Game Writers SIG/Writing samples
International Game Developers Association
Richard Dansky on writing samples
Excerpted from an email to the Mailing List, Oct 21, 2008.
When I have solicited writing samples from candidates in the past, I have generally asked for three things:
- A dialogue sequence (and, if they're feeling perky, some additional "bark" dialogue to show they can handle generics with variety)
- A character writeup, complete with notes for voice recording
- A page of backstory/worldbuilding
It's not comprehensive, certainly, but it provides a good cross-section of the various skills needed in a majority of game writing circumstances, it keeps the scope of the sample under control, and it provides an easy way to pinpoint a candidate's strengths and weaknesses. The most important thing is that the samples be cogent to game writing. Even if all of your current samples are fiction, I think it's worthwhile to create samples of the sort of writing that actually gets used in game production. These will demonstrate your interest in game writing on its own merits, provide potential employers with an easier method of assessing you, and get you more ready for the tasks ahead than straight prose -- no matter how good -- might.
Stephen E. Dinehart on writing samples
Excerpted from an email to the Mailing list, Oct. 22, 2008.
I find that if I provide the proper samples, the job "testing" phase tends to be more direct, and the time to interview is much shorter.
- Provide a variety of styles and genres.
- Keep them brief, 1-3 pages per sample should suffice.
- Try to make the samples pertinent to game writing (game types, formatting).
- If applying for a specific studio/game, remember to address their needs, wants, and likes, via your samples.
Those are my primary pointers. I think the samples I provide might vary from a game writer, as I am aiming for Narrative Design positions. The best info I can give you about that is to think about the storytelling devices used in a particular game, or ones you'd like to use, and makes you samples based on those devices.
