Game Writers SIG/Initiatives/Surveys/Game Writers

International Game Developers Association

[edit] GAME WRITERS

• Which of the following best describes what you currently do?
[] contract/freelance game writer
[] in-house full-time game writer
[] in-house part-time game writer (ie. you're also a designer or programmer)
[] in-house contract game writer
[] other game professional learning more about writing/narrative in games
[] localization expert
[] game curriculum professor
[] game curriculum student
[] professional writer wanting to break-in to the game industry
[] game journalist
[] technical writer
[] other (_____________________________)

• How long have you been doing this job?
[] less than 6 months
[] 6 months to a year
[] 1-3 years
[] 3-6 years
[] 6+ years

• Have you worked in any of these related jobs? (mark as many as apply)
[] contract/freelance game writer
[] in-house full-time game writer
[] in-house part-time game writer (ie. you're also a designer or programmer)
[] programmer
[] producer
[] designer
[] artist
[] localization expert
[] game curriculum professor
[] game curriculum student
[] professional writer outside of games
[] game journalist

• Are you paid to write any of the following outside of games?
[] novels
[] movies
[] television
[] plays
[] websites
[] short stories
[] other (____________)

• Which of these do you consider a part of the job of a game writer?
[] narrative/story development
[] cinematic scripting
[] storyboarding
[] dialogue/script writing (including barks)
[] user interface/help text
[] in-game documents/lore
[] website material
[] marketing material
[] writing design docs
[] writing manuals
[] mission design
[] directing voice actors
[] editing any of the above
[] other (________________________)

• If you do contract work, by what unit do you charge?
[] by the project
[] by the project milestone
[] by the hour
[] by the day
[] by the page
[] by the word

• How long does your typical project last?
[] 1-3 months
[] 3-6 months
[] 6-12 months
[] 1-2 years
[] 2+ years

• Which of these best describes your standard rate (on average)?
[] $1-10/hour
[] $11-20/hour
[] $21-30/hour
[] $31-40/hour
[] $41-50/hour
[] $51-60/hour
[] $61-70/hour
[] $71-80/hour
[] $81-90/hour
[] $91-100/hour
[] $100+/hour

[] $1-10/page
[] $11-20/page
[] $21-30/page

etc.

[] $10-$200/project
[] $201-$700/project
[] $701-$1200/project
[] $1201-$5000/project
[] $50001-$10,000/project
etc.

[] Varies

• If you work at a game company as an in-house writer, do you:
[] work primarily on one game at a time?
[] work on several games at once?
[] do non-writing tasks like filing, QA, presentations?

• If you work at a game company as an in-house writer, what is your salary range?
[] $5000-$15000 []$75001-$85000
[] $15001-$25000 []$85001-$95000
[] $25001-$35000 []$95001-$105,000
[] $35001-$45000 []$105,000+
[] $45001-$55000
[] $55001-$65000
[] $65001-$75000

• If you work at a game company as an in-house writer, how many years have you been doing so?
[] Less than 1 year [] 1-3 years [] 3-5 years [] More than 5 years

• Are you currently writing for a game?

[] Yes [] No

If No when was the last time you wrote for a game?

[] 1 - 3 months ago [] 3 - 6 months ago [] 6 months to a year [] 1-2 years
[] 2-4 years [] 4-6 years [] more than 6 years

• How many games have you written for?

[] 1 [] 2 [] 3 [] 4 [] 5 [] 6

[] Other _______________________________________________________________________

• What sort of games have you worked on?

[] Role Playing Game [] Action Adventure [] Lifestyle Sim

[] First Person Shooter [] Racing [] Sports [] Flight Sim

[] Children’s [] Educational [] Platform

[] Strategy [] Puzzle

Other _______________________________________________________________________

• What platforms were the games for?

[] PC [] Playstation (all) [] Nintendo (all) [] X-Box (360)

[] Handheld [] Mobile [] Arcade [] Tabletop

[] Interactive DVD [] Digital Television [] Web based

Other _______________________________________________________________________

• Have you worked on games in a capacity other than as a writer?
[] Yes [] No

If Yes in what role?

_______________________________________________________________________

• What other paid writing work had you undertaken before working on games?

[] Television [] Film [] Theatre

[] Radio [] Computer games publications [] Novel

Other _______________________________________________________________________

[edit] Conditions of Employment

• Have you always given a contract for your writing work?
[] Yes [] No

If yes, did you have the contract checked by anyone?

[]Yes [] No

If yes, who did you have the contract checked by? ______________________________

If no, what were the reasons? _______________________________________________________________________

• What areas of games writing have you worked on?

[] Story Development [] Dialogue [] Character Design

[] Manuals [] Mission Design [] Advertising Copy

[] Regionalisation [] Reviews
[] Design Documents

Other _______________________________________________________________________

• Were you asked to work on more than one area on each of the games you worked on?
[]Yes [] No

Details _____________________________________________________________________

• What length of script have you worked on?
(Mark as many as apply.)

[] Fewer than 100 words [] 100-500 words [] up to 1000 words

[] up to 3000 words [] up to 10000 words [] up to 50000 words

[] 50000words +

• In general have the contracts you've worked under been based on a complete buy out or did they leave you with any residual rights?

______________________________________________________________________________

• In general, where did you work from?

[] Company Offices [] At home

Other _______________________________________________________________________

• Where have the companies you've worked for been based?

_______________________________________________________________________

• Have you ever had to purchase any specialised equipment/software in order to work on a project?

_______________________________________________________________________

• Which software have you used to work on a project?

_______________________________________________________________________

• Have you ever approached a company with ideas of your own?
[] Yes [] No

If yes, how were you treated and what rights were you left with?

_______________________________________________________________________

• Did you receive a credit on the game?
[]Yes
[]No

• If yes, what credit did you receive?
[]Writer
[]Designer
[]Dialog
[]Manual
[]Other __________________

[edit] Getting Work

• Where do you normally find work?

[] Personal Contact [] Computer Press [] Company Website

[] Mailshot of Companies []Self-originating concept [] Other Website

[] Via a publisher

Other _______________________________________________________________________

• Have you ever been asked to complete a test as part of a job interview?
[] Yes [] No

If yes,

1) Were you paid for this work?

[] Yes [] No

Please could you tell us how much you were paid __________________________

2) What form did this development work take?

[] 1 Page Treatment [] 2 Page Treatment [] Up to 6 pages

[] 6+ page treatment [] Sales Material [] Character Development

[] Mission Design [] Background Story [] Story Design Ideas

Other __________________________________________________________________

3) Approximately how long did it take you to complete the test?

_______________________________________________________________________