Thick or Thin: Game Writing

Poll: New Systems

2010-07-29T13:17:00.000-07:00

I know this is a writing site, but I'm just curious to how you all feel about the new interactive consoles.

If you've ever met me, you'll know I don't like them. I don't even really like the Wii still. I don't feel like waving my arms around to play a game. I want to lay back with a huge bag of M'Ms. Vitual reality is what arcades are for.

My problem with Kinect and Move is that they are 1, not new ideas; and 2, not targeted at their main demographic. How about instead of copying Nintendo's ideas you come up with something fun and exciting for the proper demographic?

PS3 and XBox are mainly for hardcore gamers. There are a few casual gamers within the mix, but ultimately casual gamers (to which motion sensor junk appeals) aren't going to spend that extra cash on something the Wii can do. And from what I hear, what the Wii can do BETTER.

And with as tacky as game writing is on the Wii, I fear for the writing about to reveal itself. Not that I don't mind some fun casual writing (I mean, check out my reviews. I'm not as hardcore as I think I am.) but at the same time, I think the writing element is just going to get lazy.

What do you guys think? Besides your view on the console themselves, how do you think the writing will be affected?

Who Wants to Go to the Library?

2010-07-28T14:12:00.000-07:00

That question barely receives a “yes” in the real world, so I find myself stumped at why game creators think it's a good idea to put libraries in games.

Libraries are an attempt to give a player more information about a game world, in hopes that it'll make it more immersive. Most RPG libraries consist of history, news, and the creator's own version of fan fiction. I barely read history in reality. What makes game creators think I'll read it in a fantasy world where my only goal is to get enough cash to buy that super cool weapon that'll cut through a bus?

Let's take a look at different types of libraries in games.

Examples of Good Libraries:

Sims
These are there for two reasons: skills and entertainment. In the Sims 3, this comes in handy because you save a ton of money on buying books for skills. Also, these libraries have computers to perform extra tasks.

Harvest Moon
Great reference tool. Harvest Moon's library is for what plants grow when. It tells you how to play mini games, how to plant crops, and you can actually meet people in there.

Tomb Raider
Each book in Lara's Mansion in Tomb Raider: Anniversary has a clue to solving the next puzzle. Without the books, it makes it harder to play the game. The books actually have purpose and are necessary.

Examples of Bad Libararies:

Legend of Legaia
I'm in the middle of a mist-ridden society, trying to find an exit; I'm not going to read your stupid diary. Legend of Legaia's libraries are of little use. They are mainly people's diaries about the mist, or just useless information that I can't do anything with. The only positive point to these libraries is sometimes you find new battle combinations. That's really about it.

Legend of Dragoon
The main library in the game is full of information. Information I care nothing about. I've all ready sat through some elder giving me a “in the beginning” speech, and I don't feel like sitting through more of it. Long narrative CGs + giant libraries = zzzzzzz

Oregon Trail Version 745 (Or however many they have now)
This is a menu option in the game, where you can study different diseases and treatments according to the time period. As informative as this is, HOLY CRAP there's a lot to look at. None of this information, however, is incredibly critical to the game. You still get bitten by a snake and die.

My problem isn't with RPGs trying to get across more information. My problem is how loquacious game creators feel like being when they make libraries. The point of a game is to play. If you want to write fan fiction, put it on the internet like everyone else.

Ways to Get Across Information:
There are different ways to get across game world history in a game without resorting to long winded libraries:

Dialogue
If the information is critical to the story, slip it into the dialogue. Not with a “in the beginning” CG, but with a simple, “Remember how...” or “We haven't had a famine this bad since [this event in history].”

Townsfolk
Townsfolk are notorious for useless information. Short bouts of useless information. If you're going to give out non-essential information, the best thing to do it to keep it short and coming out of crazy, useless people.

Letters
Instead of having characters find diaries or go to libraries, have them find single sheets of paper in offices and houses that explain things. This increases the entertainment value and still gets the point across.

If you want libraries in your game, I have nothing against you. Just know that I probably won't be stopping by.

Libraries in games should be more for reference then anything. References like synthesizing and alchemy, battle strategy, and simple gameplay are easy to put in libraries without boring the player to death.

Save libraries. Keep them useful.

