to go, perhaps with a friend who can code extensively.
  • Set yourself up as a freelancer and apply – video game writers often work freelance since it allows for flexible project management and for you to work as needed across multiple projects. Make sure you know how to set up a portfolio, and how to write good applications and ace job interviews.

If you’ve made it down this far and you’re wondering how a masterfully crafted narrative helps people get headshots every time then you’ve probably realised video games script and scripting in video games aren’t particularly related.

Scripting means writing code that performs a function in a video game. More specifically, the term is used to refer to writing a script to help you perform better at a game (often meaning cheating at the game ). It’s generally frowned upon and will typically result in a ban if used in online competitive games.

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How to write a video game script

  • January 21, 2022 February 18, 2022

Video games are a huge industry, worth billions of dollars every year. But the people who make them don’t work in a vacuum. They need to know how to write a video game script. Luckily for aspiring writers, there are some simple rules you can follow to create your own video game story and get it made into one of the next blockbuster games that everyone will be playing!

Let’s take you through a video writing game example

These 7 points are a guide to help you write better story arcs for game scripts. They are meant as general advice, we will go into more specific detail later on.

1. Understand the structure of a video game

Writing a video game script starts with understanding the structure of a video game. Unlike movies, which have a more “thematic” or story-driven approach, video games depend on players to take an active role in the storytelling process. For that reason, it’s best to start thinking about what you want your player character to do. Not just what you want them to say, but how that will map out within the game itself. The more active the characters are in their environment, the better your game script will come to life.

Structure example for writing

Pexels stock image

2. Introduce your characters and setting

The next step in game writing is to introduce your characters and setting. This will help you as video game writers to know the kind of environment that the player character is in, and what they want or need in order to progress through it. The more appealing these elements are the greater chance you have of getting a publisher’s interest in the idea!

3. Set up the stakes for your game story

The final step in writing video game scripts is to set up the stakes and goals for your characters. The best games out there all revolve around one simple goal: Your player character must do X to achieve their goal of Y. For example, you might say, “the protagonist wants to save the world from an evil robot dictator.” You need to know what exactly needs to be done in order to achieve that goal and create a roadmap for your character’s development.

A good video game writer will always have a game design plan to bring out the most in his own story. A great video game script is one that follows these game development process tips.

4. Write your first major story scene

Once you have your roadmap set out, it’s time to write your first major story scene. This is the most important part of writing a video game script, because this is where you will get feedback from your publisher on what works and what doesn’t work in terms of gameplay. There are some things that need to happen for your game story to be satisfying, and it’s your job to write video games and make sure all of those critical pieces are in place.

First scene needs to start somewhere

Pexels stock photo

5. Develop your plot points in

The next step as a video game scriptwriter is to develop your plot points. Don’t worry about the minor story beats just yet, think more about where you want the major turning points to take place and make sure they are believable within the context of your world (e.g., if you want to be serious with a dramatic sci-fi game, don’t have your characters break into song and dance!)

6. Fill in the gaps of your story

The final step of writing a video game script is to fill in the gaps of your story. This means having sub-plots that are interesting enough to keep players engaged through the major plot points of your game story. It’s important to remember that sub-plots only work if they are relevant to the main plot, so keep it simple and limit your sub-plots to two or three at most unless you’re an experienced narrative designer.

7. Polish your script until it’s ready to go

Once you’re done writing your video game script, it’s time to polish and put the finishing touches on it. This can include adding dialogue that characterizes each major player in the story and making sure that all of the plot points are tied up nicely.

You might need to make some big changes in order to accommodate for the strengths and weaknesses of your game development team, but in the end you should have a story that’s satisfying when it’s finished.

An example of a guy polishing something the way you should polish your game story.

Pexels Stock photo

Character descriptions, development and world-building

Game script writing is a video game production process that takes years of refining and constant reworking. It’s your job as a game writer to create characters that players can care about, and build worlds that encourage them to immerse themselves in the experience you want to convey.

For example, let’s say we wanted to write a video game with the story “a young mage must save the world from an evil demon.” There’s nothing wrong with this setup, but it doesn’t really allow players to get invested. So let’s change it up a bit!

“A young girl whose family was killed by a mysterious dragon vows revenge on all demons and their kind after she discovers her magical powers .”

Lego blocks

Just by adding a few layers to the setup, players are allowed to relate more to the protagonist and invest in her journey for revenge. It’s important to remember while you write your game script that your characters are real people dealing with real problems. Your job is to create emotional situations that will bring out empathy from anyone playing.

A player character dynamic is vital to write video game scripts that don’t suck. If you want to make it in the game industry. Game developers are always looking for interacting to increase engagement from users. Interactive storytelling with compelling voice actors will go a long way to making games stand out.

Some nuances on character development for writing game stories

It’s also important to remember that not all characters need to be likeable. You can still create compelling dynamics between characters by having some who are loved by the player and others who are loved by NPCs (non-playing characters). Just make sure your overall mood is consistent with the main story tone you’re trying to convey.

For example, if you want to create a dark and serious tone, don’t have NPCs constantly making jokes about random things throughout the game (I got hit by an arrow in the knee!). If you plan on using humor in your game script, make sure it’s used sparingly or not at all so your game doesn’t become too jarring for players.

The same principle goes for world-building! Your job as a game writer is to create an interactive world for players to explore and get involved with. It’s important to include backstory for your game’s lore (e.g., that dragons are evil creatures that kill families) so that it doesn’t feel like you’re forcing the story on the player’s playthrough of your game.

When you’re writing game stories for your next masterpiece, remember that story is integral to any great game. Good storytelling can bring up emotions you wouldn’t expect from video games and make players more invested in the gameplay. The player must care about what they’re doing, or it won’t matter how fun a time they’re having.

World building must support your game story lines

Building an immersive world for players to explore is very important. An interactive game with a blandly written story just adds up to another failed video game that no one will remember in the future

It’s also important that your fictional worlds are consistent throughout the entire playthrough of your video game! If you say that fire mages can only light things on fire with their magic, then you should never have other mages lighting things on fire in a way that contradicts this.

World building example of man holding a globe

The same can be said for character dialogue! If your best friend is talking to you the whole time about the hardships of being a mage and how much he hates it when villagers treat him like a monster, don’t make him say “I love being a mage!” in the next cutscene. Keep your world consistent, and always check over your game story lines to make sure they make sense with what you want to convey.

It’s important when writing video game scripts for games like these that you don’t add too many twists and turns in the story. If your friends betray you at the end, that’s fine! Just don’t have them betray you again 3 hours later for seemingly no reason.

If players see something coming 10 miles away, they’re going to be mad because it’ll feel like an unneeded twist just to surprise them and make them invested in the story when they weren’t supposed to be.

Another important writing tip for game writers is not to keep the player on the same path all the time. Don’t make them go where you want them to go; instead, give players some freedom by allowing them to choose what they want their character’s next action to be.

When it comes to dialogue, don’t leave the player hanging with one line of dialogue for 30 seconds while their character talks to themselves in their head about what they should say next. If you’re writing game scripts for games that typically have an abundance of dialogue choices (e.g., RPGs), then this is something you definitely need to keep in mind.

As with any form of writing, consistency is very important when writing for video games. Short stories for side quests can be used to spice things up a bit, to give your main character some more time to talk with non playable characters. It’s not computer science, the more stuff you start writing, the more precious time a player will have to spend time exploring your world.

Writing for games includes lots of dialogue and storyboarding

It’s important when writing game scripts to keep your dialogue balanced, so it doesn’t get too convoluted for the audience playing the game. If you have a choice between giving someone one line or 8 lines of dialogue about something, stick to around 3-4 lines since too much wordy dialogue will make players want to skip through cutscenes.

For games like RPGs, it’s important to not give away all the dialogue choices in the cutscene before it. Players like to feel like they’re in control and make their own decisions when playing video games and not be forced into a decision or lose control of what dialogue options they want to choose from.

Use story boarding to get better writing material

When writing game scripts for your story, always try to give the player choices that feel important. If they’re stuck between choosing dialogue that is either nice or mean, don’t make it too obvious which one the player should choose. Add in some variety, and let them choose what kind of character their character will be.

It’s also very important when writing game scripts to keep track of how much time passes between dialogue choices. If you wait too long before allowing the player to make their next choice, they might be impatient and not want to hear what you have to say anymore.

When it comes to video game story boarding (i.e., drawing out your ideas on paper), keep them as concise as possible since space is limited and you don’t want to overdo what you’re trying to convey. Stick with the most important parts and leave room for dialogue and character movement (if applicable).

A good tip is to draw out what your video game storyboard will look like before drawing it out on paper, as this can save time when actually drawing it out.

Examples of bad dialogue in a video game script

Don’t say: “Nice weather today, isn’t it?” It doesn’t add anything to the dialogue. Talking about the weather is not fun in real life, nor is it in video games.

Don’t say: “I love being a mage!” Do you go around stating the things you are & how much you love being that thing all the time? It feels a bit forced.

Do say: “C’mon, let’s go!” This is the most generic line in the game, but at least it doesn’t sound forced.

Don’t say: “Oh my gosh! Did you see that?!” Try to stay away from cliches when writing game scripts because players will instantly get turned off if they feel like they’ve heard this before. Something better would be a simple: “What the… f…”.

Thumbs down to indicate something's bad

Another thing to avoid is having NPC’s state whatever is happening in front of you already. They say a picture is worth a thousand words… so clearly a video is worth a billion words. There’s nothing worse to find in game or movie scripts than a character talking just to further the plot.

How and why should I use a storyboard?

You can use a storyboard if you’re looking to create your own video game. For example, if you wanted to make an old school top-down Zelda-style RPG or even a puzzle platformer like The Adventures of Lolo , then having some sort of visual representation of the levels and characters is very helpful since it saves time and money .

A storyboard is also helpful for having your game judged by a publisher. This way the people reviewing it can see what you’re thinking of actually drawing out, so they don’t think that you just drew out random boxes on paper and thought that looked good enough to be in the game.

This is how you create a storyboard

Step 1) Draw out the basic layout of each room or level. This means you should have the floor plan of the room drawn out, not what’s IN it. That saves time since you can’t draw an infinite number of graphics for random stuff players might find in your levels.

Step 2) Once your storyboard is done, draw out the main characters and bosses for each level. Write down their dialogue so you have a guideline for how they should speak. You can also use your storyboard to help excuse any plot holes since it will help you remember what happens in every room and stretch of land throughout the game.

Step 3) Once the characters are drawn, create a story board image which overlaps them all together in order to give you an idea of how your dialogue plays out within the overall story. This shows you where the player will be during every scene and who they’ll be having a conversation with.

Step 4) Add in sound effects for each room, object, and character. It’s easy to go over board with this though, so make sure that if your video game is going to have sound effects, that you’re not adding too many. It can be overwhelming for players to hear multiple sounds at the same time since they’ll just want to shut their game off if it feels like an overload of noise.

Add sound effects to spice up your game story

Step 5) Create images of events/cutscenes in each level. For example, if there is a cutscene where the player is attacked by an enemy, then create the scene where the player fights back and defeats the enemy. Then you can use these to show how many events will take place during each level.

Step 6) Add in graphics for items used within levels. For example, if there is an item which allows players to teleport across rooms, draw out what the item (and the teleportation graphic for it) looks like.

Step 7) Add in images of the menus used throughout the game. This will show you what screen players are on at all times, since some games have different screens depending on whether or not they’re fighting an enemy, upgrading their stats, purchasing items, etc… (ex: Metroid Prime).

Step 8) Now it’s time to make your game! Add in all the dialogue, sound effects, graphics, events, and menus you planned out. Testing it as obviously an important aspect of this step.

How to pitch your game idea to publishers and developers

Now that you have your storyboard in order, it’s time to pitch it to a publisher or game developer! Keep in mind that when you’re pitching them your game idea, there are some things which they’re looking for.

Your game concept should be something new

First of all, publishers and developers are always looking for games which are new and different. If you try to tell them about a game which is already out, what they’re going to ask is “How will your game be better than the one that’s already out?”

New year to signal that something is new / updated

For example: You want to make a clone of Pokemon where all the monsters are food items like cupcakes and ice cream cones. The player has to try and collect as many of them as he can by asking people if they would like to “MAKE FRIENDS WITH THEIR FOOD!” If your game is basically a baby version of an already existing game, then they’re not going to want it.

Your game should be something fun and entertaining

Secondly, you need to make sure that your game is going to be enjoyable and fun. Think about what would appeal to you as a player? Is it a first person shooter, or side scroller, or MMORPG? What features will make the game unique and stand out from other games like it already out there?

For example: You want to make a RPG like Final Fantasy, but with a unique twist which really makes it stand out from other titles in the series. You could add in a character who can time travel back and forth through different timelines to help fix the space-time continuum. This way, you have something new to pitch publishers when they ask “How will your game be different from [X]?” Your game should be something that can make money

Of course, you want to make sure that your game is something which will actually make money for the company who decides to invest in it. Think about what features would appeal to people who enjoy casual games (like Angry Birds) vs people who like to play console games (like Halo). Understanding your target audience helps you write better game scripts.

Finally – these are our tips specifically for aspiring game writers

You want to make sure that your game script is something which will appeal to the company you’re pitching it to. This means checking over your work and making sure there aren’t any spelling or grammatical errors, as well as making sure that the dialogue in your storyboard flows smoothly and makes sense. The last thing you want is for a publisher to turn down your game script because you didn’t pay attention to detail!

Details matter in video game scripts

Learn about different writing techniques such as the hero’s journey

Studying different types of stories by reading books, watching movies/television shows, or playing video games can help you figure out what makes a story compelling to an audience.

Understanding how to make your game script better will help you in getting it read by the right people in the industry who are looking for good product ideas. By following our tips and tricks, you’re already making strides in the right direction!

Step 1: Create a storyboard of your game

Step 2: Smooth out all the details before sending it on to publishers

Step 3: Pitch your idea to friends and fellow writers for feedback

Step 4: Rewrite parts that don’t make sense – based on feedback

Step 5: It’s time to try and get your game out there, either by going to a game publisher or by creating it yourself.

If you follow these steps & guidelines, you will be well on your way to writing your own games!

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How To Write A Video Game Script: Take A Cue From Literature

While not all games employ a narrative structure to provide their plot, for a lot of gamers, story is vital for getting your teeth into a good game. A good narrative can help a gamer become fully immersed and feel he or she is part of the world the programmers have created. But how do you write a proper video game script?

How to write a video game script

Creating a compelling plot for a game is a hard discipline to master, but it’s also one of the first and most fundamental skills taught at any game design program . Today, we’ll be taking a look at the importance of narrative structure within the game design sphere.

Taking a Cue from Literature

Narrative structure is what makes us care about the character we are controlling. It makes us want to achieve the goals, save the day, and can make us want to finish a game to see the final denouement.

The same, of course, is true for a good genre book, whether it’s a thriller, mystery, science fiction, or fantasy novel; it’s the narrative, the characters and the pacing of the novel that makes us want to keep picking it up.

Games and novels are not that vastly different.

How to write a video game script

While games are interactive, books have been too, as anyone old enough to remember the Choose Your Own Adventure gamebooks that were popular during 1980s can testify. But even normal genre novels lend some of the same narrative techniques to video games.

As with novels, a good narrative structure that introduces rich characters, false endings, red herrings, and multiple climaxes can take us on a roller coaster ride of thrills and excitement.

The same is true of the best video games narratives resulting in an immersive experience; which, when you consider the cost of the average game can make all that saving, scrimping, and trading your phone in for recycling worthwhile.

When crafting in the game design workshop, it should be firmly kept in mind that the key to any good story is conflict; whether a video game or novel, it’s the conflict that drives the narrative.

