Lol, It's so funny to read this, I don't want to sound as a troll, because I'm not, but I think everyone here talks about something they (to be sincere) don't have a clue about what are you talking about?
Lol, Writing for videogames is COMPLETELY DIFERENT from a Book, a Movie or whoever you put me as example of good writing.
In literature, I can only name Three examples of writing (books) that can be suited for videogames:
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertext_fictionHypertext fiction is the closest the literature can be with videogames, It's in a blurry line with videogames, as visual novels (lol, lot of echi and H-games) proves.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choose_Your_Own_AdventureChoose your own adventure I think everyone played it as a kid, another way to show you how complex is the story in a player's driven adventure.
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Now, THE ONLY,
THE CHOSEN ONE, whoever...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RayuelaRayuela of Julio Cortazar, It shows that videogame writing is posible, a book that you can read in any order (There's like three basic ways -orders- to read it in the book's index).
If you haven't read it, you can't speak about writing for videogames (so STFU).
You always talk about novels writers, but I told you: Fuck them! I think any TV show writer, movie screenwriter or novel writer would be fucked up trying to write a book like Julio Cortazar 50 years ago.
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But the problem with videogames is even more complex, even if you make something like Rayuela you would suck making it as a videogame, why... because of a simple word:
INTERACTIVITY
Remember this:
A GAME DOESN'T NEED STORY, ONLY INTERACTIVITYYeah, remember: most great games of all times doesn't have a great story:
-) Fucking TETRIS, man!
-) Pac-man
-) Any Fucking Street Fighter II clon (kof 98/2002, EFZ).
-) Any racing game (lol, Mario Kart)
-) First Doom.
-) Any sports game (lol, soccer, Maiden, NFL)
-) Age of Empire II.
-) Lol, Any shoot'em up.
-) Mario Bross (Super Mario World/ 3)
-) Nintendogs, wii fit plus.
-) Any 70-NES games.
-) Contra (NES)
-) Metroid (SNES/NES)
-) Driver 2 (psone)
-) The sims
Any more examples?, yeah, my favorites:
-) Castlevania SOTN (psone)
One of my favorites games ever, why?... It was non-linear, It gives you a free liberty and didn't have any cutscenes in the middle of the game. For me there's no better example and definition of what a good videogame is and should be.
-) Final Fantasy VI (SNES).
Why... well, because of non-linear gameplay, even if it was a linear story, but It gives you a free liberty and didn't have any cutscenes in the middle of the game, only dialogs. It's non-linear (remember... after the world is destroyed and you can choose which character you want to rescue with celes in a non-linear order).
-) Freaking MINECRAFT!!!
There's no better example why a videogame doesn't need a linear story and linear path.
Just non-linear gameplay and 100% interactivity. Lol, I wonder why it's so popular.
Tell me, What's the diference between watching a walkthrough in youtube of any linear story driven game like Metal Gear solid 4, Uncharted 2, Final Fantasy XIII?
I told you: It's the Interactivity that makes a game, not their fucking cut-scenes that makes them an interactive movie.
I can tell you, I love some game's designers
crazy idea that tells that the actual story of a game is made by the gameplay (yes, the players playing)
An example?
I can't think any writer could script this:
Yeah, Imagine that fight as a RPG boss, a writer couldn't designed (pre-scripted) and make it as amazing as is in the video.
Another example?
That's why I love this game, each time I play that game is diferent (the story is diferent), yeah, we call it "speed run" but actually it's the story of the player acting or reenacting that game.
I can tell you the same with another final example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRnhHvHexsMNow you understand?
A story in a videogame is made by the actual decisions of the player, not how good the event's are placed and his shitty dialog.
Do you need any probe? Well... what about Metroid M? or trying to play Dead space the 3rd time?
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That's why I told you a game writer needs no only to know how to write, but also needs to know how to design, because story and gameplay are in reality one.
When you do that, when you design is based on a concept and you farm the idea, make it grow, you can make really strong things:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3o0HFXPfcoSome people cry playing that game, other's didn't, some say it make them appreciated their lifes... blah, blah, blah.
Maybe the game is poor, low graphics, low interactivity. But It really shows when a game is well designed around an idea, fusing gameplay mechanics and USING THE WRITING SKILL to give them meaning that videogames shine as a medium, not just cloning others games or putting togheter gameplay mechanics that doesn't fit togheter well.
Other example?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boPHncFbmIINow you see the real power of videogames, they shine when you don't try to make them as movies, well because... THEY'RE NOT FUCKING MOVIES, THEY'RE INTERACTIVE (and non-linear).
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Yeah, also the writer need to know how to pseudocode, he doesn't need to be a programmer, but he need's at least to make a design (pseudocode) that could be easily implemented by the coders of the game.
Yeah, this part is important, it allow to the writer to create things like events engine (not just brench trees dialogs) and to ask things like this:
-) "Realistic NPC behaviour" (Seek in google, there's a lot of academic writings about how to implement that in a engine or game)
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///****/////Well, I think you understand now that videogames need writers, that:
MANDATORY-) that can design games (so they can make non-linear stories and mix gameplay with story)
-) that know how to code at least a Tetris game (they don't need to be programmers, but they need to understand the engineering part of making events, posibilities and limits of the engine, just to understand technical stuff in the videogame, lol, RPG maker stuff)
NOT MANDATORY, but extremely usefull-) can at least know to draw (so they can give a better idea for the designers and artist of the game)
-) To know about History, science, art history, literature, politics, economics (Well... to make the world and character background)
-) know about music (Well to expresse better the feeling of the scene to the composers of the game, telling them: "This should sound like this")
Seek a book called "Creating Emotion in Games: The Craft and Art of Emotioneering" of David Freeman for more info about writing for videogames.
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That's why just hiring a book writer or (cinema) writer is not just enough, and There's this feeling that games cannot have good story, because generally all the team dev doesn't know about the special needs of a game story.
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I feel like I wanted to write this a long time ago.
If you want copy paste this shit to your blog, other forums, etc.
made by Filosofiamanga
Sorry if I sound like a troll, to much 4chan, lol.