Writing SIG
The purpose of the Writing SIG is to:
- Build a community of game writers, who are often isolated.
- Promote the art and craft of game writing to the industry as a whole; to dispel the myths and aid the successful integration of game writers into game development.
- Educate game developers about writers, and to educate writers about game development.
- Identify, and strive to address, those issues of importance to the community of game writers.
- Work toward better narrative in games.
News / updates
February SIG Meeting #2
Let's all get together at this url:
http://chat.zakelro.com/chat
at this time: noon
Oh wait, where is supposed to be in here. didn't realize that.
February SIG Meeting Recap
So, we all got together in a chat room and discussed things. It was important. You should have been there. Next month, we'll have another one.
WD
2006 Game Writer's Conference
It's back!
The second annual Game Writer's Conference will be held September 6-7, 2006 in Austin, Texas.
ESRB Ratings - a resource for writers
The ESRB review process is where games get their ever-popular T for teens or M for mature rating. These ratings can impact vital areas such as shelf space, which stores stock your game and what reviews it gets.
Since the game is rated on the content - something game writers are involved in up to their elbows - you can do your job better if you know some details of the submission process.
Game Writers Quarterly - Vol 2 Issue 1, Spring 2006
A publication addressing the gamut of issues facing writers and developers as they strive for better narrative in today's games. In this issue:
Crafting Tales in New (And Familiar) Worlds
Intellectual Properties: A Licence To Write
Putting Your Words In Their Mouths
Book Excerpt: The Game as IP
Game Writers Quarterly - Vol 1 Issue 1, Fall 2005 (pdf)
This issue was originally distributed at GDC writing-related sessions in 2006.
Game Writers Quarterly - Vol 1 Issue 1, Fall 2005
A publication addressing the gamut of issues facing writers and developers as they strive for better narrative in today's games. In this issue:
A Brave New Field
Writing for Games Demystified
The Value of Interactive Storytelling
Game Writers Quarterly - Vol 1 Issue 1, Fall 2005 (pdf)
This issue was originally distributed at the first annual Austin Game Writer's Conference in 2005.
Members of the Game Writers SIG thinking out loud - online for all to see
- Cheap Speech
- Christy Marx
- SIG" href="http://onederboy.1up.com/">Coray Seifert
- Garbage Dump
- Mildly Diverting
- Only a Game
- Red Flag
- IGDA Game Writers SIG" href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/rdansky">Richard Dansky
- Quantum Content Blog
- Writing & Design
- Dame Dev
Game Writers Available For Hire
- Graeme Davis
- Wendy Despain - Quantum Content
- Ed Kuehnel - Wrestlevania Productions
- Randy Littlejohn
- Christy Marx
- James Swallow - The Redwing Project
- Andrew S. Walsh
U.S.
U.K.
France
Agents representing game writersU.K.
No endorsement by IGDA or The Game Writing SIG is expressed or implied by inclusion on this list.
If you would like your name or company added or removed from this page, contact despain at quantumcontent.com
A funny thing happened on the way to the forum
A great way to distract yourself from the paying project you've got writers block on. Go see what the hot topic is over at the Game Writing SIG Forum.
Tends not to be the same crew as those on the mailing list if you're looking for a change of pace.
It's a wiki kind of world
A wiki is the perfect way for a bunch of writers to collaborate on projects, work together, keep track of tedious notes and generally take over the world.
Anybody can read what's on the wiki, but you'll need to register as a member of the main IGDA website to contribute. This helps cut down on malicious editing. Thanks for understanding - and please join us!
SIG mailing lists
Most of the SIG business and conversation takes place via e-mail. We don't have anything against the forums, we all just seem to respond better when messages show up in our Inbox.
There are actually three mailing lists. They are open to everyone, but are split up to help you manage the volume and type of e-mail you receive from the SIG.
- General Discussion list (writers at igda.org)
- subscribe
This is a general discussion/networking/socializing kind of mailing list. It has the most members. This mailing list often generates multiple messages per day. This is by design. We recommend you subscribe to this list and lurk for a little while to see if it's what you're looking for. If it's too busy for you, feel free to unsubscribe and subscribe yourself to the announcement list. - Announcements Mailing List (gwsig-announce at yahoogroups.com)
- subscribe
Here we send out occasional announcements from the SIG about important events or articles of particular interest to game writers. This list has - at most - only two or three messages per month. If you subscribe to the general list, you don't need to subscribe to this one as well. All messages here will be crossposted to the general list. - Committee Mailing list (gwsig-committee at yahoogroups.com)
- subscribe
This list has the boring daily grind of making the SIG run. It's mostly short scheduling/logistics kinds of messages. This list has moderate traffic and can really fill up your inbox with quick planning back-and-forth. Anything of substance that comes to a conclusion here will also be posted to the general discussion list, so it's not necessary to subscribe to this one unless you're ready to dig in and become a very active volunteer.
Guide To Game Writing White Paper
Everything you ever wanted to know about writing for video games, summed up here in this handy-dandy whitepaper:
Guide To Game Writing White Paper (PDF)
Last revised November 2003, but starting a new revision process 7/11/2006
INDEX:
- Introduction
- What is a Game Writer?
- How Do you Become a Game Writer?
- How Much Should Game Writers Charge?
- The Many Varied Tasks of a Game Writer
- Writing for Licenses
- Immersing Players in Your World and Keeping Them There
- Conclusion
- Credits