Games need conflict just as much as books. Of course, most video games, particular first person shooters, are full of conflict. But we are not just talking shooting and action here. Conflict in a narrative structure is the basis for the story.

In novels such as a mystery, the conflict is the murder which the protagonist has to solve; in a thriller, it’s the ticking bomb under the White House that the hero needs to defuse. And the same conflict is the basis for some of the best video game stories.

Half-Life 2

As with genre novels, conflict in games sets the basic premise and the purpose behind the game’s story. In Half-Life 2, perhaps the ultimate in plot driven video games, the conflict centered on the invasion of Earth by the Combine; which helped make the player feel part of the resistance movement that were desperate to rid the world of the invaders.

Player Types Equates to Genre

The basic player types in video games are very similar to the types of protagonists created by the genre novelist. They serve the story by defining the genre of novel or game. In some games or novels, character that have to achieve set goals, whether it’s reaching the end of the level, acquiring points or solving a puzzle, are synonymous to those used in the mystery genre. Detectives, private eyes, and little old ladies solving crimes all serve the same basic function, with Miss Marple being no different than Lara Croft (apart from in the physical sense, obviously).

Lara Croft Tomb Raider Video Game

In science fiction and fantasy novels, protagonists are often tools that help the reader explore a new world. The same is true of the video game character; with Tolkien’s Frodo being not that different to the characters used in World of Warcraft or other RPGs.

As for the thriller, whether its James Bond or Jason Bourne, action-driven characters are there to provide the thrills and spills. Similarities with the characters employed in the average FPS are clear. They are there to cause as much mayhem and violence as possible, to sate the reader or player as they go from action scene to action scene.

Three Act Structure

Another common narrative structure employed by both games and genre novels is the three act restorative structure. The three act structure simply divides the story into three:

  • The beginning, where the main conflict is established,
  • The middle, where the implications of the conflict involve the main body of the book or game, and
  • The resolution, where the protagonist saves the day (or dies) and the player gets to complete the game.

In most games, this structure is spread quite thin, with the first act often played out in cut scenes during the start of the game or via the loading screen. The basis of most video games center on the second act, where all the running around and shooting takes place.

The third act tends to be signified by the final battle or confrontation, resulting in another cut scene and the completion of the game. Although, some of the best narrative led games stretch out the different acts, in a more subtle way.

Don’t Neglect The Importance Of Story

Whether it be film, novel, or game, a great story captures the imagination and captivates the watcher, reader, or player. Stories take us to a different world and allow us to escape. Stories build loyal followings and fans.

Knowing how to write a video game script, or at least knowing how to choose a good one, can be the first step to creating the next big hit in the gaming world.

Stand out in the field of video game design by enrolling in one of our game design programs. From coding to video game storytelling to VR, our variety of game design programs give students intensive, hands-on experience in video game design. Visit our Game Design Discipline page to learn more and apply today.

  • Video Game Writing

Learn video game writing with online courses & programs

What is video game writing.

Video game writing is the process of creating compelling narratives and dialogues for video games. It encompasses character development and crafting immersive worlds that captivate players throughout their gaming experience. Video game writers collaborate closely with game designers, developers, and artists to ensure the narrative seamlessly integrates with the gameplay.

Video game writing has the power to evoke a wide range of emotions in players. It can elicit feelings of excitement, suspense, and anticipation during intense action sequences. When done successfully, it can also evoke a sense of empathy and attachment to characters or foster a sense of accomplishment and empowerment when players achieve significant milestones within the game.

Mastering video game writing with online courses can provide aspiring writers with the skills and knowledge that are key to this specialized field. Start learning video game writing with online courses delivered through edX.

script writing video games

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Video game writing course curriculum.

Enrolling in an online video game writing course allows learners to understand the unique narrative demands of various game genres and more. Some key topics these courses might cover include:

Introduction to video game writing: An overview of the fundamentals of video game writing, including storytelling techniques, character development, and narrative structure specific to games.

Game design and narrative: An exploration of the intersection of game design and storytelling, focusing on how narrative elements can enhance gameplay and player engagement. Learners may study concepts like interactive storytelling, branching narratives, and player agency.

Dialogue writing for games: A deep dive into the art of writing dialogue for video games. It covers topics such as character voice, writing natural and dynamic conversations, and integrating dialogue with gameplay mechanics.

Worldbuilding in games: A lesson on creating immersive, captivating and ethical game worlds. Learners explore techniques for building rich environments, establishing lore and backstory, and designing interactive narratives within the game's universe. Footnote 1

Game writing for different genres: A look at how writing techniques can vary across different game genres, such as action and role-playing. Learners explore genre-specific storytelling conventions, pacing, and narrative design considerations.

With edX, you can enhance your expertise and skills through a range of educational offerings. Courses in disciplines such as creative writing or software development can lay the foundation for aspiring gaming industry professionals, some of whom get started with a bachelor’s degree program . For advanced learners, a master’s degree program provides opportunities for specialization. Additionally, accelerated boot camps and executive education courses cater to individuals who want to upskill while working and stay updated with the latest industry trends.

Find the right learning path for you with edX.

Explore video game writing jobs

The gaming industry is an expansive one with opportunities ranging from game development to scriptwriting. Some potential job roles for individuals with a background in video game writing include:

Video game writer: As a video game writer, you are responsible for developing compelling narratives, dialogues, and storylines for video games. Your role involves collaborating with the game development team to create engaging and immersive storytelling experiences. Footnote 2

Narrative designer: As a narrative designer, your focus is on crafting the overall narrative structure and gameplay elements that drive the storytelling in video games. You may work closely with game designers, writers, and artists to ensure a cohesive and captivating narrative experience. Footnote 3

Game scriptwriter: As a game scriptwriter, you specialize in writing scripts for video game cutscenes, dialogues, and character interactions. You are tasked with creating dialogue that is engaging, authentic, and aligns with the game's overall narrative vision. Footnote 4

Game content writer: As a game content writer, your responsibility is to create and develop in-game content such as item descriptions, lore, quest dialogues, and worldbuilding elements. Your goal is to ensure that the written content enhances the player's experience. Footnote 5

Game localization writer/translator: As a game localization writer, you spend your time adapting and translating game content into different languages to cater to a global audience. A key part of the job is ensuring that the translated text captures the original essence and tone of the game while considering cultural nuances. Footnote 6

With a background in video game writing, you can also pursue a career as a game reviewer or content creator. You can create written or video-based reviews and commentary on video games, sharing your insights and opinions with the gaming community.

Whether you desire to pursue a profession in digital media production or choose to specialize in narrative design, edX makes it possible to enhance your technical and creative abilities with a diverse selection of online courses.

More opportunities for you to learn

We've added 500+ learning opportunities to create one of the world's most comprehensive free-to-degree online learning platforms.

Executive Education

Master's degrees, bachelor's degrees.

Last updated August 2023

The Narrative Department

  • How We Help Studios
  • How We Help Writers

The Narrative Department

How to write a script for games

When I started teaching my game-writing class at UT, the same question came up, over and over again.

“What does a game script look like?”

My usual answer was “Well, it’s hard to explain.” But what I REALLY felt like saying was something like:

  • “It looks like the multiverse, kid,” or
  • “Spaghetti. It looks like spaghetti,”, or
  • “You don't want to know.”

how to write a script, script writing, screenplay format, video game script, script format

And it’s true! It IS hard to explain what a game script looks like. But I’m going to do my best to give a REAL answer, here and now.

First, let’s start with a type of script we’re ALL familiar with - the film script.

That screenplay format exists for a reason

Thanks to Hollywood, we’ve all seen screenplays. We’ve seen MOVIES about screenplays, for crying out loud.

But why do those scripts look the way they do? Why does every script HAVE to be typed in 12-point Courier? Why are the spacing and line breaks so exact? Who cares?

how to write a script, script writing, screenplay format, video game script, script format

Because form follows function . Crews use scripts for all kinds of reasons, above and beyond the words on the page.

For example, producers use scripts to build their budgets. One page = one minute of screen time (more or less).

Crews can quickly scan the left hand side of the pages to count the interior and exterior locations, and calculate where they need to be, on which day.

And actors can skim to highlight their character’s lines - and ignore the rest.

Everybody on the team cares about the script - but not for the same reasons.

Most of all, screenplays paint a picture. And movies are all about pictures . Right?

“Producers, agents, readers, actors and development executives - your first audience - need to be able to sit down with your work and imagine your words transformed into pictures and dialogue on the big screen.”

Form follows function in games, too

So if screenplays have to paint a picture, and help producers figure out budgets, what do game scripts have to do?

More. A lot more. Which is why they’re more complicated. More spaghetti-like, even. Let’s take a look.

There are two different kinds of scripts - cinematic and in-game. Good news: you already know what a game’s cinematic script looks like. It looks just like a film script!

Then there’s the in-game script. What does that have to do?

It has to connect with gameplay.

But what does that mean , exactly?

A lot, as it turns out.

For one thing, the lines have to respond to the player. When the player throws a drink in a character’s face, that character better be ready to say something! Even NPCs don’t want to look like chumps. :)

The script has to know who’s actually still in the game. Did the player shoot one of the NPCs? Whoops! Well, all the other characters need to react, right? Not just in the moment (“OMG you killed Kenny!”) but hours/days/weeks later, too (“We hardly knew ye, Kenny boy.”). And plot points have to change too. No point continuing a story about Kenny if he’s six feet under. The script has be able to track what happened, remember what came before, and be ready for what comes next.

The script has to stay in sync with game design. When the game design changes, based on player feedback, the story has to change too. (And vice versa.) That means the designer and the writer have to be able to use game-writing software to communicate with each other, or at least understand each other.

Other people in the studio care about the script, too. Animators need to visualize the action between characters. The programmer needs to place audio files in the map. The voice actor needs her lines. The list goes on. Lots of people on the team interact with the script at different times, for different reasons.

So what kind of script can deliver all that info, to all those different departments?

Tutti a tavola!

Script writing (software) for games

First of all, here’s a shocking fact: there is no industry-standard scriptwriting software for the industry. No Final Draft for games.

It’s wild, it’s crazy, it makes no sense. But that’s where we are at the moment.

You can always do most of your writing on your favorite type of blank page - Google doc, spiral notebook, etc. I'm a big believer in writing by hand - more emotions come through when you're using more of your body to do the work. But at some point, your script has to enter the fray of game development. And that's where some of the tools below come in.

(I'm not even going to talk about Excel. Some people use it; I hate it. "Cell" is right. More like prison cell. Am I right? Bah! Excel is for accountants, not writers.)

There are some off-the-shelf interactive-writing options out there. One is Twine , which is extremely easy to use once you learn the literally ONE STEP - double brackets! - required for use. Its great for game-writing portfolio samples, but it has its limits. Their website include hundreds of examples, so you can see how other writers have used the tool. You can find a sample project here and also here . (Pro tip: Twine can also be a great tool for 'mocking up' story ideas to share with other people on your team.)

Alicia on Twitter tells me she's had good success using WriterDuet , which is designed specifically for collaborating (and game development is all about collaborating). I haven't used this software myself, but they are an awesome team of developers, and clearly they're supporting interactive writers. In fact, they were partners on the Branches Interactive 2020 Script Competition . ($5,000 cash award to the winner - why not submit a script next year?)

Then there’s Articy . I like this company a lot, they’re great guys, and they’re working hard to build the tools that game writers need. In this software, you can start with a digital blank page - and as your script grows, you can transform that script into (brace yourself) a set of nested databases that can expand and collapse, based on what you, or the designer, or the actor, or the programmer, needs to see.

Here are some screenshots. Not exactly a movie script, is it? Wow!

how to write a script, script writing, screenplay format, video game script, script format

Not everybody uses Articy. Some studios or publishers just write their own, proprietary script writing software. This can be a good option. But sometimes this causes more problems than it’s worth. Homegrown software = buggy software. Plenty of game writers can tell horror stories about losing hours of work when a program crashes.

As you can see, the industry is still figuring things out.

It’s only a matter of time

These tools all have their place in the process. They’re all useful and important.

But at the end of the day, I spend 85-90% of my time working in Scrivener . Or Google docs. Or old-school pen and paper. I'm not above using colored markers or Post-Its.

And if I worked full-time at one studio, I would probably at least some of my time working inside their copy of WriterDuet or Articy, or the company's own script-writing software.

Writing is writing is writing. The trick is to find the tools that work for you, learn to love them, and then let them become second nature. Remember how intimidating it was to drive a car for the first time? Now I bet you don’t even think about it. It can be the same with these tools.

And as the industry grows, we’ll eventually find better and better ways to create stories for games. It's only a matter of time before these tools become streamlined and intuitive. And then you can be that person who says “I remember when this stuff was really hard!” And then you can tell those damn kids to get off your lawn.

Thanks for reading. See you next week.

Write great scripts with this free guide

Want to build up your writing skills? We can help. We've created an easy 5-step guide you can use to write scripts your players will love.

Best of all, it's free. Just click the button below!

Susan’s first job as a game writer was for “a slumber party game - for girls!” She’s gone on to work on over 25 projects, including award-winning titles in the BioShock , Far Cry and Tomb Raider franchises. Titles in her portfolio have sold over 30 million copies and generated over $500 million in sales. She is an adjunct professor at UT Austin, where she teaches a course on writing for games. A long time ago, she founded the Game Narrative Summit at GDC. Now, she partners with studios, publishers, and writers to help teams ship great games with great stories. She is dedicated to supporting creatives in the games industry so that they can do their best work.

  • 3 Related Articles

How to Become a Script Writer for Video Games

Become a script writer for video games.

The video game industry is undeniably booming. Technology is pushing games toward further realism than we’ve ever seen before. Games are crafting complex movie-like plots, and fans are passionately engaged, making it a multi-billion-dollar-a-year revenue-generating industry.

And you know what? Someone has to write the video game story. So, why do I not see anyone talking about how to become a scriptwriter for video games? Despite all of the screenwriting advice out there, it’s hard to find information about breaking into the game-writing industry. What is it like to write a script for a video game? Well, now I’ve got the details!

With one click

Export a perfectly formatted traditional script.

Try SoCreate for free!

script writing video games

So, what does a video game writer do?

Video game writers aren’t writing one solid script but are required to develop key moments that add up to a complete storyline. Unlike how a screenwriter often writes a whole draft by themselves before getting other’s eyes on it, a video game writer needs to be very collaborative from the start. The game director and game designer create the overarching story based on what they’re capable of building within the game, and the writer fleshes out and documents those ideas.

Game directors or game developers often give writers parameters or a specific scenario to write depending on the types of games they're building. For example, they may instruct the writer to write a cut scene where the main character meets a group of thieves, and the scene needs to end with the main character being knocked out and robbed. The writer isn’t just independently coming up with plotlines because the plot needs to be something that the game designers can achieve technically.

A narrative designer is another type of writing job in the industry. A narrative designer can be brought on to shape the narrative design of the game, focus on the gameplayer’s experience, and they may have a more technical gaming background than a writer. When it comes to writing for a video game story, the various roles and duties may overlap, and some might not exist in different projects. There’s a lot of variation.

Can I write a spec script for a video game?

Unlike in film and television, a video game writer doesn’t have the opportunity to watch their spec script get turned into a finished product. Project directors come up with a concept and work with game designers to build designs, game mechanics, and gameplay. The game writer often comes along later in the process and performs a job that is a lot more technical and secondary than other forms of screenwriting.

How do I get employed in the video game industry?

Every video game’s development can be incredibly different. Some game teams may prioritize writers and may bring them on early. Some might lump multiple roles together and have the writer be someone who’s already doing another job on the project. Others might not require writers at all because the story is just not essential for the type of game they’re building.

