“The Writing Game” - Introduction to a New Series
Short Intro
The imminent release of my debut sci-fi novel “Birds of Paradise” has made me think about my writing process a lot, and ponder how it relates to my career in video games. A simple enough question, but a certain amount of introspection revealed a metaphorical iceberg worth of answers, bobbing dangerously under the surface. Much to tackle there, but one aspect stands out; namely, a realisation that there is a positive feedback loop between my writing projects and game dev work. Both disciplines benefit each other.
An easy statement to make, but it’s much more useful if I can provide practical and actionable examples of this process, right? It’s all about the HOW.
Well, exactly. Since agreeing with my own statements is a bit self-congratulatory, I decided to put words into action and started a new series of articles that set out clear examples of HOW this might apply, at least in my own experience.
It’s called “The Writing Game” which is a lot shorter than “How WRITING makes me a better game developer, and how DEVELOPING GAMES makes me a better writer” which was the original title
And the first instalment, “The Writing Game - Of Pants and Outlines” , has mostly been written, and will be published here soon. It’s about the pros and cons of meticulous planning and outlining vs more freeform writing and development, and looks into how both styles can be accommodated in a project.
(Pants !!! tehee!)
(The intro above is probably fine as is, but I ended up writing a rather lengthier version as well, which can be read below:)
Not Short Intro - (just... indulge me)
The other day I was called a “veteran” game developer by an unnamed person, and although that description made me grumble a bit about “not being that old” (I am), I realised that it’s not an unfair description. The truth of the matter is that I’ve been working as a professional game developer in the UK for almost a quarter century, in all kinds of roles for several copmpanies (before starting my own, and worked on a great variety of titles. (I have the scars and stories to prove it.)
Before “going pro”, I made games as an enthusiast, starting as far back as the mid 80s. I’ve been making games in one form or another for about 40 years. (Yes, I’m that old)
However, it was never my ambition to be a professional game developer. I never even considered the possibility of such a thing until my late 20s. It simply wasn’t considered a potential career in the 80s and 90s in the Netherlands, so I just never pursued it. That is, until I learned that things were different in the UK, which had a thriving and mature video games industry, and miraculously found a games job in London at Douglas Adams’ games company the Digital Village. (I’ll talk more about that another time.)
No, my real dream was to be a writer. And like most aspiring writers, it started out with reading. I was a typical, nerdy, insatiable reader from a very young age, especially sci fi, fantasy and horror, but also books on mythology, space exploration, euro comics, superhero comics, and various other pulpy endeavours. So much so that my local library gave me special dispensation (and a cool library card) to take out books from the adult section. Dem were the days, I tells ya!
I’m one of those poor sods afflicted with that famous “restless creative” gene, which ensured that a desire to read also came with a desire to write. Luckily, as a game designer I often had the opportunity to work on game stories and lore and other such things. But writing for games comes with its own pitfalls and peculiarities and while that has its own charm, I eventually felt the need to do the kind of writing I fell in love with from a very young age. Wonderfully garish paperbacks filled with big sci-fi, epic fantasy, supernatural horror, and so on. You know, classic books!
Initially, I took a detour where I wrote a bunch of screenplays (again, another story) but I finally arrived at a point where I just wanted to create something by myself, written for fans of my favourite genres. Something I would love reading myself. That wish turned into a big fat sci-fi novel called “Birds of Paradise” and is about to be released by Elsewhen Press - my wonderful publishers who I cannot praise enough. (they pay me to say that)*
For the curious; a while ago I wrote an announcement post for BoP here in which, among other things, I talk about why I write and why I think writing makes me a better person. Please check it out.
Either way, it took a while to write that novel and it taught me a lot. I had previously written a text book on level design, and have had some of my short horror stories published by Demain Publishing. I have finished a second novel, historical this time, set in 1630s Japan, and have written numerous screenplays.
Now, to come to the crux of the story: Every single one of those writing projects has made me a better game developer. And conversely: Every game I have developed has made me a better writer.
This realisation intrigued me so much that I decided to explore my thoughts on how and why that is the case, in practical and clear terms so I could understand it better. Soon enough it dawned on me that this information could be useful for other writers and game developers, and that I should formalise these ideas into a series of articles, published online.
And behold, a new series is borne! And I name thee: “The writing Game”
Initially I was going to separate the articles into two distinct categories:
- Game dev knowledge applied to writing
- Writing knowledge applied to game dev
While some articles will follow that format, there will be articles where a more symbiotic relationship between writing and gamedev is described, useful to people in either discipline. For now at least, I’ll just write the articles as they come.
Some areas that I am interested in covering include the following:
- World Building Methodoly
- Applying Video Game System Design Techniques to Books
- Level Design Relates to Game Design, like Plot Relates to Story
- First Drafts - First Playable
- How Understanding Tutorial Design Can Supercharge Your Novel
Anyway, this second intro has probably outstayed its welcome, a cardinal sin in writing and gamedev alike, so let me finish up by announcing the title of the first instalment, soon available here: “The Writing Game - Of Pants and Outlines”
See you there.
* They don’t