How To Become A Video Game Writer
Meet Darby McDevitt, Video Game Writer
Darby McDevitt is a scriptwriter for the hugely successful Assassin’s Creed series of games. But he doesn’t only write for games. He’s also released several prose fiction works, has been published in national literary journals and anthologies, and has released several music albums. He’s also written, produced, directed, or designed the audio for a number of successful films.
That should give you a hint about how Darby approaches his career: passionately. The best way to get good at something like writing for video games is to do it, and do it a lot.
Darby talks with us today about how his passion for learning new things and taking on more responsibility got him into the game industry – and continues to open new doors. It’s a lesson he hopes you’ll take to heart.
How would you describe what you do every day as a Video Game Writer?
My daily workload fluctuates wildly depending on what stage my project is in.
In the early, conception phase of a new game I spend most of my time reading, researching, taking notes, and discussing my findings with the game- and mission-designers. We use this time to figure out what sort of game we’re making, how much writing it needs (narrative and incidental) and how we are going to tell our story and communicate our ideas.
In the production phase of the project, I am writing furiously while working with mission designers on a daily basis to make sure my ideas fuse perfectly with theirs. I also work directly with the cinematics department, rehearsing with the actors and brainstorming with the directors — but this is fairly unique to the heavily narrative-driven franchise I write for.
In the later stages of production, I am furiously proofreading and playtesting to make sure my work is well represented.
How did you get your job as a Game Writer?
I had a few lucky breaks which resulted in me getting a writing gig. In the early 2000s, full time game writing gigs were somewhat uncommon. But when the opportunity presented itself, I had most of the prerequisites needed to convince people I could do the job.
For one, I was already a writer, with a few published short stories to my name. Two, I had some design experience, and enough coding experience that programmers didn’t frighten me. Three, I said yes to every writing task offered to me, and sought out others when I had free time.
Good writing is something many small design teams prioritize last on their big to do lists — game design must always come first — so it’s actually quite easy to offer your services as a writer, even when your official job is something else. It never hurts to ask for more responsibility.
What’s your favorite part of the job?
In my specific case, writing for Assassin’s Creed, I love the extensive research we do before we make any new game. When we finally dive into production, I am passionate about writing dialog. I love the sound, and feel, and scent of good writing, so I take great care to make every sentence a masterpiece.
I also love working with actors to get my dialog off the page and into the atmosphere. My background in theatre makes me especially appreciative of thespians.
What aspect of the job would be surprising to people looking in from the outside?
The radically collaborative nature of making a game is often hard for people to grasp from the outside. Good ideas come from everywhere, and everyone on the team must be receptive and open to them if they want the game to succeed. I get some of my best story, character, and line ideas from designers, artists, and animators… and have contributed a number of design and art ideas as well.
It does nobody any good to be closed off in this industry. If you think only about your little slice of the pie, your narrow discipline, you will miss the bigger picture and possible harm the final quality of the game.
What kinds of talents and personality does it take to succeed as a Game Writer?
A strange brew of confidence, thick-skin, and humility is needed to succeed in this job. Be confident about your work and your opinion, but realize that it is only one small part of a larger whole. Sometimes you’ll need to sacrifice your best ideas in service of the larger goal.
You must also have the fortitude and constitution to work, and re-work, and re-re-work your writing to suit the evolving nature of the game. All games change over the course of their development cycle, and writing is often the first to suffer.
Thankfully, writing is also the easiest to change (before any actors get their hands on it, anyway) so you must be flexible and willing to work hard.
What advice would you give to somebody who’s thinking about becoming a Video Game Writer?
Number one, make your own games. Small ones, if necessary. The world is full of great tools for burgeoning game writers and designers — GameMaker, Unity 3D, etc. — so just dive in and make a little game. This will look incredibly impressive to a prospective employer.
Number two, learn a trade other than writing. Probably design or coding. If you can’t talk with game designers on their level, you’ll be in a much worse position on the project.
What would you recommend for education, books, or other learning to start down the Game Writer career path?
Ralph Koster’s book A Theory of Fun is one you’ll hear tossed around a lot, and for good reason. It’s engaging, accessible and short. Rules of Play is another academic-flavoured tome it wouldn’t hurt to read.
In terms of writing education, I’m a bit of an oddball in this regard. I think Modernist and post modernist experimental writers — like Joyce, Beckett, Paley, Barthelme, and Lydia Davis – offer the best preparation for learning to write in games. Understanding their unique approaches to literature will improve the quality of your writing while getting you in the habit of thinking outside the box.
In games, writing comes in all forms. It helps to be experimental. To be sure, classic plot-driven novels can be fun too, especially if they have crackling dialog, like a Raymond Chandler novel. But narrative-driven games make up only a fraction of the total types of games found in the wild.