While it can be challenging to become a writer in the video game industry, you can better your chances by playing a lot of games and learning to analyze and critique their stories. Immerse yourself in the medium you’d like to write for.

You may find yourself submitting a writing sample to a gaming studio. Before you do, you should be sure to research and understand the studio’s games. Find a company whose work feels similar to what you’re interested in creating. Your writing sample shouldn’t be overly lengthy and should put all of your best work towards the front of it.

Just like with other modes of screenwriting, networking is essential to breaking in. Meet, talk to, and ask advice from people in the video games industry! Here’s a sample list of current video game writing jobs . A video game company might hire video game writers, narrative designers, and narrative writers. Some of the video game companies hiring now include:

Obsidian Entertainment

Amazon Game Studios

Blizzard Entertainment

Crazy Maple Studio

Know of another video game company that's hiring? Tweet to us about it @SoCreate.it!

What does an average day look like for a game writer?

Video game production is done in various stages. The workload may be different depending on what stage the game is in.

In the early stages of the game, most of your time will be spent getting briefed by the game designers, as well as reading and taking notes for the project at hand. It's a big process to figure out what type of game you want to make and the amount of writing that will be required - both in dialogue and narrative -  based on how the team sees the vision coming to life. 

Your workload will likely increase dramatically once you move to the production phase of the game. To make sure there is a harmonious flow of ideas, you are going to have a lot of meetings with the mission designers as well as actors and directors if the game is mostly narrative-driven.

As production ends, you will likely have to make a lot of changes to your work, as well as playtest with your team to see how the vision is emerging.

How To Write a Video Game Narrative

The key to writing a great video game script is to start wide and then work your way down the funnel.

1) Outline the Story

What is the major storyline? What are the main obstacles a character must hurdle, no matter the decisions the gamer makes while playing? 

2) Create the World in Which the Story Exists

The next step when approaching any kind of storytelling is setting up the world you want to show. This means deciding which elements are going to make up this universe. What will its characters wear? What will their culture be like? World Building is the process of creating the setting of a video game. The setting includes everything the characters will experience in the environment itself.

It's hard enough to create a compelling setting without having to worry about whether or not the player will enjoy exploring it. That's why world-building should come almost before anything else. If you're going to spend hundreds of hours developing a single location, make sure the place looks cool.

3) Build Your Characters And Their Goals

Characters are the people we play as in a video game. They drive our actions throughout the entire experience. You need to know how each one wants to achieve his or goals. This information helps you determine which choices lead to success and which ones don't.

4) Determine How Each Character Interacts With Other People

Each person has unique traits and personality quirks. These characteristics affect how the characters interact with others. Knowing this allows you to develop interesting interactions between characters.

5) Create a Flowchart 

Video game writers often use flowcharts to map the main story, any deviations from it based on the user's decisions, and where side quests show up. 

6) Start Writing

Before you get too far in flowcharting all of the possible outcomes for your characters, write the main storyline either as a summary or scene-by-scene content. Then, add in any side quests or other necessary details. 

Video Game Writing Software

For now, there are only a few video game writing software options on the market, though some writers choose to use a simple word processor such as Microsoft Word. Twine is a free, open-source tool designed specifically for making interactive fiction. Inklewriter is also free but more limited than Twine, with tools to help writers build stories with branching fiction. Both tools allow users to build stories using text boxes and buttons. In addition, both programs can export these scripts into HTML pages so they can be viewed online.

Both programs have similar features:

Text input box

A list of available commands

An inventory system

Dialogue trees

However, there are some differences between them. For example, Inklewriter doesn't support dialogue trees while Twine does. Also, Inklewriter supports only two dimensions whereas Twine can handle three. Finally, Inklewriter exports directly to web pages while Twine requires additional work to do so.

Twine is a great way to write non-linear stories, but if you want to tell linear stories like those found in many video games, then InkleWriter may be better suited for you.

So which tool should you use? Well, both programs offer similar features but they also differ significantly. Here's an outline of the pros and cons of each option.

Pros Of Inklewriter

Easy to learn

Can be used by anyone

No programming skills required

Cons Of Inklewriter

Only supports two dimensions

Doesn't allow dialogue trees

Requires additional editing tools

Pros Of Twine

Allows users to add more than just text to their story

Has a built-in editor that makes writing easier

Cons Of Twine

Cannot save as HTML files

Needs an internet connection for the website functionality

Ultimately, the choice is yours. Both tools are great options if you don't mind learning some programming skills in order to get started. Otherwise, Twine might be more suitable since it offers much better functionality than Inklewriter. 

Writing for video games is very different than writing for film or television. It’s more technical and requires extensive knowledge of games. It’s a field that requires you to be passionate about the medium. Despite the difficulties of breaking in, if you genuinely have a passion for video game writing, you have to be persistent and hang in there.

Happy writing to all, no matter what medium you’re writing for!

You may also be interested in...

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A Screenwriter’s Job Description

What salary can a script writer expect to earn, join a screenwriting guild, how to join a screenwriting guild.

How to Become a Video Game Scriptwriter

Interested in creating the next great video game story? Here's how to get started on your journey to becoming a video game scriptwriter.

Landing a job as a video game scriptwriter is hard. The applicant pool is full of gamers who want nothing more than being a part of the development team that brings an immersive new world to life.

But there are various things you can do to increase your chances of getting hired as a video game scriptwriter. Here is a step-by-step guide to becoming a video game scriptwriter.

1. Pursue the Right Kind of Education and Skills

woman holding books

Writing scripts for video games requires a lot of knowledge and skill. So, to stand out in the applicant pool, having a relevant degree is necessary. You can pursue a degree in the target language you wish to write in. Or, you can pursue a Bachelor’s degree in script writing or creative writing. This way, you can learn important skills, like plot creation, engaging dialogue writing, storytelling, and world-building.

To further improve your resume, you can take courses in video game design. This will give you deeper insight into the creative process behind a game, such as world design, content design, system design, and level design.

Having coding skills will help you better understand the game you're writing for. Furthermore, knowing code will let you easily communicate with the game designers and coders who are working on the game alongside you.

Be sure to add it in your cover letter that your coding skills further amplify your collaboration skills and this will add value to the team. To learn how to code, a Computer Science Degree isn't necessary. You can instead use free online coding courses for computer programming .

2. Play Games Critically

man holding controller

Playing games critically will teach you a lot about dialogue writing, world-building, environmental storytelling, and lore writing. It will also help you write better characters and stories, and make tackling character development and story progression a breeze.

Pay close attention to the script and storyline of the video game you are playing. Listen to the dialogue and write it down if needed. Then, evaluate it and see how it was structured, how it advanced the story, and how it developed the characters. You can use note-taking apps to link all this up .

It is important to pick the right video game though. Otherwise, you won't be able to improve your own scriptwriting skills. You can pick a plot-driven video game, like Undertale to improve your story-telling skills. On the other hand, a dialogue-heavy game, like The Walking Dead, will teach you how to write plot-advancing and character-developing dialogue for different character personalities.

You can also learn more about world-building by playing games like Skyrim or Elden Ring. These titles have an extensive world and lore for players to immerse themselves in and explore.

3. Build a Writing Portfolio

typing on laptop

A writing portfolio will serve as a practical demonstration of the skill you're learning. Ideally, this portfolio should be up on the internet. This way, potential clients can organically view the sample most relevant to them. You can use an online host like Wix.com or WordPress to get your portfolio up.

If you already have some professional experience writing video game scripts, consider including these in your portfolio. Be sure to supplement this with a brief description of the scope of work. If you ghost-wrote any of these scripts, make sure you mention it in the description to prevent any copyright strikes.

If you haven't ever professionally written a script, it's highly recommended that you write one from scratch. It should ideally cover all the different aspects of scriptwriting, such as dialogues, storylines, character descriptions, item descriptions, lore information, and scenario creation.

If you can't dedicate time towards writing a sample script, consider using any stories that you've previously written. Just make sure these chronicles have a creative element to them.

4. Consider Making Your Own Game

man coding on laptop

Developing a video game can be a big undertaking. But it will instantly set you apart in the applicant pool when applying for a video game scriptwriter post since studios look for experience.

If you do have coding knowledge, you can utilize websites with free game assets for Unity to create a game easily. But if code isn't your cup of tea, you can use tools like GameMaker and Stencyl . Instead of traditional programming, these programs let you make games using drag-and-drop visual programming that is easy to learn.

5. Learn Flowcharts

Flowcharts are an essential tool that every video game scriptwriter needs to know about. With a flowchart, you can map out quest lines, dialogue trees, user decisions, and the impacts of user choices. This way, you stay on track and create a script that doesn't have any loopholes or continuity flaws.

Creating flowcharts is simple if you have the right tools. There are various flowchart apps that you can learn to use, such as Microsoft Viso, Zen Flowchart, and SmartDraw. Once you have mastered a flowchart app, you can showcase it as a skill in your resume as well.

On these apps, you can create a detailed timeline, marking every key point of your script. For instance, you can create a detailed flowchart of how the story of a character in your game starts, progresses, and ends. The chart will also include the lore related to the character, the areas they visit, and the characters they interact with.

6. Network With Professionals

man talking to laptop

Just like any other profession, networking is key if you're looking to catapult your video game scriptwriting career forward. You can attend industry events and conferences, like the Game Developers Conference, Electronic Entertainment Expo, or Gamescom. Here, you can get in touch with industry professionals, including developers and publishers.

You can also become a member of the International Game Developers Association . This is a members-only community of video game developers. The association hosts events and conventions that you can attend and network in.

IGDA also offers various online resources, such as job boards and newsletters. You can get similar resources from video game scriptwriting subreddits on Reddit and industry groups on LinkedIn. So, be sure to join those.

Writing Video Game Scripts for a Living Is an Achievable Dream

By pursuing a relevant degree and developing the right skills, you can significantly improve your chances of getting hired as a video game scriptwriter. Building a strong portfolio is also highly recommended. And one of the ways to do so is by making your own game.

Additionally, you can learn flowcharts and play video games critically to further hone your script writing skills. But don't be disheartened if this career path doesn't work for you. There are various other ways you can turn your passion for video games into a profession.

A brief guide to writing for video games

Our EGX Rezzed Digital panel discusses the different aspects of being a writer in the games industry

A lot of people learn scriptwriting, try things out on Twine, or major in English in the hope to become, one day, a games writer. There is no straight path to games writing and very few courses solely dedicated to this part of the industry.

GamesIndustry.biz UK editor James Batchelor hosted an EGX Rezzed Digital panel discussing the topic. It featured freelance scriptwriter and narrative designer Rhianna Pratchett, known for penning the recent Tomb Raider entries, Inkle co-founder Jon Ingold, who created a brand new language for Heaven's Vault , Mediatonic's senior creative designer Ed Fear, who recently directed Murder by Numbers, and Failbetter Games' writer, narrative designer and editor Olivia Wood.

How do you get a job as a games writer?

What are the different writing jobs in the games industry, how much creative freedom is there as a games writer, what are the advantages of being an in-house writer versus a freelance writer, advice for aspiring game writers.

The panellists all had different paths into the industry, illustrating the many possible options when trying to become a games writer. Rhianna Pratchett and Ed Fear both came from a journalism background.

"I never set out to be a video games writer," Pratchett said. "[I worked] at PC Zone and Larian contacted me because they were looking for a native English speaker to polish up their script for Beyond Divinity.

"I [then] literally went to companies whose games I liked and said: 'Hey, I'm doing this now, do you have any work for me?' I did everything I could to get a little bit of experience, a little bit of credit, and that worked really well."

Fear explained that journalism is a good way to train as a writer, because it forces you to write regularly and consistently.

"I knew I wanted to make games, I knew I also wanted to write, and I ended up getting a job at Develop magazine," he said. "Magazine writing is a good way of [writing at a regular cadence]. I thought it might help me become more productive, and silence my inner critic."

script writing video games

After doing that for a couple of years, he joined publisher Curve Digital as a production technician -- nothing to do with writing then, but a great way to get a foot in the industry and "weasel [his] way into writing," he said.

Starting in a role that doesn't reflect what you actually want to do is a common way into games, with QA and game testing often at the forefront of this. But writing as a hobby can lead to career opportunities as well -- a path that mimics Olivia Wood and Jon Ingold's approach.

"I was in a job as an editor [when] I started writing a game called Lethophobia with a friend I made on Twitter," Wood said. "And it was using Failbetter's StoryNexus system."

“No one would pay me to write for games, so I was forced to set up my own company” Jon Ingold, Inkle

This started a conversation with Failbetter, which then hired her as a freelance editor. From there, she made her way into a writing position. Ingold started his career by making text adventure games in the '00s with what he called a "community of hackers and artists" -- this is also how Sam Barlow and Emily Short started. From there, he was hired at Sony Cambridge as a level designer, where he didn't do any writing work, but met Joe Humfrey, with whom he ended up creating Inkle.

"We set up Inkle together so we could do the kind of games that we actually wanted to do," he added. "Until I set up my own company, no one would pay me to write for games, so I was forced to set up my own company."

"Games writer" can imply many different things, and it's not the only writing work available in the industry. Narrative designer is also a common position, though its meaning varies vastly from company to company.

"One of the problems is no one knows what a narrative design actually is," Wood said. "At Failbetter you cannot write without being a narrative designer, just because of the way our stories are told. In other companies, the narrative design might be handled entirely separately from the person who sits down and writes. So it's a very weird title, that if you see a job application for, you have to read what they're asking for rather than the title."

script writing video games

Pratchett added: "If you think about writers as doing the traditional story bits, largely governing script, character, plot, and development, narrative designers are more concerned with the ways in which the story is told, the way the story is communicated to the player. So they have one foot in the camp of writing and one foot in the camp of design. That's how it broadly falls."

Then there's specialties within these positions -- not all writers just sit down and write the main story of the game.

"Level dialogue [is] the moment to moment narrative that you might have, for example Lara [Croft] talking to herself during a level," Pratchett said. "Bark is the short lines of dialogue that come from usually AI, sometimes party members, and they're just really telling you about what's going on in the world around you, maybe what's going on in a fight."

Ingold warned panel viewers that being a games writer involves less writing than you imagine -- don't go into the job thinking that your words will be the star of the show.

"It's really rare to be allowed to do any words, and not just be squeezing things into boxes" Jon Ingold, Inkle

"There isn't really that much writing actually going on, because everything is so distributed and integrated with everything else," he said. "If you work on a big game, somebody really very important gets to design the major story beats and what the characters are about, because all of that is so tied up with what the game fundamentally is.

"And then right down at the bottom are people filling in the lore book entries -- quite remote contractors who don't necessarily get very much input into the game at all.

"In the middle, there's this huge spectrum ranging from people who write cutscenes to people who integrate the bark with the level. Writing and storytelling pop in all over the place and in all different aspects, and everyone gets a handle on it somewhere. Even the programmers designing the interface for the level designers have an impact on how that story is told -- they wouldn't think of themselves as writers, but ultimately they're fundamentally how the narrative comes out.

"It's actually really rare and very precious to be allowed to be able to do any words at all, and not just be squeezing things into boxes that are a funny shape."

If you're lucky enough to actually write words as your job, that doesn't mean you will be writing the words you want either. Your creative freedom will, once again, vary vastly depending on the job.

"The game designer makes spaces, and then the writers come in and fill in those spaces," Ingold said. "Sometimes those spaces are very straightforward, and sometimes they're very complicated, but it totally depends on the size of the company and the complexity of the thing that you're working on."

script writing video games

Wood added: "At an indie [developer] you're probably going to have a lot more input, but you'll also be doing a lot more jobs. While Chris [Gardiner, head writer at Failbetter] does the whole overview of where Sunless Skies [is] going, you discuss the plot you're writing and then go away and write it. Within that plot, you'd have immense freedom, as long as you aren't doing anything that conflicts with the lore or the style. So there are pockets of complete freedom. I don't think you'd get that at a larger company, unless you're very senior."

