Content Writing
On-Screen Text
Although the need for crisp writing is most evident within the confines of a cell phone screen, even players of big-budget PC and console games do not want to spend time reading when they could be playing.
Using the discipline learned from multiple phone game projects and years fitting text into boxes in the magazine industry, I ensure that every word earns its place and the text conveys its message with the maximum clarity in the minimum space.
Character Dialogue
Character dialogue has to advance plot and convey character simultaneously. It must also proceed directly from the events of the game and avoid confusing non sequiturs.
As an occasional radio and stage performer and voice talent on two published titles, I pay particular attention to what dialogue sounds like when read, so that the voice actor’s job is as easy as possible.
Barks are an art form all of their own. I was able to meet the requirement of one game for sixteen variations on “ouch!” per enemy type without resorting to gobbledegook or compromising the characters of the different classes of enemy.
Cinematic and Cut Scene Scripts
As in any kind of screenwriting, cinematic scripts must start from a visual standpoint and keep the viewer engaged while communicating their burden of information. Otherwise, players will simply click through them and the resources that went into their creation were wasted.
In-Game Encyclopedias
In-game encyclopedias are a great opportunity to convey information about the game setting as well as enemy types, weapons, and other game entities. As elsewhere, text must be clear and evocative at the same time.
1992: I created three near-future combat scenarios for the MicroProse flight sim Harrier Jump Jet, and wrote briefing text accompanied by fictional news reports to set the scene.
1995: Clipper Software contracted me to write conversation trees and item use effects for Touché: The Adventures of the Fifth Musketeer. This comedy-adventure game was published in 1996 by US Gold, and was compared favorably to the Monkey Island and Discworld series.
1996: Games4Girls.com praised the dialogue in Beyond the Limit: Ultimate Climb for making “the characters look, climb, walk and talk like real people with their own individual characteristics.”
1996: As part of my story contract, I wrote a series of voiceover scripts for the main character in Psygnosis’ SF gunship combat game G-Police.
1999: I created in-game encyclopedias for VR-1 Entertainment’s MMO titles Nomads of Klanth and The SARAC Project, published by AOL and So-Net Japan respectively.
2005: The Creative Assembly contracted me to write all the character dialogue for their console action game Spartan: Total Warrior.
2005: Bethesda Softworks contracted me to write in-game documents for their horror CRPG Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth after one of the writers at third-party developer HeadFirst left unexpectedly. Working remotely with the British team, I completed the assignment and the game received 8.3/10 on GameSpot.com.
2006-2009: I was contracted by cell phone game publisher Reaxion Corp (now PressOK Entertainment) to edit and rewrite text for six titles developed by their teams in Belarus. Working remotely with the development teams, I fitted the text to the screen and ensured that it was both clear and entertaining. Houdini’s Infinite Escapes received 4 stars on BlackBerry App World. IGN.com said of Detective Puzzles: “The writing and atmosphere is dead-on.” Parking Frenzy was rated 4.29/5 by MuchGames.com.
2009: THQ/ICE contracted me to edit and rewrite around 3,000 lines of dialogue from the imported Korean MMORPG Dragonica.
2010: Russian game developer AiLove contracted me to write all the text for their iPhone game Viking Tales: Mystery of Black Rock. Working remotely with the Moscow-based team using Google Docs for real-time collaboration, I completed the assignment and the game has garnered 5-star reviews on iTunes.
2011: Kabam, Inc contracted me to write content for an iPhone game using their Kingdoms of Camelot brand. More contracts followed and I wrote over 30,000 lines of on-screen text for five titles across three brands on three platforms.