Prompt: Rewrite the Opening

2010-03-24T12:42:00.000-07:00

Just a fun little exercise to work the mind a bit.

An opening CG scene is tricky. It needs to tempt the player to play the game, it needs to set up the mood for the entire game, and it needs to give an insight into what the game is about.

Your prompt: Rewrite the opening to this FMV from God of War:

Couple Spotlight: The Prince and Farah

2010-03-13T15:23:00.000-08:00

Couple Chemistry Spotlight
Farah and the Prince of Persia
Games: Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, Prince of Persia: Two Thrones

Nothing like two enemies brought together because everyone else has turned into sand-zombies.

The Prince (who has no name, despite the movie coming out this summer) is a glory-seeker who steals Farah's father's enchanted dagger. Not knowing the power of the dagger, The Prince unleashes a powerful spell, turning everyone into sand monsters.

Farah is the warrior-like (even while slightly anorexic) daughter of the Maharajah, trying to undo the damage The Prince has done. She is just as bold and verbal as The Prince, making her a challenging yet valuable companion.

What Works:
The tension between these two is incredible. Two rivals with the same goal, with neither really trusting the other. However, due to the circumstances, they are forced to rely upon one another, and fight constantly with their attraction to each other. This makes for an interesting back and forth.

Their personalities make for quite the comedy as well. The Prince is wildly sarcastic and impatient, while Farah is bossy and independent. She is prone to showing her delicate, poetic side, which frustrates The Prince in the current situation. This really brings out their personalities in the game, making them more alive to the player.

What Doesn't Work:
Two things stand out in this game that bother me. I would like to say that one of them is the small amount of time it takes for Farah and The Prince to fall in love, but I can't really say that considering Hollywood can have people in love and married in an hour and a half. My problem with the speed of the romance is not so much in the timing of the game itself, but more or less in the reasons why they fall for each other so fast.

It doesn't take Farah long to call The Prince “my love.” For what reasons, I have no idea. This is what bothers me. Sure, they have chemistry, but if some guy took me captive, stole my father's property, and turned the world into an I Am Legend nightmare, there is no way I'd call him “my love” because he's got a pretty face.

Secondly, when The Prince first meets Farah, he says he trusts no one, then tells her to wait for him. Considering Farah is after the dagger, you would think he would more or less ditch her then tell her to wait for him.

Lesson:
Farah and The Prince work fantastically together because of two major things: their individual personalities and the tension of the plot. Their individual personalities bring about drama and comedy, while the plot makes their situation more suspenseful.

Other Notes: I have to say, Sands of Time has one of the best endings. Dramatic, comedic, and sets up nicely for the sequel. I'm slightly disappointed that Two Thrones didn't have as awesome of an ending as Sands of Time.

Special thanks to dks71 for his awesome walkthrough!

Also, who else is totally excited about the movie coming out?
(Turn down the sound before watching!)

Split Reason

2010-03-03T10:13:00.001-08:00

Check out Splitreason.com , an apparel site for gamers.

As a customer myself, I can tell you that they have great t-shirts and gift items for all types of gamers.

And if you're an artist with a great idea for a shirt, contribute! You could see your design on their site, up for sale. And if you're not an artist, you can still contribute ideas for an artist to pick up!

Look at some of the great products below:

Shoot Like a Girl baby tee design @ © SplitReason.com

I Hear Idiots t-shirt design @ © SplitReason.com

Linked t-shirt design @ © SplitReason.com

Zombie Pwnage t-shirt design @ © SplitReason.com

CAD - Volume 1 Comic Book design @ © SplitReason.com

Mana mug design @ © SplitReason.com

Check out more at: splitreason.com

Prompt: Speech Patterns

2010-03-02T22:40:00.000-08:00

People have tons of different speech patterns. They're really hard to think of them off the top of your head for new characters though.

Ever notice that one public speaker that can't stop saying "um?" Or the little cousin you have that says, "like" every other word? And all of us know-- or are-- that person who can use the F-Bomb as a verb, interjection, and adjective in every sentence.

Your assignment: Make a list of different speech patterns you hear around you.

Talk to your family. Talk to the friends you pretend to like. Evesdrop on people. (Evesdropping is a great tool for writers, just FYI.)

I used to have a teacher that said "Curious" whenever something didn't make sense. I have a friend that says "Frack." Some people add plurals to things that aren't plural.