In AAA, having your say in the story is not as simple as it is in indie development, especially for established franchises. But you may be able to impact the lore in other ways than via the main plot.

"There's no way you're going to give Lara Croft a sibling who gets to run around in the game, unless you own the whole franchise," Ingold said. "But maybe you can have Lara write a letter in which you casually mention that she has a sibling and then hide [it] on a shelf somewhere -- you might even get away with that. It's all political: the fewer people between you and getting your story idea out, the more likely you are to have control over it."

"Writers live around the edges. You get to sneak in little bits of you through the secondary narrative" Rhianna Pratchett

Pratchett worked on the bark system for Bioshock Infinite, and explained that secondary narratives are usually a good way for the writer to show their personality.

"I didn't have anything to do with the main storyline," she explained. "I had my own little space and I was doing my own thing. It may seem like they're not the sexy part of the game, not like the shiny cinematics, [but] it can be a lot of fun and you can get a lot of jobs supporting other writers doing that kind of thing.

"In games, writers live around the edges. So you get to sneak in little bits that feel more you through the secondary narrative. I did a little bit with Rise the Tomb Raider [too]. I put a story about my dad's experiences on the night I was born. I sort of rolled that into Lara's dad and that was quite a nice thing to do."

Like a lot of jobs in the industry, games writing can be done in-house at a studio or as a remote freelancer. Both have advantages and downsides, and one may be better for you depending on what kind of person you are and how you like to work.

"I found that I like working in a team, very full-on, but the problem with that is that it becomes all encompassing," Fear said. "When I work on a project [in a team], I'm working on that project and only that project for two years. And it becomes kind of my everything and that can take a toll on you a little bit.

script writing video games

"In the periods where I have done freelance, I've enjoyed being able to work on multiple things at the same time. They can act as a refresher, if you're doing a different role or if the game is a different genre. [But] I felt a little bit less attachment to them, because there was a slight distance. So it's very much a double-edged sword."

Wood currently does both in-house writing at Failbetter, and freelance jobs on the side.

"Unless you're incredibly disciplined, freelance on its own could be very hard" Olivia Wood, Failbetter

"While I love the security of Failbetter, freelance keeps me sane because I get to work on more than one thing," she said. "But there is a risk that you can become quite lonely when you freelance [full-time]. I should also flag that being permanent is really, really relaxing because you get sick pay and you get holidays, which you don't as a freelancer.

"When I was purely a freelancer I went a little bit mad because I would just work for months on end, even on weekends. So unless you're incredibly disciplined, freelance on its own could be very hard."

Downloading Twine, or Inkle's own scriptwriting system Ink , can be a good place to start for aspiring games writers. Getting a narrative degree or doing a writing course is not mandatory, as it ultimately doesn't say whether or not you're a good writer. Wood said she prefers seeing short finished games attached to applications rather than what school you've been to.

"Finished, because finishing is the hardest thing you can ever do, and short because if I'm looking at things at my lunch and I can see whether someone is interesting in five to ten minutes, I'm happy to commit," she explained. "If it's eight hours, I'm gonna play a different game. I don't have time. And it also shows you can do a build up and a good ending in a short piece."

Don't forget to post your projects online, on Itch.io for instance, or just publicise them using platforms like Twitter. Entering competitions like IFComp , dedicated to "text-driven digital games", is also a good idea. Pratchett added that you need to be constantly improving your skills as a writer.

"Whether that's doing courses or just your own experimental writing, find a peer group to give feedback, just keep writing and honing your skills as a writer," she said. "[Then it's about] networking. Obviously it's not a great time for networking at the moment, but in a normal world, [attend] conferences like GDC, Reboot, Nordic Game. They usually have some kind of narrative component to them, and show floors where you can actually meet developers face-to-face and see the game they're working on.

"And [then it's also about] just playing a lot of games and broadening out [your scope]. Read books, go to the theater, listen to the radio, watch TV, watch movies -- don't just make games your source of understanding of the narrative world. You need to broaden your narrative scope to all kinds of storytelling, because they all have their own unique skills, and they can all be borrowed and adapted for games. You just need to be interested in the world as a writer, you need to be open-minded, you need to be a sponge for stories and for people."

You can rewatch this panel about becoming a games writer below. To catch up with everything GamesIndustry.biz did at EGX Rezzed Digital, head over to the event's website .

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The Beginner's Guide to Writing for Video Games

The Beginner's Guide to Writing for Video Games

Video games have evolved into a dominant cultural and entertainment medium, surpassing even the film and television industries in profitability and creative potential. In 2016, the global video game industry generated a staggering $99.6 billion in revenue, dwarfing Hollywood's $36 billion in the same year. This financial allure is coupled with the breakthroughs in gaming technology and the impressive revenues of blockbuster games like Grand Theft Auto V, which earned $815.7 million on its first day of release alone.

For many screenwriters and storytellers, the gaming industry presents an exciting frontier. However, writing for video games is an art that diverges significantly from traditional scriptwriting.  From understanding the role of a game writer to breaking into the industry, and from crafting interactive narratives to navigating the job market, this guide aims to demystify the process of becoming a video game writer, offering insights into the unique challenges and opportunities within this dynamic field.

Whether you're a seasoned screenwriter looking to transition into game writing or a budding storyteller curious about the details of this field, this guide is designed to provide valuable information and practical tips to help you navigate the path of writing for video games.

Section 1: The Role of a Game Writer

Contrary to popular belief, game writers often join after initial concepts and designs. Unlike film or traditional writing, they don't start with an original script but work within a predefined framework.

Key Responsibilities of a Game Writer

  • Flow Charts : Essential in games, especially RPGs, where writers create complex narratives that adapt to player decisions, resembling an advanced form of "Choose Your Own Adventure" books.
  • Character Development : Involves writing detailed descriptions and biographies for each character, guiding designers in character creation.
  • Storyboard Scripts : The closest element to traditional screenplays, these encompass the game's narrative from start to finish, after all other elements are in place
  • Cut Scenes : Responsible for cinematic scenes that advance the story, offering a more directed narrative experience within the game.
  • NPC Dialogue : Crafting dialogue for non-player characters, a crucial element for enhancing game realism and depth.
  • Side Quests : Writers craft smaller missions and quests, integral to deepening the game world and providing additional player engagement.

Game writing demands a balance between narrative and gameplay. The story serves the game mechanics, often leading to adaptive and responsive storytelling based on player choices. The interactive nature of games means writers must account for various player actions and paths, creating multiple narrative branches and potential outcomes. Working in a team-driven environment, game writers must collaborate with designers, artists, and programmers, often adapting their writing to fit technical and design constraints.

Section 2: Developing Writing Skills for Games

A career in game writing doesn't necessarily require you to attend a traditional university. Instead, it's about mastering the craft through various resources and building a portfolio of great work.

Alternative Learning Paths

  • Online Courses : Platforms like Coursera, Udemy, and edX offer courses on creative writing, storytelling in games, and interactive fiction. For instance, the 'Writing for Video Games' course on edX provides insights into the specifics of game narratives.
  • Workshops and Webinars : Seek out workshops and webinars focused on game development and writing. These often feature industry experts and provide practical, up-to-date knowledge.
  • Books and Industry Literature : Books like "The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design" by Flint Dille and John Zuur Platten , and "Creating Character Arcs" by K.M. Weiland offer valuable insights into the specifics of game writing and character development.

The Creative Foundation

  • Creativity Over Credentials : Emphasize developing creative skills over acquiring formal qualifications. Creativity, imagination, and the ability to craft engaging stories are paramount in this field.
  • Practice and Experimentation : Regularly write and experiment with different game genres and narrative styles. This not only improves your writing but also helps in finding your unique voice.

Tools and Resources

  • It's important to become familiar with tools for interactive storytelling and scriptwriting. These can help you create dynamic narratives and streamline your writing process. We provide a detailed list of the most used applications in our blog post "The 7 Best Tools for Game Scriptwriting" .

Master Script Template

The Beginner's Guide to Writing for Video Games

Section 3: Getting a Job as a Game Writer

Game writing is a competitive and specialized field that differs from traditional forms of writing. Aspiring game writers need to understand the intricacies of interactive narratives and adapt their writing to fit within the framework, story and the game's focus, while overcoming the challenges and recognizing the opportunities unique to the gaming industry.

Getting Experience

If you play games, you know that experience is crucial. Participating in game jams can be an excellent way to build experience, showcase your work, and network. Game jams like Global Game Jam and Ludum Dare are especially beneficial for beginners due to their collaborative nature and learning environment while being a challenge to the team, usually responsible for making a game in a short period.

Engine-specific game jams, like those hosted by Unity or Unreal, often offer help for beginners, and could be a good place to start as they are a bit more casual and sometimes have prizes involved.

Portfolio and Networking

The games developed during the jams can serve as practical examples of your writing and collaboration skills. These events are not just about game creation but also about meeting other game developers, artists, and writers, fostering valuable industry connections.

To build a diverse portfolio as a game writer, it is important to include a variety of writing samples such as game scripts, character bios, and narrative designs. Demonstrating an understanding of branching narratives and player choice can be achieved by creating interactive stories using platforms like Twine or Ink . For more info on setting up your portfolio, you can check out this guide .

Attending industry events like GDC (Game Developers Conference) or PAX, actively engaging on platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn, and joining online communities such as Reddit's r/gamedev or game development-focused Discord servers are valuable ways to connect with professionals, stay updated on the latest industry trends, and discover job opportunities in the game industry.

Learn from Industry Veterans

  • Hidetaka Miyazaki : The visionary behind critically acclaimed titles like "Elden Ring" and the "Dark Souls" series, Miyazaki is known for his unique approach to narrative design. His work, blending intricate lore with minimalistic storytelling, offers a masterclass in creating deeply immersive game worlds.
  • Rhianna Pratchett : An acclaimed game writer known for her work on the Tomb Raider series. She transitioned into game writing from a journalism background, initially polishing game scripts before moving into full-fledged game writing.
  • Amy Hennig : Renowned for her work on the "Uncharted" series, Hennig's approach to character-driven narratives and cinematic storytelling in games has been influential. Her journey from film to video games showcases the versatility required in game writing.
  • David Gaider : Formerly a narrative designer at BioWare, Gaider has worked on major titles like Baldur's Gate 2 and the Dragon Age series. He emphasizes the importance of understanding and critiquing game narratives and suggests practicing writing with tools like Twine.
  • Neil Druckmann : As the creative force behind "The Last of Us" series, Druckmann's work exemplifies how powerful, character-centric stories can elevate the gaming experience. His progression from an intern to co-president at Naughty Dog illustrates the importance of growth and versatility in the industry.
  • Olivia Wood : Starting as a freelance editor, Wood transitioned into game writing through personal projects and networking. She has worked with Failbetter Games and highlights the importance of proactive skill development and engaging in personal projects for career advancement.

Section 4: Enhancing Your Craft

After starting your journey as a Game Writer and getting your stories read, you'll face the need to hone your creative skills, improve your writing, and distinguish yourself in the industry. Here are strategies to elevate your work:

Cultivating Creativity

  • Diverse Gaming Experiences : Play a wide range of games to understand different narrative styles, genres, and mechanics. This broadens your perspective and sparks creativity.
  • Cross-Media Inspiration : Draw inspiration from various storytelling mediums like books, movies, and theater. Each medium offers unique narrative techniques that can enrich game writing.
  • Creative Writing Exercises : Regularly engage in writing exercises. These can be prompts, short stories, or even fan fiction, helping you to think creatively and build your storytelling skills.

Improving Writing Skills

  • Study Game Scripts and Design Documents : Analyze scripts from successful games to understand how they weave narrative with gameplay. Websites like GDC Vault offer resources and talks on game writing and design.
  • Feedback and Collaboration : Share your work with peers or mentors for constructive feedback. Collaborating on projects also exposes you to different styles and approaches.
  • Writing Courses and Workshops : Attend workshops or courses focused on creative writing, screenwriting, or specifically game writing. These can provide structured learning and professional guidance.

Differentiating Yourself in the Industry

  • Develop a Unique Voice : Find and nurture your unique writing style. This could be a particular genre you excel in or a distinctive approach to character development.
  • Specialize in a Niche : Consider specializing in a niche aspect of game writing, like world-building, dialogue writing, or branching narrative structures.
  • Stay Informed and Adapt : Keep up-to-date with industry trends and technological advancements. Adapting to new tools and techniques can set you apart as a forward-thinking writer.

Engaging with the Community

  • Active Participation in Industry Events : Attend game industry events, workshops, and panels not just as an attendee but as a participant. Consider giving talks or presentations once you have enough experience.
  • Online Presence and Branding : Build a strong online presence through a personal website, blog, or social media. Share your insights, experiences, and portfolio to establish yourself as a thought leader in game writing.

The journey to becoming a game writer combines creativity, continuous learning, and community engagement. While the career doesn’t require a traditional college degree, writers must constantly learn and grow to evolve with the industry. As a game writer, you are tasked with crafting not just narratives but immersive worlds shaped by player choices. By leveraging experiences from game jams, building a diverse portfolio, and always growing through courses and industry connections, you can enjoy a successful and fulfilling career as a game writer.

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Video Game Script Writing – How It’s Done

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  • September 9, 2023
  • 10 min read

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Table of Contents:

Step 1: identify your video game script writing project, characters:, step 2: define the overall story and gameplay elements, step 3: write a treatment of your game script writing project, step 4: research the market for your video game script-writing project, step 5: create an outline for your video game script writing project, step 6: write the first draft for your video game script writing project, step 7: revise and edit your video game script writing project.

  • Step 8a (for a single-player RPG): Write dialogue for characters, NPCs and monsters -- once, at least!
  • Step 8b (for a multiplayer FPS): Write dialogue for characters, NPCs and monsters -- again? Maybe even three or four times!

Essential Elements and Detailed Insights

Video Game Script Writing – How It’s Done

Video game script writing is a fun and lucrative way to make money. And it can be an exciting process, too! However, it’s important to know what you’re doing if you want your script-writing project to be successful.

In this article, the Ghostwriting Founder experts will help you understand the steps of writing a video game script from start to finish. So, if you want to write a fantastic script, this article is for you!

The first step in creating a video game script is to identify what type of game you want to write for and its other characteristics. Following are some of the things that you might want to consider before starting your project.

script writing video games

This refers to which type of story or genre you are writing for. For example, it’s best to choose a more peaceful setting if your game will be an adventure title with puzzle elements and no fighting (like The Legend of Zelda). For insights on crafting adventure stories. You can choose something like Hyrule rather than Westeros from Game of Thrones or Gotham City from Batman games. It is because these worlds have more violence than what would fit into an adventure title like Zelda.

This refers to the world in which your game takes place. For example, If your game is set in Hyrule from The Legend of Zelda series, you should write a script that sticks with the style of those games. For guidance on scriptwriting, check out 8 Tips for Writing Short Film Scripts That Connect . (more passive). It would not suit if you write something like Dark Souls, where you must kill everything that moves and avoid dying yourself.

This refers to the characters you create in the game. If your game has an ensemble cast of characters, then it’s best if each one has a unique personality and backstory. Learn more about character creation in Writing for Different Age Groups . This way, they wouldn’t feel generic or like carbon copies of each other.

The next step in video game script writing is to decide on the general direction of your project. You should ask yourself:

What is the story I want to tell?

How much time do I have for this project?

Are there any limitations on what characters or settings can be used (for example, does your game need to occur in an urban setting)?

