Game Writing: Narrative Skills for Videogames

As computer games become more and more like Hollywood productions, the need for good story lines increases. Research shows that stories are highly valued by game players, so today’s studios and developers need good writers. Creating narrative–a traditionally static form–for games is a major challenge. Games are at their heart dynamic, interactive systems, so they don’t follow the guidelines and rules of film or T.V. writing. Game Narrative Skills for Videogames addresses these issues and is the first book written to demystify this emerging field. Through the insights and experiences of practicing game writers, the book captures a snapshot of the narrative skills employed in today’s game industry. This unique collection of practical articles provides the foundations to the craft of game writing. The articles, written by members of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) Game Writing Special Interest Group, detail aspects of the process from the basics of narrative and nonlinear narrative to writing comedy for games and creating compelling characters. Throughout the articles there is a strong emphasis on the skills developers and publishers will expect a game writer to have. The book is suitable for both beginners and experienced writers, and is a detailed guide to all the techniques of game writing. This book is an essential read for anyone wishing to get into this exciting field, particularly for new game writers wanting to hone their skills, and film and T.V. scriptwriters who want to learn how to transfer their skills to the games industry.

Game Writing was the first book by the IGDA Game Writing Special Interest Group, and remains its most popular. For writers new to games it’s an indispensible guide, and for experienced writers it’s full of tips and tricks from some of the industry’s most successful game writers. Here are a few extra tips for anyone interested in writing for games.

Game writing can be rewarding work, but it is still work, and anyone who hopes to succeed in this exciting and challenging field needs to be prepared to rise to the challenge. There’s no better place to start than Game Narrative Skills for Videogames. Chris Bateman
Founder, IGDA Game Writing Special Interest Group
Editor, Game Narrative Skills for Videogames