Speech patterns aren't narrowed down to just phrases or single words used in a sentence. Yoda had that whole word dyslexia thing going on. I tend to use improper grammar and verb tenses on purpose. (If you've met me, you've probably heard me say, "There you is!")

Speech patterns are a great way to make your characters come alive. Make a list and then use it!

Script Frenzy in April!

2010-03-02T16:27:00.000-08:00

Script Frenzy is coming up this April! So it's time to start planning NOW.

For those of you who have never heard of it, Script Frenzy is a free organization that is more or less an incentive to sit on your butt and get some writing done!

The challenge is to write a 100 page script/comic book in 30 days. Even if you can't do it in 30 days, there is still a great community of writers to chat it up with.

I'm hoping to get some articles done this month about writing game scripts, since they do have slightly different details then movie scripts.

Check out http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/ for more details. See ya there! (My username is Deidrea if you want to look me up.)

Valentine's Day Prompt

2010-02-14T16:49:00.001-08:00

In honor of Valentine's Day (or Single Awareness Day-- However you want to look at it) I have a romantic prompt for you all.

Write a romantic meeting between two people, that seem highly unlikely to end up together.

For example:

A technical nerd and a princess

A spy and the person they're assigned to

A Yankees fan and a Dodgers fan

Write a comedic scene of a lovestruck, hopeless-romantic type character trying to impress their love interest.

Whichever you decide to do, have fun! And Happy Valentine's Day.

Rhapsody

2010-02-09T14:16:00.000-08:00

Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure
System: Nintendo DS (with an earlier PS1 release)
Release: 2008
Company: NIS America
Rating: E

It occurs to me that even though this is a writing blog, long posts might be slightly intimidating. Even as a writer and an avid reader, I too skip internet articles that are more then 2 pages long. So I'm going to try something a little different: I'm going to split my reviews up into sections. That way I can give a fuller analysis and you guys won't have to scroll down and drop your jaws at the length of my rambling. I would love feedback from you guys!

Kudos to NIS America for making a rare type of a game: a musical. How many games do you know that burst into song? Grant you, Rhapsody is a cheesy, light game, which makes the idea of a musical more appealing. But, hey, you know what? Let's make every game a musical. I'd love to watch Roman from GTA4 break into song about how great Liberty City is.

Plot 3/5
It was a little hard to give this game a rating, due to the fact that even though this plot isn't exceptionally deep and the characters aren't highly complex, it IS meant to be a light-hearted game. I would like to judge the game fairly based on what it is: a musical with puppets. You can't really judge that harshly, can you?

The premise of the game is that you are Cornet, your usual tomboy protagonist who talks to puppets. After being saved by the prince (the only prince in this game, despite the huge world. And no, the frog kingdom DOESN'T count.) Cornet enters a contest to become the prince's bride. And she wins. Ooo. Shocker there.

And as the two love birds are getting to know each other (and by "know each other" I mean have short, awkward conversations that lead absolutely no where), a mysterious sorceress bursts in, falls in love with the prince, and accidently turns him to stone.

So the rest of the game, you are trying to collect 5 elemental stones that will save the prince. Maybe. Kinda.

The purpose of the 5 stones eludes me. At first, they are mentioned as if they are needed to turn the prince back to human form. All right, I can go with that; magic to undo magic. That would explain why the antagonist wants them as badly as I do.

But in the end, they are used to open a portal to the antagonist's castle. My antagonist doesn't need a portal, so why does she need the stones.

And during this, there is another antagonist working in the background, that makes no real dent on the story other then the fact that he brings out the final boss.

Really? Aren't we tired of this whole boss-who's-not-REALLY-the-last-boss bit in RPG video games? (I'm talking to YOU, Final Fantasy.)

Overall, the story is entertaining, but I suppose I have to give the characters credit for that, not the actual plot. The plot has moments that make absolutely no sense,

Strengths:
--> Solid, basic plot. Nothing terribly complex, but it's consistent and has plenty of classic RPG elements.
--> Comedy. The game makes fun of itself at times, making it hard to hold a grudge against it for being so cheesy.
--> Musical numbers. Even though 1/3 of the songs is the same song rewritten, the idea of musical numbers within a video game is quite original.