Also, take some coding or digital art classes in university. They’ll help tremendously, even if you don’t major in them.
And lastly, play games with a critical eye. Not to determine how good or bad they are, but to understand how they work and why they keep players attracted.
Check out Darby’s books on Lulu. If this advice was helpful, please return the favor by sharing on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.
Read my new book!
Making games for a living is an incredibly rewarding career, but it’s hard to break in unless you have insider knowledge. This book levels the playing field.
Thank you so much, This was incredibly helpful
This was a lot of help! This is exactly what I want to do in the industry so this was really helpful, thanks!
That’s great to hear, Kieran, I’m glad you stopped by. Best of luck with your writing career!
Thanks! Helpful tips! This is a career that sounds appealing to me, cheers.
It sounds like game writing and game designing are very similar. I was looking to become a game designer due to the fact that I was able to make the story but it seems like that’s what game writers do. Is it realistic to think that I can make the plot and story by being a game designer or should I consider switching to game writer?
Thanks!
Hi Lance, you’re right that game designer and game writer are different jobs. However, most game companies don’t hire full-time writers – most of them either hire writers on an as-needed contract basis, or else they have their game designers do the writing. Very few companies have enough writing work to actually keep a full-time writer on staff.
thanks a lot…i love writing but i hate coding ..i should try digital art classes
This is very helpful! I’m currently in school for liberal arts, but I already have skill in digital art. I probably will take some classes like that over the summer so that I can be prepare for that. Thank you so much!
Thanks! This is incredibly helpful. I’ve always wondered how exactly to break into this industry, specifically from a writing standpoint, and this was exactly what I needed to read. I only have one question: What is the format of the writing within the industry (is it similar to Scriptwriting, or closer to Fiction styles)?
I’m glad this was helpful! There’s no standard format, some studios may have a scriptwriting style for in-depth cinematics, but most are less regimented. I wouldn’t be concerned about the exact style, because you can easily adapt to whatever style happens to be in use.
This is generally pretty helpful advice! My only issue here is, honestly, that I already finished college. I have a B.A. in Writing; it’s a little too late for me to go back to my university and get more than the one C++ class I took under my belt, let alone any sort of game design or digital art course (the former was not something my university even offered).
So what can I do aside from writing and working on getting things published?
First of all, congratulations on getting your B.A.! That’s a great start. Now you could focus on 1) learning game design on your own by making a small video game, 2) writing some short fiction that would show game studios your writing ability, and 3) start doing career networking to meet people in the game industry such as writers and game designers. You may be able to apply for entry-level game design positions, which would be a good start as Darby mentions in the article. I wish you luck!
Hi! I’m interested into getting into some kind of writing, what kind of schooling is necessary to get a job at a big company? I write many small fiction stories on my own. What will help me be successful? Thank you so much x
All the writing that you do will help you become a better writer, and will add to your portfolio that employers will evaluate when you apply for jobs. So yes, keep writing those short fiction pieces. As far as schooling, any kind of writing or literature will be helpful. Also, learn as much as you can about the process of game design and game development. You’re heading in the right direction!
Hi, whats the salary range? Its for school.
Game tester salary figures are here: Game Tester Salary
I want to be a writer for video games. I have a love and passion for writing and playing video games. I have actually started to write a book last year but need some inspiration to keep working on it. It’s hard to come up with ideas. This has provided me with much needed information and I was having trouble finding it.
Thanks.
That’s great, Lee, I’m glad this was helpful. Best of luck with your book!
This is a great article, I have always wanted to be involved in the gaming industry in some capacity, but never knew where to start. Do you know if Game Design requires heavy math skills, its not really my forte.
Thanks!
Hi Blake! Good news – game design does not require heavy math skills. (BTW, I was pretty bad at math when I was younger, I got better with more practice – you probably will too. :))
Thank you very much, you helped me a lot! I’m thinking about whether non-native English speakers have a chance to become international video game writer. For example, I’m Hungarian but I can speak English (and little Japanese), too. I have passion and lots of ideas (I think I could provide at least 5-6 games or more right now), but I don’t really know if I could be emplyoed by any game developing companies. Would they give me a chance to work for them even if my mother tongue isn’t English?
Thank you very much for our help in advance!
Hi Katalin, I think it could be difficult to get a job as a writer in a language that you may not have strong fluency. But it doesn’t hurt to try – unless a job posting says something like “requires native English speaker” then you can still apply. I wish you luck!
I have a homework assignment due for a college class on September 4th 2016. And I was thinking of using something like this for it. But I am also kind of curious of what date the interview actually occurred on for copyright purposes of course and all that other legal stuff or whatever it is called.
