Tricia "Kazi Wren" Harris

Wren Valkyrie

Rune: Halls of Valhalla

Current project:
Creation and management of RuneGame.com and Ed.RuneGame.com. I created and run the official game site for Human Head Studios' "Rune" and "Rune: Halls of Valhalla." I did the same for the official editing site - Ed.RuneGame.com.

Academic Info

College: Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan
Degree: Bachelor's Degree in Journalism

Were there any particular projects or areas of study that you pursued?
I focused on journalistic writing, but I also spent a good deal of time in creative writing classes offered by the English department. I was a staff writer for my college paper, and even worked in radio while in school. In a moment of madness, I studied Russian - I'm still recovering from the scars.

Did you do any internships?
Oh yes! I landed a four-year internship at The Detroit News, one of Michigan's largest daily newspapers. I also interned at The Associated Press and at the National Association of Black Journalists - Detroit Chapter.

Career Info

Tell us about your first job in the industry. How did you get the job? What was it like? What were your responsibilities?
After freelancing for several publications (online and print) I created a fan site for a game called "Nocturne" by Terminal Reality. That taught me how to blend my professional journalism style with the needs of an online readership. It also exposed my work to other developers and to industry publications. Human Head Studios liked the original work I created on my fan site and how I worked to form a community around the game. They decided to have me do the same for their first game as a company, "Rune."

My job was to create a plan for how RuneGame.com would work as a product site, work with web coders and graphic artists to get the right look, then add a ton of content. Human Head wanted their site to be updated regularly, and they wanted it to serve as a base for the Rune community. My role could then be called "online community manager," as I worked directly with fan sites and consumers, and as Human Head's liaison to these groups.

What jobs have you held in the games industry thus far? Briefly describe the career path you took to get where you are today.
While I don't work for any one game company yet, I've already been an online community manager and handled product marketing through my company, Mercenary Studios. A segment of that is my continued work as a freelance writer for industry publications. The day will come when I'll have to stop freelancing and settle down with one developer or publisher. But until then, I'm having a ball! I've done some voice work and was modeled for the "Wren Valkyrie" character in "Rune: Halls of Valhalla".

Advice

What fields of study, specific courses, or life experiences would you recommend to students interested in your field?
I took my journalism background and mixed in my personal love of gaming to make a living. You can be a writer for a print or online publication (and be paid for it) if you hone your writing skills. You may be interested in the Web side of the industry - creating product sites and maintaining them. Another area you can consider is working as a writer for a publisher or developer. This could mean creating backstory and dialogue for games, or maybe you're the lucky person who has to write the game manual. Either way, if you love to write, then there are jobs available.

If writing is your thing, make sure you take a variety of English classes, including any creative writing courses. I recommend classes like news reporting, magazine & feature writing, as well as investigative reporting for those of you interested in covering the industry as a journalist.

While you're at it, sign up for as many Web courses as you can handle. Make sure you have programs such as Dreamweaver, Photoshop, and Illustrator under your belt. If your head won't explode, toss in a couple of Web programming classes, too. It doesn't hurt to be well rounded.

Is there anything you wish someone had told you before you got into the games industry? Is there anything you would have done differently?
I would have started much sooner in this field. I'm not sure why, but when I was growing up the gaming industry wasn't presented as an option for me. I only knew about traditional fields of study and careers. If someone would have told me I could write scripts for games, create game guides, or run product web sites, I know my career path would have been different. As it is, I'm simply taking the long road instead of the shorter one!

As games increase in complexity, what are the various kinds of jobs that you foresee development companies needing in the next five years?
As technology reaches new benchmarks, so must the games that are available to consumers. Amid the artists, programmers and sound engineers, there will be a need for creative writers. A great story can give a player a whole new gaming experience. Also, game studios are already considering other uses for their property - animated films, live-action television shows, comic books, etc.

Additionally, someone has to report on those new developments. I believe gaming journalism as we now see it will evolve. This is a serious business, and magazines especially will have to treat it as such. That means having writers on staff that can handle investigative reports, do in-depth interviews, and get beyond the shiny packaging.

Do you have any other advice or recommendations to share with students who are interested in doing what you do?
Start a fan site for a game you love. This will give you some web experience and help you develop your writing. Keep the site fresh and try to do a lot of in-house content as possible (i.e. don't just link to news on another site).

If journalism is your field, get your butt into an internship - paid or unpaid. Work at a daily newspaper and a magazine.

Finally, don't just play games. Learn about games. Read interviews with developers, buy books on different areas of game creation, and try to attend an industry event or two.