Weaknesses:
--> Character development. I was entertained with Kokuru until I found out it was, in fact, Cornet's mother's spirit in a puppet. It completely confused me on why Cornet's mother's personality shifted so drastically while inside of a doll.
--> Antagonist Confustion. If Golonzo's creation is the final boss, why doesn't he appear more throughout the game? He hits on me and then runs away. (Just like in real life.)
--> Romance. The romance between the prince and Cornet. It's a little cliche and happens too fast. The prince saves Cornet, turns to stone, then declares his love for her for eternity. I think Cornet put it best when she said, "But we've barely talked for five minutes!"

Part 2: Characters
Coming Soon

Image (C) NIS America

Cliches: When To Use Them

2010-01-16T16:21:00.000-08:00

So, I believe I've mentioned that I hate cliches. I don't believe I've mentioned what I think a cliche really is.

Here is the standard public definition to a cliche: "Plot element that has been drastically overused."

Here's my definition of a cliche: "A well known plot element that has been used often and BADLY."

Let's take a brief look at some over-used plot elements:
--> Town is burnt to the ground (Legend of Dragoon)
--> Villain is the hero's father/uncle/brother/sister
--> Female protagonist finds out she either is or isn't a princess (Just about any Final Fantasy)
--> The main villain isn't really the head villain, but a pawn of the head villain (Again, any Final Fantasy)
--> The guy you OBVIOUSLY killed, is, in fact, alive
--> The main character is an orphan (practically every game/movie/book ever)
--> Your best friend betrays you (Bully)
--> You get shot at by 50 different guys, never eat a bullet, and end up taking out all 50 of them with a stick, a pack of bubble gum, and a photograph.

Let me point out that I'm not against any of these plot elements. I'm only against them if they're used badly. What do I mean by that? If you use any of these plot elements as filler, plot devices, or without any real reason, that's when it becomes a horrible cliche.

It's not whether or not your element has been used or not. It's how it's brought to life. It's how it fits into the story. It's how it's narrated. It's angles you put on it.

So let's take a look at when it's ok to use these plot elements.

When Cliches Are OK to Use
#1- When they're used sparingly
One or two of these elements is fine by itself. 5 or 6 of these elements say to me that you really didn't try to come up with a story at all. All of these elements say to me that you're either a n00b that wanted to make a game and feel special about yourself, or a big company that just needed extra funds to pay for extra pizza parties.

#2- When they're critical for the story to make sense
I would rather have a good, solid plot that has a few typical elements, then a weak one that I can blow a ton of holes in. If you avoid a cliche just to avoid a cliche, and do something that's totally out of character, I believe that stands out more then a overly-used plot element. It's more important that the plot is smooth.

If the villain is a pyro, it would make sense to have him burn down a city. If my best friend is mentally unstable, it makes sense that he would betray me. If you're going to use a well-known plot element, set it up well.

#3- When it's for a younger audience
Kids haven't been around long enough to criticize a cliche. If they do understand something that's been done before, they don't really care. Games meant for younger audiences aren't expected to have highly complex plots. Now, don't get me wrong. Just because younger audiences don't have complex storylines doesn't mean that they shouldn't have original ones. My point is, I'm not going to care as much about cliches if I'm playing a game by Nintendo that's rated "E" as opposed to a Sony game that's rated "M."

#4- When it's not really a "surprise"
Most of the cliches I mentioned above try to be "GASP" moments. This effect probably only works on half of the audience. If you want to do a plot element such as the guy you shot being alive or your best friend betrays you, a good way to do it is to let the audience know while your characters are in the dark.

A good example of this is Kingdom Hearts. We all could see that Riku was going to betray Sora, but we were interested in how he was going to betray him. The betrayal was obvious, but his plans weren't. It was definitely a good angle to take.

Other Notes

--> If your plot has many elements that have been used before, that doesn't make it a bad story. The only real downside to having a ton of cliches in a story is that you'll get tougher criticizm. Probably from me.

--> If you're going to use a cliche element, make sure that it completely makes sense. Foreshadow it. Work on character development to set it up. Work on backstories.

--> I have read totally original stories that-- I thought-- were complete crap. People try harder to be original then to make a good story. Don't do that.

--> If Legend of Zelda uses the same exact story for every single game, and each game does well. Meditate on that for a bit.