Hi Patrick, this interview was published on February 26, 2014. But usually when you cite a website in a paper, you put the date you accessed the page not the date published, since web pages change all the time. Best of luck with your paper!
I was wondering…what subjects did you complete at school and University before you became a game writer? Is English one of the key courses to take at Uni, or is it more your practical application of writing that you need?
Darby completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in English, and then worked in games as Level Designer / Producer. He later earned an additional degree, an M.A. of Anglo-Irish Literature and Drama, before becoming a full-time game writer. You can see his full resume at https://ca.linkedin.com/in/darbymcdevitt.
Thanks so much! This was extremely helpful. I was not sure if a video game writer was an actual job, but I want to do it and this gave me a lot of advice and inspiration. I’m still worried about finding a job, though…
Getting jobs isn’t the hard part – the hard work goes into learning how to write, writing a lot, and becoming good at it. Keep in mind that writing for video games isn’t the only job that you could do as a writer. Many people who write for games also do other types of freelance writing jobs such as screenwriting, speech writing, comedy, books, and journalism.
Thanks!
Hi Jason. I’ve been coding for over twenty years and I’ve recently completed my MA in Creative Writing. I want a career change and I feel that a move into video game writing would be perfect for me. Are there any tips you could give me?
Hi Amanda, congrats on your MA! Starting as a game writer can be tricky until you pull together a small fiction portfolio, but you may be able to leverage your coding skills to start out on a smaller game team in a design/scripting/writing role. There are a few other tips here: How to write for video games.
To someone who has the idea for game play concepts and story should I look more into design rather than writing the two seem very parallel from the outside.
Hi Robare, there is some overlap between Writer and Designer. At smaller studios, the game designers might also do all the writing. If you’re just starting your career, I’d recommend looking into game design as a starting point, but also continue working on your writing skills.
I was wondering what are the universities you could recommend for becoming a video game writer? and the one you liked and if they helped.
I’m 17 and got inspired to become a video game writer because of the game life is strange PLEASE TELL ME YOU KNOW WHAT GAME THAT IS
Hi Cody, I don’t know of any universities specifically for game writing. The game writers I know went to school for degrees like English Literature, Creative Writing, or Journalism. A few went to school for Game Design. I hope that’s helpful! (I’ve never played Life Is Strange, but it sounds amazing!)
Hi Jason,
I am 17 years old. I have a few questions to ask.
1) Is writing any story involves any restriction on age?
2) Can a person do head-start in a AAA industry?
3) I start to write the games but leave them and move onto another one. Tell me how to stay focused.
Apart from the questions, I have skills in 3d design, 3d sculpting and coding in C++ as well. Any tips are welcome!
Hi Harris, here are some answers for you.
1) To get a job writing for games, you’ll need to be at least legal working age in your country. Additionally, it’s uncommon for game studios to hire people under 18 years old.
2) The way to get a head start in games, is to start (and try to finish!) some game-related projects on your own. It sounds like you’re going the right direction, by working on game projects, learning 3D art, and coding. That will all come in handy.
3) That’s a common problem for many people (myself included). You can make it easier on yourself by making small games that you can finish quickly. You could also try doing mods instead of full games, since those offer similar experience but can usually be finished faster.
sir,i am a college student doing B.tech but in summer vacations i write some story for games so i want to give my story to games developer not for money at starting.so,how can i send my story to game producing compnies.
Hi Vishal, unfortunately game companies do not use stories from the public. They either write their own stories, or they license stories which have already proved successful as a book, movie, or TV series. Sorry for the bad news!
Hi Jason,
I had a few questions for you. Let me set a quick picture for you first. I’m in the military and I’m closing in on 30 years old. I did a lot of online role playing when I was initially in college some years back and fell in love with creative writing then. I’ve since gotten away from that now but I’m still very passionate about wanting to be a writer but for video games specifically. I plan to go back to school after my contract is up and get a creative writing degree. With that in mind, what are some things that would be a good investment of time to get started on now working towards my future goals? And what are some of the best ways to build yourself up as the most marketable individual that you can be in order to crack into the industry (not limited to just writing for games)?
When you apply for game jobs, the most important thing is to show you can actually do the work. So if you want a job as a writer, you need to have a body of creative writing work you can show. It doesn’t need to be “professional” (paid) work — it could, for example, be short stories that you publish on your own website or a site like Medium. There are many aspiring game writers who “have a lot of ideas” but haven’t actually completed anything, so you can put yourself ahead of the competition simply by starting and finishing some writing projects.
Hi. I’m 24 and I’m a film director. The thing is, what I’ve been doing through my life, was gaming and write stories. Now I realised it’s time to mix those two together for my ultimate career desire. Writing and gaming. I have no knowledge about coding or design. Is there a chance for a guy like me to write sagas and stories? If yes how can I get started?