These questions are critical for defining how much time you will spend designing each element. It will also help you determine whether or not certain elements need further development at all.

Asking these questions early on will help ensure that every aspect of your game aligns with its core concept so that nothing feels out of place once completed!

Once you have a general idea of what the story and gameplay will be like, it’s time to start creating the world of your video game.

Before you start writing your script, writing a treatment is important. A treatment is a detailed summary of the story and gameplay elements that will be included in your video game script writing project. A good treatment should be between 1-3 pages long and it should include:

  • The main characters and their motivations
  • The main plot points and how they will be resolved
  • Any major gameplay elements (such as puzzles or combat)
  • The tone and mood of the story
  • Any major themes you want to explore
  • The setting of your video game script writing project

Now that you’ve written your script, it’s time to research the market for your script-writing project. You might find Tips on Writing Blog Posts That Rank on Google helpful for understanding market trends. This is an important step in the process because it will give you a better idea of what type of script would be successful in this industry.

First, check out the competition and see what is popular and not popular with gamers nowadays. Look at reviews and figure out if any trends are happening with video games recently or not so recently (like five years ago).

If you notice a trend, try to see if there is an opportunity for you to write something that will appeal to this group. If not, look at other genres of video games and see if any trends are happening in those areas as well.

For example, if you notice that sports titles seem to be doing well in the gaming industry these days, then it may be worth your time to look into writing one of those instead.

Now, we’ll be creating an outline for your scriptwriting project. An outline is a blueprint for your game, and it can help you write the first draft by providing an overview of all its major plot points and character arcs. For more on crafting compelling narratives, see Exploring the Depths of Literary Fiction .

Remember that this document should be detailed enough to help with writing but flexible enough to allow changes during production. It should also be easy to update as necessary (for example, if there’s no time left in development). Finally, creating an outline must look good, too: make sure any formatting issues are resolved before moving on!

The first thing to do is to decide if your game is linear or non-linear. This will affect the structure of your outline and how you write it if your game has a linear plot (that is, there’s only one way for players to progress through the story). In that case, you should create separate scenes for each chapter in which they must make choices that affect their progress.

The next step is to write a first draft of your video game script writing project.

This is the most important step because this is where all of your ideas come together and become something tangible. Don’t worry about grammar or spelling, formatting and layout issues, or anything else. Just focus on telling the story as clearly and concisely as possible. If something doesn’t make sense during this phase, go back to Step 1 and figure out why before moving forward again!

When you have a first draft, go back and read over it. Ensure your story makes sense and flows well from beginning to end. If there are any major holes or problems, go back to Step 1 again and see if you can fix them before moving forward!

Once your script writing project is complete, it’s time to revise and edit. This is where you’ll make sure the story is clear and concise. Consider utilizing Book Editing Services for a professional touch. You will also ensure that the characters are believable and relatable and the dialogue natural and engaging.

There are many ways to approach this phase of the process–You can use software like Final Draft or Celtx. For more comprehensive writing solutions, explore Content Creation Services . You can also hire an editor or do it yourself! How you revise your work will depend on your available time.

Once you have your final draft, it’s time to send it off to the publisher or client. You can do this by emailing them the script, attaching a copy of the document as an attachment (PDF), or uploading it directly into their submission system.

If you’ve hired a professional editor, they will likely walk you through this process. If not, ask someone who has done this before for advice on how to get your game script into shape for publication!

Step 8a (for a single-player RPG): Write dialogue for characters, NPCs and monsters — once, at least!

Once you’ve written the first draft of your script, it’s time to start thinking about what kind of dialogue you want each character to have. The most important thing here is that the words sound natural and make sense in context. If they don’t, it won’t be an enjoyable experience for anyone reading them (or playing through them).

When writing dialogue for characters, NPCs and monsters:

Use free-form writing style instead of formal prose or screenplay format — this will help keep things sounding as natural as possible!

Make sure each line has a purpose; think about what motivates each character before writing their lines to make sense of their overall goals/motivations, etc.

Keep things short and sweet. Try not to have any lines longer than 3-4 sentences.

Step 8b (for a multiplayer FPS): Write dialogue for characters, NPCs and monsters — again? Maybe even three or four times!

You’ve written the dialogue for your characters, NPCs and monsters. Now it’s time to do it again. And again. Maybe even three or four times!

You may wonder why you must write dialogue multiple times when it sounds good on paper (or in your head). It’s because many factors go into ensuring your writing is fun for players to read — including ensuring it fits both the character and situation.

Reading aloud is one of the best ways to get a feel for your dialogue. If you’re looking for professional assistance, consider Script Writing Services to refine your game’s script. This will help you catch mistakes that might not be obvious when you’re only looking at the words on the page (like missing punctuation, spelling errors, etc.) and make sure that it sounds natural and flows well.

So, there you have it! The eight steps to writing a video game script. It may seem like a lot of work, but if you follow these guidelines and keep your eye on the prize of creating something amazing, you’ll be well on your way to impacting this industry. Good luck!

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How to Create a Good Video Game Script - Complete Guide

How to Create a Good Video Game Script - Complete Guide

Words add context to your game and bring your game's concept to life. They are central to making the theme of your game understandable to the players. It may sound hard to believe, but the right words can enhance the game's user experience.

Those words in the game come from the script, written by a scriptwriter, who has to create the script following the rules of video game script writing. However, a game script is more than just the words the users see on their screens. This blog will give you adequate knowledge regarding creating a game script.

How is a Video Game Script Different?

Well, video game writing is different from traditional screenwriting. The difference is due to the very nature of video game concepts.

Modern video games create worlds where things are fundamentally different – the worlds in the games are governed by different "laws of nature" than the real world. Your game world will be conveyed to the user through your game script.

Breakdown of a Video Game Script

You are bound to fail if you take the game script as a whole and approach it as "one thing" that you need to get done.

A game's script is divided into three parts: plot, characters, and lore. Before sitting down to write your game script, you need to think – you need to know which part will be central to your game script.

See More: Develop Revenue-Driven Game With a Leading Video Game Development Agency

The Three Pillars

If you are creating a game script, you must understand the three pillars on which a script stands. Knowing the purpose and importance of these gives you the basics you need.

If you look at video game script examples online, you will find plots in every one of them. Essentially, the plot is how each story sequence unfolds in the game. Some believe that plot has to be the most important part of the game script, but that is true if your game script is heavily plot-driven.

Character writing is a test of a writer's creative capabilities. It is up to the writer to create a story around each of the game's characters. The story would include the character's background and give them a personality.

As a proficient game scriptwriter, your aim should be to make the characters relatable to your audience. Therefore, your characters should not be generic; simply portraying heroes as the good guys and villains as the bad guys isn't enough. This approach would make your game boring – especially if your game script is character-driven.

Make your characters complex and relatable so that your audience falls in love with them.

Lore is mostly the richest aspect of game writing. Lore defines the "world" in your game that existed long before any of the characters. It is the space and time in your game. You can borrow your game's lore from history and mythology or create one inspired by certain periods in historical times.

The richer the lore, the more interesting your game will be. Rich lore will also help you with level design by allowing you to play around and work some levels into the game world you have created.

Read More: The Ultimate Game Testing Checklist for Beginners

Other Components

The words uttered by the characters in your game will be labeled as dialogue. When writing this part, make sure to keep it concise and to the point. Each character of your game will have a certain style of saying things – hence the dialogue should be written accordingly, keeping in mind how that character would like to express himself.

Moreover, there will also be a few barks in dialogue writing, and you shouldn't ignore them. What are barks? You might ask. Exclamatory utterances that a character utters as a reaction to circumstances. Barks create an ambiance and enrich the theme of your game. Needless to say, they should be written with much thought.

Not every part of your script will be played out by the user, i.e., the player will not interact with the entire script. Instead, there are parts in your script that the user watches passively. These parts are called cutscenes.

Cutscenes are a great way to tell your game's story and give the context to a certain level. They are usually incorporated when the player enters a new level or proceeds to a position that requires context.

Rules of Video Game Script Writing

  • Understand different components of the game script.
  • Approach each part of the game script with a fresh mind.
  • Know which of the three pillars of your game will be at the script's heart, and nail it.
  • Think long-term – your game script should have enough depth in the story that you can easily come up with sequels.
  • Keep the dialogue concise.

Video Game Writing Software

Game writing software is not a requirement for game script writing. Simply open Microsoft Word, and start working on your game script.

But if you need specific tools created to help in game writing, you may opt for game writing software – such as inklewriter.

Read More: 7 Top Game Level Design Tips & Best Practices

Getting Started…

You have gotten the basic idea of game script writing, and you may have realized it is not that simple. There is a lot that goes into writing a good game script. Hence, we advise you to view some good video game script examples to get a feel for the game script and train your mind to think like a game script writer. You may also seek mentorship from established writers and watch videos to learn more.

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7 Books to Inspire You When Writing Video Game Scripts

  • by Lucía Alonso @lucialonso

Discover the titles every aspiring narrative designer should have in their personal library

The simple video games that entertained us for hours decades ago seem downright prehistoric when compared to today's blockbusters. With a style and narrative much closer to cinema, video games have become authentic works of art in which dialogs and stories have an impressive weight.

In this new reality, professionals like Víctor Ojuel (@victor_ojuel)–narrative designer for video games–are a key piece for the development of titles. Books, of course, are an inexhaustible source of inspiration for video game writers like him, so Victor is sharing with the Domestika community which books have influenced his professional career:

The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers , by Christopher Vogler

It is, or should be, the bedside book for any professional scriptwriter. Although this book was written with Hollywood film productions in mind, Victor thinks it is an essential reference manual for those who want to start writing video game narratives because he uses the theory behind The Hero with a Thousand Faces with an efficient approach.

Vogler, C., (2007), 'The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers', Michael Wiese Productions

The bibliography of Raymond Chandler

Raymond Chandler's work was crucial in helping Victor develop his style as a narrative designer. When he discovered his novels, he found a fresher writing style and expanded his narrative vision by imitating his style. Chandler's work also served as a turning point for the noir novel in popular culture, very much what is currently happening with video games. Just for that, they deserve a read.

Chandler R., (2015), 'The long goodbye', Pocket

Plot & Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot That Grips Readers From Start to Finish , by James Scott Bell

Victor considers this book the perfect resource for those who struggle to transform brilliant but often vague ideas into a coherent plot. Although it was written for book writers, it is ideal for any kind of media, such as video games, because it contains lessons that help create a story's structure.

Bell, J. S., (2004), 'Plot & Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot That Grips Readers from Start t

Creating Emotion in Games: The Craft and Art of Emotioneering , by David E. Freeman

Of all this selection, this is the only book focused exclusively on video games. It contains many resources and tips to develop the main character's personality, giving them an emotional profile and creating a bond with the player. It is a somewhat advanced and extensive manual but written in a very accessible tone.

D. E. Freeman, (2003) 'Creating Emotion in Games: The Craft and Art of Emotioneering'

The script. Story: Substance, structure, style, and principles of scriptwriting , by Robert McKee

McKee's name belongs in the library of any film-writer, but his techniques are perfectly applicable to today's world of video games. This book should be read, says Víctor Ojuel, with a particular critical spirit. "McKee tends to be very exhaustive, and his teachings should be taken as suggestions, not dogmas."

McKee, R., (2009), 'The script. Story: Substance, structure, style, and principles of scriptwriting', Alba Editorial

The Art of Game Design: A Book of Ales , by Jesse Schnell

As the name suggests, more than a simple writing manual, this is a toolbox with multiple "lenses" through which we can consider the design of a video game. It focuses more on the visual than on the narrative design, but it contains excellent lessons that can be applied when writing video game scripts. Victor, for example, underscores how the book teaches different ways of seeing the same problem, rather than using specific fixed rules.

Schnell, J., (2008), 'The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lings', CRC Press

The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design , by Flint Dille

This book is focused on the authors' experience as writers for AAA games, but some of its lessons are also applicable to independent development. "Although my personal experience working in indie games might differ from yours, there are many points in common (marked by the fact of being a freelancer working for clients) that are relevant for anyone who wants to dedicate themselves to creating video game narratives," says Víctor. It is a title much more focused on the realities of the professional world than on narrative theory.

Dille, F. (2008), 'The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design', Lone Eagle Publishing Company

In the Domestika course, Introduction to Narrative Design for Video Games , Víctor Ojuel teaches how to tell interactive stories in video games.

English version by @angeljimenez .

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When You Write

Crafting Compelling Game Stories: A Guide to Video Game Writing

If you’re a budding writer wanting to get into the game industry and more specifically in the world of video game story writing, I’m here to tell you why this craft is so important for creating a truly captivating gaming experience.

Storytelling through games allows us to capture players’ imaginations and bring our stories to life like never before. Crafting compelling storylines can be tricky but with just a few key tips, anyone can become a masterful storyteller when it comes to designing their own video games.

In this article, we’ll explore what makes great storytelling in video games, how to create unique plots that will keep your players engaged from start to finish, as well as provide helpful advice on developing characters and dialogue that are sure to enthrall your audience.

We’ll also look at some innovative ways for incorporating interactive elements into your narrative so that each player’s experience feels personalized and one-of-a-kind.

What Is Gamers Writing?

If you’re wondering what gamers’ writing is and how it’s different from writing a novel, well, it’s all about creating compelling stories for games that keep players engaged and coming back for more (adding more playability to the game).

Game writing involves crafting narratives that are both interesting and interactive – giving the player a sense of control over their adventure. Game design can be thought of as another element in this process, where an idea is turned into something tangible.

A great story needs to have three key components: characters with motivations, plot twists or obstacles to overcome, and satisfying conclusions. It should also reflect the world around us – whether through dialogue or visuals – so that it resonates emotionally with the audience.

Players today want creative storylines that can go as deep as a movie storyline, that not only inspire them but challenge them too. Writing engaging content requires creativity, knowledge of gaming trends, and an understanding of how people interact with games; without these elements in place, even the most innovative ideas won’t make an impact on gamers.

To create successful game stories you need to think beyond just words on paper and develop believable worlds for your characters to inhabit.

What Makes A Good Game Story?

I believe that a good game story should have a well-developed plot, interesting and believable characters, and an immersive world. All three of these elements are essential for creating a captivating story that players can enjoy.

Plot development should involve twists and turns that keep players guessing, along with a satisfying resolution. Followed by character development, which should involve a mixture of personalities, backgrounds, and motivations that make them feel real.

Lastly, world building should be immersive and believable, with a range of settings that bring the story to life. With these elements in place, you can create a great game story that players will love.

Below I cover these in a bit more detail.

Plot Development

Creating an engaging story throughout the game is no easy task. At the heart of it, you need to craft a script that can bring the player into your world and make them feel like they’re part of the action.

To do this, you should be utilizing various narrative design techniques such as cutscenes and interactive elements to develop characters, create pacing, and further your story arcs. These are integral components in driving home points or conveying emotions through gameplay which helps players identify with their avatar as well as propel them onward in the game’s progression.

With all these tools at your disposal, crafting an immersive experience becomes much easier; however, regardless of how great the visuals are or how cool the mechanics are – nothing compares to a good plotline and strong characters to engage with. 

In other words, if you want your game to be successful then you’ll have to put your best foot forward when it comes to creating a compelling story!

Character Development

Within the game, character development is essential to creating a successful story. You need to give your characters depth and make them relatable so that players can identify with them in some way. To do this, use creative writing techniques such as dialogue and exposition to help build each character’s backstory and motivations.

Additionally, by utilizing role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons or World of Warcraft, you can create unique scenarios where the player has to think critically about how they approach different situations which ultimately helps add more dimensionality to their avatar and the world around them!