Creepy image of Link (C) Nintendo

Multiple Endings Poll

2010-01-15T13:56:00.001-08:00

New Poll: Multiple Endings: Do you think they strengthen a game plot, or do you think it weakens it?

Personally, I love multiple endings due to the fact that I get to choose my own story. I think this makes it much more immersive and fun. Sometimes it makes the game better, because then I don't have to deal with the fact that Tidus ended up with Yuna, when he had better chemistry with Rikku. (No, I will NOT get over that, thank you!)

So, what do you guys think? How do you guys feel about multiple endings?

Describe Me

2010-01-14T15:52:00.000-08:00

I think one of the things I love most about the old RPGs are the items you get while travelling. Staffs, swords, potions... Small items that give you a sense of reward.

Now that games are far more complex, there seems to be a massive amount of items a player can buy or find throughout a game. And two things determine how much of a reward these items are: what they do and how they're described.

For example, would you rather have:

Olympus Sword: A polished sword. Offense: +10

Olympus Sword: An elegant sword with a marble handle, made from the stones of Mount Olympus. Offence +10

Your prompt-- if you choose to accept it-- is to take the 4 following items and describe them:

1- Tiger Sword

2- Charm Bracelet

3- Fire Ruby

4- Mage's Cloak

Tips for Description:

--> In a game, a description for an item can't be too long. So figure on a trait or two that stands out about it and focus on that, instead of trying to do a generalized description.

--> Potions and some armor don't need a whole lot of description. Healing Potions heal. We get that. If you want to go more into detail, go for it, but again, keep it short.

--> Descriptions should match the tone of the game. Serious games don't describe something as "An awesome sword built for ownage." A comical game, however, does. Games rated "E" have simpler explinations then those rated "M." Keep these things in mind.

--> Write more then one draft. Always. For everything.

Let me know what you guys come up with!

Photo: (C) Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town

Signs of the Zodiac

2009-07-01T14:32:00.000-07:00

Seeing as how my birthday was a couple days ago, I was inspired to do a astrological prompt.

Pick a random day on the calendar. Look up the astrological characteristics for a person born on that day. Now, create a villain based on those characteristics.

For example: Say you picked today. That would make your villain a Cancer. Cancers are highly emotional, they're very strong-willed, and are usually night owls. This could be fun for a villain. A Cancer villain would have very deep motives, stemming from a past hurt or betrayal. This could either be a villain that the player would sympathize with, or one that would scare the player half to death.

If I were a villain, I think I'd be closer to the second one.

Opening Cutscenes

2009-06-23T13:18:00.000-07:00

This might be a little more fun for you poetic and dramatic writers. Cutscenes are a HUGE part of gaming anymore. It started out as impressive, silent graphics and has now turned into short films about the characters and settings. Opening cutscenes can easily suck a player into playing a game.

Your prompt: Create a great opening cutscene. It can either be full of talk or speechless.

Reasons for speechlessness: A video game script doesn't just have dialogue. It has narration. A game script's narration is usually short and to the point, but there is plenty of it. A great opening isn't always full of talk. Sometimes confusion or an adrenaline rush can suck in a player.

Other notes: Even if your opening has no talking, be sure to involve sounds in your description. Sounds add tons of depth to any game.

Examples of great openings:

Final Fantasy 8

This cutscene has absolutely no speaking. The reason this make a great intro is because it shows many elements of the game: relationships, action, and future events. The music gives a nice adrenaline kick as well.

Prototype (CAUTION: This is a M17 game. It contains graphic violence. Like, people getting cut in half violence.)

This is a great opening because not only do you see really wicked action, but you learn the story of the character you're playing. Even with my weak stomach, I'm itching a bit to play this game myself because the story is so facinating. (Even if it is a bit of a I Am Legend steal.)

Uncharted

I like this opening because it makes me laugh. Ok, there are more reasons than that to as why it's a good opening. You learn about the characters you're going to be spending a good week looking at. The story is set up and when that is settled, it goes straight into the action. Perfect!

Kingdom Hearts 2

This is a very complicated opening, which makes it so great. Not only is this the opening to KH2, but it's a synopsis of the events in KH1 and KH: Chain of Memories. So it's like 3 games meshed in one. Not easy. This is another opening with no real talking other than the song lyrics.