To get a job as a game writer, you’ll need to show potential employers proof that you’re a talented creative writer, so that’s where you should start. You can do that by self-publishing stories on the web, or by working as a writer on indie/hobbyist game projects. It’s also helpful to have some experience or knowledge about game design, because writers work closely with game designers, and it’s necessary that the design influences the story and vice versa.
Hi!
I sent a “GDD” of continuation to series x to company y with the rights for the franchise, also to a couple of plausible studios for the actual possible making, of course.
The GDD, 174 pages (and this is the guestion), includes also key cinematics, character design, gameplay concepts and implementation, environment description etc. to give the “bigger picture”, AND it has a lot of detail, but leaving (of course) room for imagination and things to add. I wrote it almost like a book, or maybe like a play, but with different setions for gameplay etc. included also.
My biggest worry is now, is it too LONG, or “wrong kind of” document (word; proofread 6-3 times depending on part)? I’m confident in the “product” itself, since I imagined through everything I wrote, cried and laughed and swore doing it, and the series itself was decently profitable in its time (but made with low budget at the time, games selling about 2 million copies each, with budgets about just about 1 million per game! Talking about xbox360, wii etc. combined!)
So… how, if ever, can I even make the devs read through it? If I told them I can pay for them to read it, will it just sound stupid? I’m very confident about it alright, I spent 750 hours with it so far, and the plot is great and leaves room for sequels, and leaves you wanting for more (I didn’t ‘spoil’ everything in it). The gameplay could be very, Very good also (I’d play it!), BUT the budget for the game probably would be in the class ~50 million in the optimal case (a lot, I know – but, the franchise is very popular at the moment too)
So… too much? How to get them to read it? Wrong format (book/play combined)?
I’m sorry for this long post… the same problem as with the GDD itself I bet 😀
btw I study molecular biosciences, I’m not a game dev, and I’m only 23 years old. But, that being said, I poured my heart and soul into this GDD, sometimes 19 hours a day… I hope it works!
Hi Antton, I’m going to start with the bad news: game studios don’t generally use stories/designs from non-employees, so unfortunately I don’t think there’s much of a chance they will take you up on this offer. But there’s some good news: Very few people actually do the work to write and detail at the level you’ve done, so I think that will look very good on a resume if you apply for jobs as a game designer. You may or may not be able to get a job at “company y,” but if you apply for game designer jobs, your document could be a great resume piece!
What to study in college to became a video game story writer?
Creative writing, literature, film/cinema, and game design, would all be good places to start.
Very handy. Writing would be my preferred avenue, if I could gauge the kind of speed they’d expect you to work at. I’ve made a note of the books. Hope the drafts don’t pile too high.
Thanks for sharing these experiences and knowledges!
I’ve just started to write a book, after writing tales and other kinds of texts on my blog.
Now, I wanna do it professionally… and to become a video game writer looks like a nice idea 🙂
Hi Pablo, writing books is fun, challenging, and super rewarding. I wish you the best with your book!
Hello Jason!
Would fiction works ranging from a couple of pages to 80+ chapters be elligible as proof of writing skills if referred to in a CV? I have a BA in English language and literature, I teach, translate etc. but would like to write in gaming industry. You’re saying it would be awesome to get some practical knowledge in game design and coding before applying anywhere, right?
Hi Anita, yes, if you already have several good writing samples, definitely put those into your online portfolio and link to it from your resume and job applications. Beyond that, you could start applying for jobs now.
Hello Jason
I don’t have a thing for coding or game design, but I want to create stories for games, could I make stories for another thing like a cartoon and then make them for video games if the opportunity comes up?
Hi Tahj, writing and storytelling are skills that take a lot of time and effort to develop, so anything you can do to start out would be good. Writing your own comic books, short stories, etc. will help you develop your skills, and will be the start of your writing portfolio! Both of those things will help you to eventually get a job writing for games.
I’m in community college right now and I was wondering, do you even need to go to college at all to get a job in game writing? I get that having a major in English can help but what if I don’t have that? I’m 18 and want to write/design games but I’m not sure where to start or even how I would write and make that into my own game. I basically just started learning about different writing jobs in general and just don’t know where to begin. Any help would be appreciated.
Hi Jesse, you can find out what kinds of education is (or isn’t) being required, by looking online for job postings at game companies. They’ll usually have a “Requirements” or “Education Requirements” section. Not all companies require a degree, but getting a degree can be a good way to 1) learn how to write better, 2) start building a portfolio of finished work, and 3) meet other writers who can help you find jobs after you graduate.