It’s also important to stay on top of the latest trends in game design when it comes to developing stories. Knowing what works best for certain genres allows crafting engaging scripts that are tailored specifically for your target audience. 

For instance, open-world RPGs have become increasingly popular over time due to their ability to provide players with an immense amount of freedom and exploration opportunities – something that’s essential for crafting compelling narratives.

So if you want your video game story to stand out amongst others, then understanding the importance of character development is vital. From giving life-like backstories and personalities through creative writing approaches, all the way down to taking advantage of modern gaming conventions – there’s plenty one needs to consider when trying to write a video game narrative worth exploring!

World Building

Once you have created your characters and their stories, the next important step when crafting a great game story is world building. When constructing an immersive game environment, it’s crucial to think about how this imaginary universe will be experienced by players.

From establishing a believable geography and history that sets up the quest to creating interesting objects and creatures for them to interact with – all of these elements need to come together in order for gamers to truly feel connected to your world!

With tools like inklewriter or Twine available now, developers can easily build out branching storylines that keep track of player decisions throughout the entire gaming experience.

This allows for a much more dynamic journey as each playthrough differs from the last, making exploration even more rewarding. Plus, if you add in secret lairs or hidden areas filled with unique treasures then you can spark interest among players who love uncovering mysteries within games!

So don’t forget about the importance of world building when designing a captivating video game story; it’s essential for creating an unforgettable adventure!

Elements Of A Video Game Narrative

Just as I’m passionate about story writing narratives, so should you be about video game narratives, and I believe that story arcs and character development are two of the most important elements, whether for a book, novel, short story, or in this case… a video game.

A good story arc should have a clear beginning, middle, and end, while character development should focus on creating believable and unique characters that players can relate to.

Crafting these elements well can make your video game stand out and leave a lasting impact on players. With the right approach, creating a compelling video game narrative can be a rewarding and enjoyable experience.

A story arc is one of the essential elements of a successful video game narrative.

As a long-time writer, I know it’s important to remember that you don’t have to be limited by conventions when creating your main story – in fact, I always encourage my clients to think outside the box and consider how they can create something new!

The development process starts with opening up a word processor and designing an overarching plot for your project.

This should include arcs for each character as well as general themes or ideas you want to explore.

You’ll also need to map out the beginning, middle, and end points of your story so that you know where everything fits into the grand scheme of things.

Ultimately, crafting a compelling story arc requires imagination and creativity – two ingredients every good game writer doesn’t lack!

With enough dedication and attention to detail, players will appreciate your efforts once they experience all the surprises along their journey through your virtual world.

Character development is an integral part of any successful video game narrative. You should ensure that each character in the story has their own unique arcs and motivations that contribute to the overall plot of the game.

Consider major story beats as well as subtle elements like dialogue, body language , and relationships between different NPCs or player characters.

This can be a challenging but ultimately rewarding experience – after all, when done right, players will have deeper connections with your virtual world’s inhabitants!

How To Become A Games Writer

If you become a game writer, you will have the privilege of creating something new and exciting. It’s not just about telling stories; it’s about using your imagination to create an interactive experience that will keep players engaged for hours on end.

While writing for video games is different from traditional story-telling methods, there are some key elements you should take into consideration in order to become successful at it.

First, understand how game mechanics work and what kind of effect they can have on your narrative. Depending on the type of game, these mechanics could be anything from puzzles or combat systems to level design and NPC interactions. You’ll also need to work with the game director and creative director to ensure all aspects of your storyline fit within their vision.

Second, develop major storylines but don’t forget about non-linear details that add depth and flavor to your world. This could include side quests, dialogue options between NPCs, collectible items scattered throughout levels – really any detail that helps build up the atmosphere and give players more incentives to explore their environment. Make sure each piece fits together like a puzzle without detracting from the main quest line.

Finally, when crafting stories for video games take care not to focus solely on linear narratives as this won’t leave much room for exploration or replayability value which are essential components of most modern gaming experiences. Instead, try experimenting with non-linear structures such as branching paths or divergent endings while still ensuring the core elements remain intact no matter which route players choose.

With practice, you can find ways to blend traditional storytelling techniques with engaging gameplay elements in order to create truly captivating experiences for gamers around the world! Moving forward we can now compare and contrast writing for games versus conventional story-telling methods…

Writing For Games Vs Conventional Story-Telling

When it comes to writing for video games, there is a wide range of possibilities. From twine stories and role-playing adventures to linear tales and game scripts, the art of storytelling in the gaming world has grown exponentially over recent years.

At its core, this type of creative writing offers more freedom than that which exists when working within traditional storytelling structures. Not only do video game writers have greater control over character development and plot lines, but they also have access to a plethora of innovative tools not available elsewhere. 

This increased level of autonomy makes it easier to create dynamic storylines with complex characters – something rarely seen in conventional narrative forms such as books or films.

The potential for creativity offered by the medium means developers can push boundaries while still remaining true to their vision; creating experiences that are both immersive and inspiring. With so much room for experimentation, it’s no wonder why many consider this genre of story writing to be truly revolutionary.

Taking risks with fresh ideas leads to bold new paths when crafting captivating worlds through interactive media – all without sacrificing quality or authenticity.

Creative Freedom For Games Writers

The creative freedom that is often associated with writing for games offers so many opportunities to explore narrative worlds and characters in ways that may be impossible through other forms of storytelling.

It’s exciting knowing that you can create something unique and special with your words, especially when creating stories within an interactive medium like gaming. This type of writing also allows you to work on elements such as dialogue, plot points, character arcs, and world building while following a particular structure.

With this kind of structural approach combined with active decision-making from the player’s perspective, there is no question why game writers are highly valued by developers looking for innovative content. 

Whether it’s crafting cutscenes or designing branching storylines, there is always room for creativity when working on any project related to gaming.

Writing for video games requires more than just a knowledge of story structure; it demands the ability to think outside the box and come up with interesting solutions in order to engage players. That’s why working as a game writer is both rewarding and challenging – but ultimately worth every minute!

Daily Tasks For A Games Writer

Obviously, a game writer’s tasks will be different compared to someone who is a game designer, so developing a productive workflow of story ideas is an important part of gamer writing.

Crafting the dialogue is often the most challenging part, so you need to make sure that you’re writing memorable conversations that fit the characters. Also add a bit of humor to the dialogue whenever possible, as it can help to engage players.

Overall, make sure that the story and dialogue work together to create an immersive and entertaining experience for gamers.

Developing Story Ideas

Crafting an engaging and innovative story usually starts by writing down the main idea of what you want your overarching story to be about – this is key in creating good storylines that draw players into the world of the game.

After that, it’s all about developing backstories for each character and connecting them together with the main plot. This can take some time as you’ll need to write a compelling narrative while also ensuring there are enough twists and turns throughout!

To make sure you stay on track, daily tasks include brainstorming sessions, researching source material, and playing through certain levels if possible – these activities help get inspired and create something truly unique.

But ultimately, it’s up to you to shape those ideas into a captivating script that will leave gamers wanting more!

Writing Dialogue

Writing dialogue is a huge part of writing for video games, and it’s something you need to keep in mind throughout the entire process.

You have to make sure what your characters are saying feels natural and true to life; that means creating realistic conversations that move the plot forward while also introducing interesting themes.

It can be tricky at times – after all, you don’t want your dialogue coming off as too stiff or unnatural! But with some practice and by keeping up with industry trends, you can craft convincing conversations that draw players into your story world.

In order to write great dialogue for a video game script, you should always stay informed about the latest innovations in the gaming industry so you know what kinds of things will actually work within your stories.

Additionally, reading other scripts written for video games helps get an idea of how successful dialogue should sound like on paper.

All these activities help hone the necessary skills as a writer and create compelling storylines!

Exploring The Benefits Of Studying Video Games Writing

Writing stories for video games has become a popular career choice in recent years, and with good reason. As an aspiring writer of video game scripts, I can tell you that there are many benefits to learning how to write for this medium.

From honing your storytelling skills to understanding the nuances of gameplay, writing for video games is an exciting way to put your talents to use:

  • You will learn how to write a main story arc for a game, which requires careful attention to continuity and pacing.
  • Crafting compelling dialogue and character arcs within the context of the game’s overall narrative structure helps create immersive experiences for players.
  • Working closely with developers and other writers on projects allows you to gain insight into all aspects of creating successful video games.
  • And most importantly, mastering the art of scriptwriting enables you to contribute something truly unique–a well-written game that people enjoy playing.

The key to success as a writer lies in being able to craft engaging scripts within the parameters set by developers and publishers. With practice and dedication, it is possible to unlock the secrets behind making great video games!

Onwards now then; let us explore crafting scripts in video games so we may understand their inner workings even better.

Crafting Scripts In Video Games

When it comes to crafting scripts for video games, the possibilities are endless. Writing for a video game is an entirely different experience than writing for film or tv – with interactive stories and non-player characters that must be considered.

Crafting a game script requires immense creativity, as well as knowledge of gaming trends in order to create something truly engaging. 

Take for example the popular open world RPG Skyrim: its main plot was written in such a way that players felt as though they were actually part of the story, making decisions that determined how events unfolded.

This immersive quality takes time and dedication to achieve; however, when done right, this level of interactivity can make all the difference between a successful game and one that buyers forget about shortly after release. 

The key to crafting really remarkable scripts is understanding what your audience wants from their gaming experience.

Players want an escape, but one full of challenges that require critical thinking and problem-solving skills. With creative ingenuity combined with research into current trends within the industry, you can create something truly spectacular!

Tips For Aspiring Game Writers

If you’re interested in becoming a game writer, the first thing you should do is research the genre you’re writing for. Understand the conventions, tropes, and character archetypes that are used in that type of game. That way, you can craft characters that will engage your players in a way that feels natural and familiar to them.

Once you have your characters established, you can start outlining the story. It’s important to create a story that is interesting, compelling, and that fits the world you’ve created. It’s also important to make sure that the story you create is feasible within the constraints of the game.

Researching The Genre

One of the first things that you should do is research the genre(s) and type of game you want to write for.

There are so many video games out there that it can be hard to decide which ones fit your needs—so take some time to explore different titles and find something that speaks to you. You can also look at other writers’ approaches for guidance on how to approach writing for various genres.

Doing this will help give you a better understanding of what works within each style and provide insight into creating unique stories. With just a bit of research, dedication, and creativity, you’ll have all the tools necessary to create engaging narratives for many video games!

Crafting Engaging Characters

Once you have your game’s story arc in place, the next step is to craft engaging characters. A great way to create compelling characters that players will want to follow on their journey is by using archetypes as a foundation.

For example, we all know Lara Croft—the Tomb Raider heroine who has become an iconic figure in gaming culture. She embodies many of the traits found in classic heroines: bravery, intelligence, and strength. 

By creating characters with similar qualities or building off existing ones from popular media, you can give your players someone they’ll identify with and root for throughout the game’s narrative arc.

It’s also important to keep the player at the center of every decision when constructing character arcs. It should feel like these characters exist solely for them—their choices are shaped by what makes sense for the protagonist and how it affects them specifically instead of just being window-dressing for the story moves along.

GDC talks often discuss this idea of making sure each character has purpose and meaning within a game world; if not, then why bother including them? At its core, crafting engaging characters comes down to understanding both your audience and yourself as a writer. What kind of stories do you like telling? And what types of stories would make players care about certain figures in-game?

Answering those questions honestly can help ensure that your cast member has depth and originality—traits necessary for creating memorable video game experiences!

Outlining The Story

Once you have your characters developed, the next step is to outline the story that they inhabit. Writing a game isn’t like writing a film or television show; there’s a lot more flexibility in terms of how players interact with the world and their environment.

You want to make sure that you are creating an engaging experience for them while still allowing for meaningful choices along the way. 

There are many tools available now such as branching story systems or node-based narrative structures that allow writers to map out potential storylines and plot points before starting the actual scripting process. 

By taking advantage of these tools, you can ensure that players will be able to explore all possible outcomes within your game’s universe without feeling limited by pre-determined actions.

At its core however, outlining should focus on what makes sense for both your protagonist and antagonist—what do they want? What stands in their way? Why does this matter to them specifically? These questions will help guide you through crafting an arc that feels unique and substantial instead of just another generic save-the-world scenario.

Additionally, it’ll give players something concrete to latch onto so they’re invested in progressing through each level until they reach the end goal! If you want to write games that capture attention and hold it long enough for people to complete them, then having a well thought out roadmap beforehand is crucial.

Don’t forget: even if everything else looks great on paper but your story lacks substance, no one wants to play it!

Crafting stories for games can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience. It’s not just about being creative or having fun; it’s also about creating something meaningful and powerful.

Whether you want to write scripts for existing franchises or create your own original worlds from scratch, the world of gaming has plenty of opportunities for aspiring writers.

With hard work and dedication, you too can become a successful video game scriptwriter! Perhaps your calling and future is gaming storytelling!

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3 Games That Will Build Your Screenwriting Skills

script writing video games

Are there any creative games that screenwriters can play to help build their screenwriting skills?

Writing doesn't always have to be the process-intensive job it usually ends up being. As screenwriters, we tend to put everything on the screenwriting process to help build our confidence, skillset, and cinematic storytelling abilities. We're used to:

  • Developing the script.
  • Writing the script.
  • Rewriting the script.
  • Marketing the script.
  • Rewriting the script after notes and feedback are received.

That is the intensive step-by-step process all screenwriters live by, and anything you learn along the way is applied to your growth as a screenwriter.

But there are some fun and creative ways to hone your cinematic storytelling skills and abilities beyond just writing screenplays. With that in mind, here we present three fun and simple storytelling games you can "play" to flex those creative muscles and get those imaginative juices flowing.

These games will help you think outside of the box and develop faster writing reflexes that you need when you're under a feature film script contract or in a series writers' room.

Turn a Favorite Supporting Character into the Lead

  • What if Samwise Gamgee from  Lord of the Rings  had his own adventure?
  • Where did Zed from  Pulp Fiction come from? What's his story? Even better — what's the Gimp's story?
  • What happens to Floyd (Brad Pitt) from  True Romance  after the events of the film?
  • What if Happy from the MCU had his own show? What would it be?
  • What was the origin story of Red from  The Shawshank Redemption? Who did he murder? How was he caught?

There are two ways you can play this game.

  • The first — and easiest — is taking a minor character from your own project and conceptualizing a new story with them in the lead.
  • The second — and most fun and challenging — is taking a minor character from a popular book, movie, or television series and creating a new story with them as the featured character.

If you want to keep it simple, just write a page synopsis of the story. If you want to challenge yourself even more, write a short screenplay version of whatever story you come up with.

It has to be compelling and engaging, though. It can't be an extra scene or moment from that book, movie, or television series. You need to develop a story with that character as the lead protagonist.

script writing video games

What does this writing game do for you?

  • It develops your conceptualization skills, character creation abilities, and assignment capabilities.
  • Helps you to be able to create an original concept for a character that you didn't create while embracing the mythos of the source material.
  • Finds ways to make an otherwise forgettable character interesting by creating depth and arc.
  • Teaches you how to tackle an assignment with intellectual property that isn't yours.

Create "Choose Your Own Adventure" Story and Character Options — And Explore Each

In  Choose Your Own Adventure  books, the stories are formatted so that after a few pages of reading, the protagonist/reader faces two or three options. Each of those options leads to additional possibilities, which, in turn, lead to one of many endings.

The story branches in different directions based on the choices made by the protagonist/reader. And these choices lead to different twists, turns, challenges, and scenarios.

As you're developing your next script, play a little "Choose Your Own Adventure" game by outlining three choices your characters can make. And then explore each option with a brief synopsis of the effects of each choice — and the consequences.

You can also look at your favorite movies and create a couple of different choices the characters could have made along the way, leading to varied effects and consequences.

