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Hey dakka. As someone interested in working in games (whether board, miniature or video) I'm wondering if any dakkanauts with experience in the industry, or even fellow writers or artists wish to chime in for a discussion. I've had some great conversations with people on this board about their past regarding writing for games companies. The advice I've received has ranged from submitting openly to companies, to building a published portfolio. I've been working on both for some time now, but its always great to hear new perspectives. A lot of us on here regularly look forward to/submit to BL's annual submission window, but does anyone have experience with other channels?

For clarity, do you mean wiriting novels, rules, or something else?

Anything really. I mentioned BL because its something that's familiar to a lot of people on the board, but I would include narrative writing within rulebooks, on websites etc.

Okay, thanks. We are talking narrative writing for the most part as opposed to historical or rules.

Thank you.

You should give episode 136 of the Independent Characters a listen...

http://theindependentcharacters.com/blog/?p=3763

The best podcast there is by the way.

 Las wrote:
Hey dakka. As someone interested in working in games (whether board, miniature or video) I'm wondering if any dakkanauts with experience in the industry, or even fellow writers or artists wish to chime in for a discussion. I've had some great conversations with people on this board about their past regarding writing for games companies. The advice I've received has ranged from submitting openly to companies, to building a published portfolio. I've been working on both for some time now, but its always great to hear new perspectives. A lot of us on here regularly look forward to/submit to BL's annual submission window, but does anyone have experience with other channels?

I went with the open submission route and was successful. I posted on a game's forums, had an idea that I shared with the game's creator and was asked to submit a proposal. Jump forward 2 years and a book was done. I don't know if I got lucky or if that is how things go in this industry, but it worked for me.

A friend of mine sorta did a similar thing, but he became a play tester for a game/company he liked, networked for a year or two, and then started contributing to books writing small sections until finally he was given the opportunity to write his own. He was also active on the game's forums (which may have been where his writing was noticed) and that seemed to help get his foot in the door.

Having a portfolio of writing to show off is also extremely helpful, but I think most of the game is just networking. Get to know the people making the games and try and find a way to get them to read your work (enter portfolio!).

Good luck, and don't get hung up on rejections. They happen and you have to just keep plugging away--keep writing, submitting and networking!

Networking is the key- few game companies have a formal process, but if you show up at a convention, they'll know who you are.

The more you can show the work that you've put in, the more people will take you seriously.

Gaming companies are often not savvy to fiction editing. In fact, many of them don't really understand the role of a trained content editor, and figure anyone can do that job. And it shows up a lot (purple prose and POV violations run amok).

So if you don't have professional writer or editor friends, you might want to find a way to educate yourself in that regard.

I have friends who are published novelists, but not for gaming (one of them is published in science fiction though). Their advice that I have seen echoes that of other writing advice I have gathered over the years:
- Write a lot, since you get better with practice.
- Read a lot, so you get new ideas or know what to avoid.
- Don't be afraid of rejection, otherwise you may not get the courage to make a submission.
- Be open to critique, or you may miss something in your writings that someone else noticed.

Also, I would recommend starting a blog to possibly build up an audience. It could also be used as a portfolio for anything that you want to be viewed by the public. Otherwise, just keep trying! Keep an eye open for opportunities like open submissions accepted or writing contests.

Good luck!

Well, if we're just giving advice to new writers:

Attend writing conventions, and writing tracks at gaming conventions.

Also- form a writing critique group.

write a lot of stuff,

try and get it seen (blogs, fan fic, submissions etc)

practice writing to a plausible deadline for plausible briefs (read around to get an idea how long different catagores of stuff are given, or ask companies, some are probably going to be happy enough to tell you even if others aren't,

eg write 10 linked 1000 word 'boxed' pieces like you see in rulebooks/codexs in week

(I knew a couple of folk who did bits a pieces for various RPGs in the late 80s, early 90s and that was often the key issue as it's easy to polish and polish things over months, but you've often got fairly short timelines for stuff where companies pull in a freelance)

 alanmckenzie wrote:
You should give episode 136 of the Independent Characters a listen...

http://theindependentcharacters.com/blog/?p=3763

The best podcast there is by the way.

Thanks for the link. Can't wait to give it a listen tomorrow.

Everyone comes into it in different ways. I got into writing for FFG because the head of RPG development PM'ed me through Dakka asking if I wanted to do some play testing, and I made so much noise as a playtester that they eventually asked me to do proof reading, and that quickly lead into writing, until I was doing large sections of a few books a year.

Forgeworld happen to be looking at the moment if anyone fancies chancing their hand?

Here's the link

Just go in in the full and frank knowledge I will be hassling you on a regular (as in, three or four times daily) basis to do moar Necron stuff for FW if you're successful

Yeah, I'm going for that one. Wish me luck!

Sadly FW doesn't do remote employment. You have to be in Nottingham.

It's not a bad city to be fair. The main square is bright and airy, and gorgeous in summer. There's a Five Guys burger joint, and of course The Olde Sal - easily one of my favourite pubs ever.

So if you're up for a migration, there's far worse places to wind up

Well my issue isn't the place itself. The issue it's on the other side of the planet to me.

There is that, yes!

I've been writing games for many years, though mostly my rules and what not are ported over to video game format (as I am a software engineer). Video games are a good way to write games simply because you don't have to get into costs of production of physical objects.

My miniatures game has not gone beyond the rules stage because the initial model drafting and CAD will run me about $50,000 for four factions.

I find writing games in the games industry comes down to a couple of key points if you are wanting to do it:

1) you'll get your stuff discovered and get "promoted up"

2) you'll know someone that can get you in.

3) you'll write your stuff as a hobby, never really get discovered or promoted up, but you'll enjoy what you do. The vast majority of us are in this slot.

With GW you have to live over in Nottingham so for most of us that is obviously not going to happen.

For me at this point in my life and career, I'll make exponentially more money writing software than I ever would as a professional game designer so I'm ok with the hobby aspect

Good luck!

I think a guy working a pizza delivery job will probably make more than an average game designer. You don't do wargames design for the money.

 Easy E wrote:
I think a guy working a pizza delivery job will probably make more than an average game designer. You don't do wargames design for the money.

A person walking around looking for loose change on the side of the road would make more money than your average game designer/writer.

All very very true lol

The fan fiction worked for me, started off posting that on the official forums, got picked up to do the occasional bit of writing and ended up working as a world builder /developer.

Ultimately I'd say go the Zootopia route and try everything.

Submit to any and all relevant compos, network so hard that if they think fan work, they think of you. All that kind of stuff.

Emergent projects can be worthwhile, I did work for a few video game projects that were strictly non profit entities. It's rewarding to get the work out and seen and it looks nice in the portfolio, but they were all the video game version of fan fiction, so no money to be made by anyone.

The one thing I would avoid as if it were spawned by hell's own flatulent arse would be anything that 'pays with exposure'. Unless it's something truly exceptional or something you really, really want to see your work in you shouldn't be giving away for free things that others will profit from. You are worth more than that.

I would say that besides working on your own portfolio, even if it doesn't get published, networking at conventions and getting your name out there is probably the best. Be honest with people, and offer to help playtest games etc.

Write, write and write some more. I've been writing games and fiction for thirty years. The self-publishing boom the Internet created gave me an outlet to start self-publishing some of my better designs and when I approached Osprey with a proposal about one of my existing game designs, they went right for it - mainly because my timing was perfect: they were on the lookout for a mech-based wargame when I got in touch and, thanks to my self-publishing, they were already aware of me.

Two years later: Horizon Wars.