That's what screenwriting is at heart — the result of choices that screenwriters make after imagining the results of many different possibilities. The choices that are made create the character and story arcs of the screenplay. And those arcs encompass what the script is about, the tone, the atmosphere, the genre, etc.

You can also take this approach while you're writing a script.

So, every few pages of your script, write your protagonist(s) into situations where they need to make a decision.

script writing video games

They can physically or metaphorically go:

  • Off the beaten path

You can then do your due diligence to explore all options before choosing, asking yourself:

  • What best fits the type of story I want to tell?
  • What best fits the genre I have decided to write within?
  • What best fits the protagonist(s) I want the audience to know?

Write a Sequel to Your Favorite Movies

Much like the game of making your favorite supporting character from a favorite movie the lead in their own story, conceptualizing a sequel to an existing film can be a fun way to train yourself to explore intellectual property (IP).

Hollywood is obsessed with intellectual property. Why? They believe that existing fanbases make for a less risky business decision. That's why we see so many adaptations, sequels, reboots, remakes, and spin-offs. Audiences also love the familiar. So the ability to take a familiar IP and create a follow-up story is not only a great exercise to sharpen your skills, but it's also grooming you to be able to handle writing assignments as a professional screenwriter.

  • What would the story be for  Parasite 2?
  • How would you have handled a sequel to  Get Out ?
  • If you had been hired to write the next  Indiana Jones  movie, what would your MacGuffin and story have been?

You hate sequels and think that's the problem with Hollywood — they make too many? Take yourself and the business less seriously and just have fun coming up with the best sequel you could possibly imagine .

You can do it by writing a synopsis, treatment, or outline — or if you're looking for a break from writing specs and want to exercise your IP talents to the extreme, write the whole script. It's not something you can sell. However, it may be something to keep in your back pocket as a writing sample.

Bonus Game: Create a Roleplaying Game Campaign (RPG)

A dungeon or game master is the game organizer and participant in charge of creating the details and challenges of a given RPG adventure (campaign) while maintaining a realistic continuity of events. DMs and GMs are the authors, directors, and referees. They create a world from scratch and spin it into a narrative. But they must also possess an ordered, logical mind, capable of recalling and understanding RPG rules. Basically, they control all aspects of the game — except for the actions of the player characters (PCs) — and describe to the players what they see and hear .

That last part may sound familiar to you screenwriters. Dungeon and game masters are storytellers, just like screenwriters.

While many consider role-playing games like  Dungeons and Dragons  and  Star Wars  best left to geeks and nerds (common stereotypes), it's actually a fun way to train your storytelling skills -- just ask Dan Harmon who literally created a half live action, half animated show out of him and his friends playing an RPG in front of a live audience.

Either find a group of RPG enthusiasts or, better yet, team up with a group of fellow screenwriters and start a campaign together . You can even each take turns being the DM/GM. All that you really need to invest in is paper, pencils, some dice, and a beginner's edition of whatever RPG platform you can find.

Ken Miyamoto has worked in the film industry for nearly two decades, most notably as a studio liaison for Sony Studios and then as a script reader and story analyst for Sony Pictures.

He has many studio meetings under his belt as a produced screenwriter, meeting with the likes of Sony, Dreamworks, Universal, Disney, Warner Brothers, as well as many production and management companies. He has had a previous development deal with Lionsgate, as well as multiple writing assignments, including the produced miniseries  Blackout , starring Anne Heche, Sean Patrick Flanery, Billy Zane, James Brolin, Haylie Duff, Brian Bloom, Eric La Salle, and Bruce Boxleitner, the feature thriller  Hunter's Creed  starring Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman, Wesley Truman Daniel, Mickey O'Sullivan, John Victor Allen, and James Errico, as well as produced and upcoming Lifetime suspense thrillers. Follow Ken on Twitter  @KenMovies

For all the latest ScreenCraft news and updates, follow us on  Twitter,   Facebook , and  Instagram .

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New York Rangers rally for overtime win in Stadium Series

The Rangers tie it up with a pair of goals in the final minutes of the third period, then Artemi Panarin scores the winning goal just 10 seconds into overtime. (2:57)

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- It was a storybook finish for the New York Rangers in their Stadium Series win over the New York Islanders on Sunday. But not necessarily the story they intended to tell.

"It wasn't a script we would have written," Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said after their 6-5 overtime victory in front of 79,690 fans at MetLife Stadium in the highest-scoring outdoor game in NHL history. "It was crazy. It was awesome. So many props to our guys after a first period that didn't go the way we wanted at all."

The Rangers took an early 1-0 lead but then watched the Islanders score three goals in 3 minutes, 14 seconds, including goals by Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal 16 seconds apart. Just 1:03 into the second period, the Rangers were down 4-1. Even when they mounted a rally, the Islanders had an answer, and led 5-3 with five minutes left in regulation.

But at the final horn, the Rangers skated away with an incredible comeback win that was clinched by Artemi Panarin 's unassisted goal just 10 seconds into overtime -- scored with the net off its moorings. The goal was confirmed as valid after video review.

"I don't remember that goal because I got flooded with a wave of emotions," Panarin said through a translator. "But I'm 80 percent sure that it was a goal."

According to ESPN rules analyst Dave Jackson, if the goal cage is dislodged by the defensive team, whether intentionally or accidentally, and there is an imminent scoring chance, as long as the puck passes between where the goalposts should be it counts. That was the case for Panarin.

"I'm sure the league and the refs got the right call in," Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson said.

But other calls didn't sit as well with the Islanders. The Rangers feasted on the Islanders' last-ranked penalty kill with three power-play goals, including two in the third period with Igor Shesterkin pulled for an extra attacker. The Islanders penalty kill is now effective just 70.7% of the time.

"There were a couple of [calls] where we didn't necessarily agree," Islanders forward Brock Nelson said. "One kind of felt like a late call. Whatever it is, the ref makes up his mind. You got to go out there and get the job done."

The Rangers got the job done despite a deficit, something this group has been known for this season. This was New York's ninth third-period comeback win this season. That's already the second most in franchise history, behind only the 11 comebacks in 2010-11.

"We take a look at ourselves and see what we have to do," said Mika Zibanejad , who scored a third-period power-play goal, as did Chris Kreider . "In situations when we're down, we know what we have to do and we've been pretty good at getting back on track and getting big goals, creating some sort of momentum to swing the game back our way."

Laviolette praised his top players for fueling the rally, saying, "I thought our power-play guys at the end of the game, in the biggest of circumstances, really delivered."

The win was the Rangers' seventh in a row, moving them six points ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes for the Metropolitan Division lead. It was an important divisional game for the Rangers against their traditional rivals, but it also allowed them to look back fondly at the weekend's events at MetLife Stadium, which included everything from a family skate on Friday to the team arriving in NYFD and NYPD jerseys before Sunday's game.

"You still get two points for a win. But at the same time, you want to enjoy this weekend. And there's no better way to finish this off than with a win like that," Zibanejad said.

OpenAI, Chat GPT creator, unveils Sora to turn writing prompts into videos: What to know

script writing video games

OpenAI , the creator of Chat GPT , has unveiled Sora , the latest upgrade in generative artificial intelligence . It's a tool that makes short videos from prompts written by users.

The San Francisco-based company announced the news on Thursday and showed videos created by the new text-to-video generator on their website .

"We’re teaching AI to understand and simulate the physical world in motion with the goal of training models that help people solve problems that require real-world interaction," states OpenAI's website.

Footage of California during the gold rush, tiny pandas running around a petri dish and a gnome creating patterns in the zen garden of his snow globe enclosure are just some of the examples of what Sora , OpenAI's video creation tool, can make.

"We’re sharing our research progress early to start working with and getting feedback from people outside of OpenAI and to give the public a sense of what AI capabilities are on the horizon," states OpenAI on its website.

In an announcement tweeted by Sam Altman, OpenAI's CEO, he said a limited number of people will be able to use the new program right now. It's not publicly available just yet.

"We are starting red-teaming and offering access to a limited number of creators," said Altman in the post.

AI: Find out who's calling, use AI and more with 15 smart tech tips

YouTube star puts Sora, new OpenAI tool, to the test

YouTube's biggest star, Jimmy Donaldson, AKA, MrBeast , replied to Altman's post the two engaged in some playful banter about the new tool.

To that, Altman said he'd make the YouTuber a video. He just needed to give Altman a prompt.

Donaldson asked for a video of a "monkey playing chess in a park," and Altman delivered .

How do I use Sora?

According to the announcement posted to OpenAI's website, Sora is going to be similar to OpenAI's text-to-image generator. Users just need to type out a prompt, and the program will give them a video of what they requested.

However, it can only be accessed by red teamers who will assess "critical areas for harms or risks" for the company and "a number of visual artists, designers, and filmmakers to gain feedback on how to advance the model to be most helpful for creative professionals."

It isn't available to the public, and there is no word on when the layman will be able to use it.

What can Sora do?

The program uses its "deep understanding of language" to interpret prompts and then create videos with "complex scenes" that are up to a minute long, with multiple characters and camera shots, as well as specific types of motion and accurate details.

The examples OpenAI gives range from animated a monster and kangaroo to realistic videos of people, like a woman walking down a street in Tokyo or a cinematic movie trailer of a spaceman on a salt desert.

Embedded content: https://cdn.openai.com/sora/videos/monster-with-melting-candle.mp4

"Animated scene features a close-up of a short fluffy monster kneeling beside a melting red candle," in the first sentence of the prompt that created the 3D video above.

According to OpenAI, the videos displayed on its announcement page were all created by Sora.

Challenges that Sora faces

OpenAI states the program may struggle with the following:

  • Accurately simulating the physics of a complex scene
  • Understanding instances of cause and effect. An example it gives is someone might bite into a cookie, but the cookie doesn't have a bite mark after.
  • Confusing spatial details of a prompt, like mixing up left and right.
  • Precise descriptions of events over time.

Embedded content: https://cdn.openai.com/sora/videos/grandma-birthday.mp4

One of the examples of what can go wrong is a video of a grandma blowing candles out on her birthday. But as she blows them out, the candles don't extinguish.

Prompt given for the video :

A grandmother with neatly combed grey hair stands behind a colorful birthday cake with numerous candles at a wood dining room table, expression is one of pure joy and happiness, with a happy glow in her eye. She leans forward and blows out the candles with a gentle puff, the cake has pink frosting and sprinkles and the candles cease to flicker, the grandmother wears a light blue blouse adorned with floral patterns, several happy friends and family sitting at the table can be seen celebrating, out of focus. The scene is beautifully captured, cinematic, showing a 3/4 view of the grandmother and the dining room. Warm color tones and soft lighting enhance the mood.

What's wrong with it? Well, according to OpenAI, "simulating complex interactions between objects and multiple characters is often challenging for the model, sometimes resulting in humorous generations."

Ethical and societal implications of AI

Folks have been bringing up the ethics behind AI since the program became popular. Situations involving high-ranking officials, like when AI mimicked the president in phone calls and encouraged people not to vote, have already happened.

But OpenAI says they're working on taking safety steps before Sora becomes available to the public.

“We are working with red teamers  —  domain experts in areas like misinformation, hateful content, and bias  —  who will be adversarially testing the model,” the company said in its statement. “We’re also building tools to help detect misleading content, such as a detection classifier that can tell when a video was generated by Sora.”

It says it's creating new techniques while also making sure existing safety precautions that already apply to its other program, DALL·E 3, are applicable to Sora.

For example, "our text classifier will check and reject text input prompts that are in violation of our usage policies, like those that request extreme violence, sexual content, hateful imagery, celebrity likeness or the IP of others," states the company. "We’ve also developed robust image classifiers that are used to review the frames of every video generated to help ensure that it adheres to our usage policies, before it’s shown to the user."

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2024 Daytona 500: Lineup, start time, race preview, picks, predictions, how to watch NASCAR's opening race

40 drivers are set to write another chapter in the history of the biggest and most prestigious race in nascar.

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- There are a few select places in the entire world that are unmistakably associated with pushing the capabilities of the automobile to their absolute maximum. Say the word Daytona, and the sights and sounds that come to mind are etched into the American canon. More than a century's worth of racing started on the beach and later turned into one of the most famous racetracks in the world, and its greatest race of all.

This year marks the 66th edition of the Daytona 500, the sport's kickoff to the season and the biggest event of the year. The 40 drivers competing will race 500 miles over 200 laps to determine this year's champion.

The race was moved from its typical Sunday afternoon slot to Monday because of heavy rain. Weather has been a big issue all week as the Xfinity Series race scheduled for Saturday was also pushed to Monday. The rain has played a big factor in this race of late with three postponements happening since 2012. 

Joey Logano sits in pole position this year after coming up just short in 2023 to Ricky Stenhouse Jr. He previously won the race back in 2015 and hopes to kick off this season with a bang. Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin, who is a three-time winner of this competition, starts eighth. Plus, Jimmie Johnson, who won in 2006 and 2013, returns and starts 23rd . 

"There's only so much a driver can do, so I'm really proud of them. It's a big win for our team," Logano said after winning the pole on Wednesday. "Finally, someone else wins the pole -- that part feels good. I've never even been close to a superspeedway pole before, so my first pole on a speedway couldn't be at a cooler event than the Daytona 500."

Let's take a closer look at what fans can expect once the green flag waves Monday before getting to a prediction and expert pick on who enters the winner's circle.

How to watch the Daytona 500

Date: Monday, Feb. 19 Location: Daytona International Speedway -- Daytona Beach, Florida Start time:  4 p.m. ET TV: Fox Live stream : fubo ( try for free )

What to watch

  • The foundation of the prestige of the Daytona 500 is the names of auto racing greats who have been skilled and fortunate enough to take the checkered flag through the years: Lee Petty, Junior Johnson and Fireball Roberts in the early days, Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough and David Pearson later on, Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. more recently -- and many, many more. But just as it has been hoisted by legends of stock car racing -- as well as international racing icons like Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt -- the Harley J. Earl Trophy has also been held aloft by humble and unlikely heroes. Historically, that meant the occasional upset win by drivers like Pete Hamilton, Derrike Cope, Michael Waltrip and Trevor Bayne. But that subset of Daytona 500 winners that only saw a new addition every so often has quickly proliferated over the past three years. Each of the last three Daytona 500 champions have come from out of the pack, with longtime journeyman Michael McDowell and rookie Austin Cindric taking their first career NASCAR Cup Series wins in this race in 2021 and 2022 respectively before Ricky Stenhouse Jr. took the checkered flag last year to earn only his third Cup Series win and his first in six years. One of the consequences of that has been that it has several of NASCAR's biggest stars and former champions from adding Daytona 500 crowns to their resumes: Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Larson are all winless in this race, with Busch and Truex on the cusp of nearly 20 years of trying to win and never succeeding. Likewise, defending Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney is also seeking his first Daytona 500 win after several close calls before. Blaney has finished second in this race twice -- including by inches in 2020 -- and has come off Turn 4 with a shot to win three times since 2017. Blaney is among the favorites again this year, and he is looking to become the first driver to win the Daytona 500 the year after winning the Cup championship since Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett did so in 2000. But he and several other contenders will have to come from the back after a massive accident in Thursday night's Duel qualifying races destroyed Blaney's primary car and forced him and others like Busch and William Byron to backup cars.
Trouble in the tri-oval! @Blaney climbs from the vehicle safely after this crash in Duel No. 2! pic.twitter.com/oKffQcU4Zp — NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 16, 2024
  • The early results of Speedweeks in Daytona have offered a considerable glimpse into the performance of two new body types in the Cup Series this season, the Ford Mustang Dark Horse and the Toyota Camry XSE. The new version of the Mustang got everyone's attention in time trial qualifying on Wednesday, with Joey Logano and Michael McDowell taking the front row starting spots and ending a streak of more than 10 years of Daytona 500 poles for Chevrolet. The single-car speed of the Camry XSE seemed much more suspect, as not a single Toyota managed to qualify inside the top 20. However, the performance of Toyota in racing conditions suggested that concerns following qualifying were overblown: Toyota swept the Duel qualifying races on Thursday night, with Tyler Reddick and Christopher Bell winning their respective races with last-lap passes. Those developments have somewhat overshadowed the performance of the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, the lone returning body style from the 2023 season. However, the bowtie brigade boasts the defending Daytona 500 champion, as Ricky Stenhouse Jr. looks to become the second driver to win back-to-back 500s in the past five years.
  • Some of the other storylines in the field center around NASCAR's biggest stars and all-time great drivers who have a stake in both the Daytona 500 and NASCAR history at hand. Denny Hamlin is looking to become only the third driver in history to win this race more than three times, and a fourth victory would tie him for second all-time with Cale Yarborough. Seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, who is becoming the first driver to ever make a Cup start after being named to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, can also move out of a tiebreaker with Yarborough for sixth on NASCAR's all-time wins list should he earn his third Daytona 500 win and the 84th of his Cup career overall. Either accomplishment for Hamlin and Johnson would be a fitting tribute to Yarborough, one of NASCAR's greatest drivers ever, who passed away during the offseason at the age of 84. Another driver with something at stake is Joey Logano, the 2015 Daytona 500 champion and this year's polesitter. Should Logano earn his second Daytona 500 win, he would become the first driver to win the 500 from the pole since Dale Jarrett in 2000.

Daytona 500 starting lineup

  • #22 - Joey Logano
  • #34 - Michael McDowell 
  • #45 - Tyler Reddick
  • #20 - Christopher Bell
  • #9 - Chase Elliott
  • #2 - Austin Cindric
  • #48 - Alex Bowman
  • #11 - Denny Hamlin
  • #77 - Carson Hocevar (R)
  • #42 - John Hunter Nemechek
  • #43 - Erik Jones
  • #21 - Harrison Burton
  • #99 - Daniel Suarez
  • #71 - Zane Smith (R)
  • #54 - Ty Gibbs
  • #6 - Brad Keselowski
  • #5 - Kyle Larson
  • #24 - William Byron
  • #17 - Chris Buescher
  • #14 - Chase Briscoe
  • #1 - Ross Chastain
  • #51 - Justin Haley
  • #84 - Jimmie Johnson
  • #23 - Bubba Wallace
  • #41 - Ryan Preece
  • #36 - Kaz Grala
  • #19 - Martin Truex Jr.
  • #16 - A.J. Allmendinger
  • #7 - Corey LaJoie
  • #4 - Josh Berry (R)
  • #38 - Todd Gilliland
  • #12 - Ryan Blaney +
  • #3 - Austin Dillon
  • #8 - Kyle Busch
  • #47 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
  • #15 - RIley Herbst
  • #31 - Daniel Hemric
  • #10 - Noah Gragson
  • #62 - Anthony Alfredo
  • #60 - David Ragan

Failed to qualify: B.J. McLeod, J.J. Yeley

Pick to win

Brad Keselowski (+1200) -- The last five Daytona 500s have all seen Keselowski be a factor late in the race, and in each of the past three in particular he has been at the front with a chance to win in the final laps. He has also led the most laps in this race two years in a row, and his RFK Racing team has only gotten better since last year's 500 – As evidenced by last August's race at Daytona when Keselowski pushed teammate Chris Buescher to the win.

There is always a focus on which veteran drivers are still looking for their first Daytona 500 win, but compared to Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr., I think Keselowski is best positioned to finally win "The Great American Race" and end his winless streak dating back to Talladega in 2021.

So who wins the 2024 Daytona 500? And which longshot has the potential to stun NASCAR?  Visit SportsLine now to see the 2024 NASCAR at Daytona picks and best bets from a NASCAR insider who called Chastain and Suarez's breakthrough wins in 2022, and find out.

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Fani Willis: Defiant Georgia prosecutor fights to stay on Trump case

  • Published 16 February
  • Indictments of Donald Trump

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Watch: Fani Willis' surprise testimony in 75 seconds

The top prosecutor in the Georgia election case against Donald Trump took the stand to vigorously defend her relationship with a fellow prosecutor during a combative hearing on Thursday.

Mr Trump's lawyers alleged that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis's relationship with Nathan Wade, whom she hired, proved a conflict of interest.

The claims could upend the election-subversion charges against Mr Trump.

Over two hours of heated testimony, Ms Willis looked increasingly aggravated.

"It is a lie, it is a lie," she said at one point in response to questions, prompting a visibly perplexed Judge Scott McAfee to call a brief recess.

The first female district attorney in Fulton County, Ms Willis charged Mr Trump and 18 co-defendants last year with conspiring to overturn the former president's 2020 election loss to Joe Biden in Georgia.

But last month, that case was undermined by claims from one of Mr Trump's co-defendants, Mike Roman, who said Ms Willis and Mr Wade - who she hired as special prosecutor for the Trump case in late 2021 - had an improper relationship and benefitted financially from the arrangement.

Scott McAfee, Fulton County superior court judge, at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta, Georgia, US, on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024

In a legal filing, Mr Roman alleged Ms Willis overpaid Mr Wade for the special counsel role and that the two took luxury holidays together that were paid for by Mr Wade. Those trips included two cruises to the Bahamas, and trips to Napa Valley, California, and Caribbean resorts in Aruba and Belize.

Both Ms Willis and Mr Wade acknowledged the relationship in early February, but they have denied any conflict of interest or financial impropriety.

On Thursday, defence lawyers pushed both Ms Willis and Mr Wade on how he was reimbursed for his work and whether Ms Willis repaid him for her share of vacations while they were dating.

Ms Willis is an "independent strong woman... she is going to pay her own way", Mr Wade testified, adding she typically paid him back in cash, meaning no records were available.

The district attorney offered a more forceful counter, saying she didn't "need anybody to foot my bills".

Mr Wade once told her "the only thing a woman can do for him is make him a sandwich", Ms Willis testified. "There was tension always in our relationship, which is why I would give him his money back."

At other points in her testimony, Ms Willis worked to bring the attention back to Mr Trump's case.

"You're confused. You think I'm on trial. These people are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020," she said to lawyer Ashleigh Merchent, referring to the main case.

Ms Willis' testimony followed that of a former friend and employee, Robin Yeartie, who claimed the district attorney's relationship with Mr Wade began before he joined the Trump case - contradicting both of their timelines.

She saw the pair hugging and kissing years before the case, Ms Yeartie told the court, so she had "no doubt" the relationship started in 2019.

Ms Willis offered a fiery counter to her former friend, insisting no romantic relationship began until two years later. And she echoed claims made by Mr Wade in court. He claimed that his cancer diagnosis in 2020 would have prevented a physical relationship.

"Mr Wade had a form of cancer that makes your allegations somewhat ridiculous," she told defence lawyer Steven Sadow. "I'm not going to emasculate a black man … so I don't think we should discuss it further."

Fani Willis and Nathan Wade

Judge McAfee has said he could disqualify Ms Willis from the case if evidence supports the defence's claims. Ms Willis' removal would delay and potentially derail the proceedings against Mr Trump entirely, a trial with major consequences for the 2024 election.

After a day of dramatic testimony, experts told the BBC it's still unclear who came out on top.

It's a "credibility contest" for the judge to decide who wins, said Atlanta defence attorney Andrew Fleischman. Mr Wade was nearly flawless in his well-rehearsed testimony, Mr Fleischman said, but Ms Willis' tone could put her at risk.

"Fani Willis's demeanour has been so extreme that that might incline him to disqualify her even if he is not sure of the other stuff," Mr Fleischman said.

Ms Willis will resume her testimony on Friday at 09:00 local time (14:00 GMT).

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  • Donald Trump
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More on this story

Scott McAfee, the young judge on Trump Georgia case

  • Published 9 September 2023

Judge Scott McAfee

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IMAGES

  1. How To Write A Video Game Script

    script writing video games

  2. How to Write Your First Video Game Quest

    script writing video games

  3. How to write a script for games

    script writing video games

  4. Video Game Script

    script writing video games

  5. How to write a video game script

    script writing video games

  6. How to Write Your First Video Game Quest

    script writing video games

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  6. This 3 Minute YouTube Scriptwriting Hack Will Change Your Channel

COMMENTS

  1. Video Game Script Writing

    Broadly speaking, a script encompasses all of the written text relating to an entertainment production - plays, films, radio broadcasts, video games, and so on. As shown in the table above, there are quite a few differences between traditional scripts and video game scripts. Video game designer Ian Bogost explains it best:

  2. So You Want to Write for Video Games?

    So what do game writers write? Here's a general breakdown: Flow Charts - Games these days are very complex — the RPGs (role-playing games) especially. The players will have to make many decisions throughout the game.

  3. How to write a video game script

    1. Understand the structure of a video game Writing a video game script starts with understanding the structure of a video game. Unlike movies, which have a more "thematic" or story-driven approach, video games depend on players to take an active role in the storytelling process.

  4. How to Become a Video Game Writer

    Sports & Gaming How to Become a Video Game Writer Written by MasterClass Last updated: Jul 21, 2021 • 3 min read A video game writer helps create the story, dialogue, and characters in a video game. Learn how to master the necessary skills for a career in the video game industry.

  5. How To Write A Video Game Script: Take A Cue From Literature

    But how do you write a proper video game script? Creating a compelling plot for a game is a hard discipline to master, but it's also one of the first and most fundamental skills taught at any game design program. Today, we'll be taking a look at the importance of narrative structure within the game design sphere. Taking a Cue from Literature

  6. Best Online Video Game Writing Courses and Programs

    Video game writing is the process of creating compelling narratives and dialogues for video games. It encompasses character development and crafting immersive worlds that captivate players throughout their gaming experience.

  7. How to write a script for games

    "Spaghetti. It looks like spaghetti,", or "You don't want to know." And it's true! It IS hard to explain what a game script looks like. But I'm going to do my best to give a REAL answer, here and now. First, let's start with a type of script we're ALL familiar with - the film script. That screenplay format exists for a reason

  8. SoCreate

    What is it like to write a script for a video game? Well, now I've got the details! With one click Export a perfectly formatted traditional script. Try SoCreate for free! Start Free Trial Write Like This... ...Export To This! ...Then... So, what does a video game writer do?

  9. How to Become a Video Game Scriptwriter

    Here is a step-by-step guide to becoming a video game scriptwriter. 1. Pursue the Right Kind of Education and Skills. Writing scripts for video games requires a lot of knowledge and skill. So, to stand out in the applicant pool, having a relevant degree is necessary.

  10. A brief guide to writing for video games

    Published on July 6, 2021. A lot of people learn scriptwriting, try things out on Twine, or major in English in the hope to become, one day, a games writer. There is no straight path to games ...

  11. A Practical Guide to Game Writing

    [In this detailed Gamasutra feature, veteran game writer McDevitt (Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines, Where the Wild Things Are) outlines useful processes for collaboration between design, production and writing staff, from pre-production through production of a game.] Video game writers are a frequently misunderstood sort.

  12. The Beginner's Guide to Writing for Video Games

    She transitioned into game writing from a journalism background, initially polishing game scripts before moving into full-fledged game writing. Amy Hennig: Renowned for her work on the "Uncharted" series, Hennig's approach to character-driven narratives and cinematic storytelling in games has been influential. Her journey from film to video ...

  13. Video Game Script Writing

    Step 3: Write a treatment of your game script writing project. Before you start writing your script, writing a treatment is important. A treatment is a detailed summary of the story and gameplay elements that will be included in your video game script writing project. A good treatment should be between 1-3 pages long and it should include:

  14. Video Game Script Examples

    April 22, 2021 Video Game Script Examples - Get it Right Voice Over Scripts Way back when, video games didn't have scripts; they didn't have actors voicing parts, either. But now they do and take a read here to see some great video game scripts examples and tips whether you're a writer or voice artist. What makes a video game script awesome?

  15. Video game writing

    (November 2022) Video game writing is the art and craft of writing scripts and narratives for video games. Similar to screenwriting, it is typically a freelance profession. [1]

  16. How to Write Scripts for Video Games

    In conclusion, writing scripts for video games requires a unique set of skills and an understanding of the medium's interactive nature. By immersing yourself in the gaming world, creating memorable characters, and collaborating closely with the development team, you can craft compelling narratives that captivate players and bring virtual ...

  17. How to Write a Script for Your Video Game: A Beginner's Guide

    A video game script is a written document that outlines the story, characters, and gameplay of a video game. It serves as a blueprint for the game's development and helps ensure that...

  18. How to Create a Good Video Game Script

    . 4 min read Contents: How is a Video Game Script Different? Breakdown of a Video Game Script The Three Pillars Plot and 8 more chapters Words add context to your game and bring your game's concept to life. They are central to making the theme of your game understandable to the players.

  19. 7 Books to Inspire You When Writing Video Game Scripts

    The script. Story: Substance, structure, style, and principles of scriptwriting, by Robert McKee McKee's name belongs in the library of any film-writer, but his techniques are perfectly applicable to today's world of video games. This book should be read, says Víctor Ojuel, with a particular critical spirit.

  20. Crafting Compelling Game Stories: A Guide to Video Game Writing

    Crafting Scripts In Video Games Crafting Scripts In Video Games. When it comes to crafting scripts for video games, the possibilities are endless. Writing for a video game is an entirely different experience than writing for film or tv - with interactive stories and non-player characters that must be considered.

  21. Video game script examples

    You can write a video game script by following this six-step process: 1) define your game's concept; 2) build your game world; 3) create the characters; 4) develop the plot; 5) construct your flow; and 6) draft your dialogue. Here's more on each step. 1. Define your game concept. Consider the main idea and genre of your video game.

  22. Game Writers' Corner || Writing for Video Games: Why it's different

    Thinking about starting a career writing for video games? Or are you currently working on your own game narrative?In this video, I go over a few things that ...

  23. 3 Games That Will Build Your Screenwriting Skills

    Developing the script. Writing the script. Rewriting the script. Marketing the script. Rewriting the script after notes and feedback are received. That is the intensive step-by-step process all screenwriters live by, and anything you learn along the way is applied to your growth as a screenwriter. But there are some fun and creative ways to ...

  24. Rangers go off 'script,' still win in Stadium Series

    Trailing 4-1 at 1:03 into the second period, the New York Rangers rallied to win their seventh straight game Sunday, a 6-5 overtime victory over the rival New York Islanders in their Stadium ...

  25. Sora: OpenAI, Chat GPT maker, announces a text-to-video generator

    OpenAI, the creator of Chat GPT, has unveiled Sora, the latest upgrade in generative artificial intelligence. It's a tool that makes short videos from prompts written by users. The San Francisco ...

  26. 2024 Daytona 500: Lineup, start time, race preview, picks, predictions

    2024 Daytona 500: Lineup, start time, race preview, picks, predictions, how to watch NASCAR's opening race 40 drivers are set to write another chapter in the history of the biggest and most ...

  27. Fani Willis: Defiant Georgia prosecutor fights to stay on Trump case

    Watch: Fani Willis' surprise testimony in 75 seconds. The top prosecutor in the Georgia election case against Donald Trump took the stand to vigorously defend her relationship with a fellow ...

  28. You Need To Watch 'Resident Alien' On Netflix ASAP

    I write about TV shows, movies, video games, entertainment & culture. Following. ... Best Nintendo Switch Games: It's Mario's World, We're Just Visiting By. Jason R. Rich. Forbes Staff.