Bully

2009-06-18T14:03:00.000-07:00

System: XBox 360/PS2/Wii/Windows
Release: 2006/2008
Developer: Rockstar

PLAY THIS. I don't think I could be clearer about it. Rockstar is a company that has some of the best character and humor writing. Rockstar is famous for their sandbox games, including Grand Theft Auto.

So what do I give it?

Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Side Quests: 5/5

Plot
The basis of Bully is that you play as the new kid at a boarding school that seems to be especially made for juvenile delinquents. Trying to survive relentless attacks by jocks and bullies, you try to make your way to the top of the social food chain.

The plot is simple enough, but almost anyone can identify with it. If you've ever been picked on in school, it feels great to walk up to a character in one of these games and just glass jaw him.

The main idea in this game is to earn respect of everyone in your school by doing jobs for people. Starting at the bottom of the totem pole with nerds, you slowly make your way up to the top. Your only accomplices are Pete, a wimpy follower, and Gary, a psychopath that I'm glad I never went to school with.

So Gary convinces you to take over the school, then betrays you and tries to get you to fall to the bottom of the food chain and tries to take over the school himself. So not only do you have to defend yourself against bullies and Fonzie wannabes, but you have to find Gary and destroy him before he destroys you.
In the end, you set Gary up and the principal gets him expelled. You're the top of the food chain. But only in Video Game Land. Sorry.

Characters

Jimmy
Even though Jim is a type of live-and-let-live type of character, he also helps others---at a price. Jim has a great amount of complexity in him, which is why I like him. He's got an attitude problem (that you can tell is from his lack of decent parents), he doesn't want to deal with anyone, and yet he still manages to become the most popular guy in school by helping everyone. For the goody-two-shoes (Does anyone understand that expression? Do rebels only wear one shoe or something?) that never talked back to teachers or meddled with school property, you will be surprised at Jim's behavior, but the teachers' behaviors kind of balance it out.

Gary
This kid doesn't belong in school, he belongs in a psychiatric ward. This kid makes an excellent teen villain due to the fact that he's absolutely crazy. Almost Kefka crazy in a sense. Finally releasing himself from medication, Gary goes nuts and tries to destroy Jimmy in order to get the school for himself. (Why is it that crazy people are the first to pursue big dreams?)

Other Characters
There really aren't a lot of major characters. They're evenly distributed throughout the game. The most interesting thing about the characters in this game is that they aren't copies. Each one has a name and personality. That's definitely a rarity in a sandbox game.

Side Missions
The funny thing about missions is that they were so much like the mainstream ones that I couldn't tell the difference. Some of them were a little more disturbing mind you, for example, getting your butt ugly lunch lady a date as she spits in the vat of mystery meat; but all in all they went seamlessly into the gameplay. It really is the best mission writing I've seen thus far.

Final Say:
Play it! Don't ask, just do it!

Other notes:
How about a female sandbox game, Rockstar? Why should guys get all the fun of hitting people, stealing cars, and pissing off authorities?

Prompt: Princesses

2009-06-16T16:43:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Fat Princess (Sony), I thought I'd dedicate today's prompt to princesses. These are the types of princesses we usually come across in the world of games:

Sweet and Sincere
These girls are quick to think, slow to anger, and even slower to say anything. If they say anything relevant at ALL, it usually ends up being something timid and philosophical.

Punk Princess
These princesses usually have armor, a sword, and sometimes less clothes than normal people. They're quick to anger, quick to speak, and usually end up destroying one thing or another in the process.

The –Not So Secret-- Princess
Yes, yes. You're really a princess. We NEVER saw that coming. Come on.

Your prompt: Come up with a princess. Make her original. Make her deep. Make her bigger than a size 2. (Why are all princesses so TINY?)

Technical Writers

2009-04-13T12:51:00.000-07:00

Picture from www.freefoto.com

The writing field of video games almost seems top secret when all attention is drawn towards gameplay, level design, and whether or not stuff explodes. Few and far between know about all the work that goes into sending out memos to all departments, throwing together an instruction manual, or the 500 page game design document that is poured over before a game's production.

Thanks to www.igda.org, I was able to talk to Megan Wiseman, the technical writer for Red Storm Entertainment. Although Red Storm may not be as large as its parent company, Ubisoft, there is still a ton of work involved for a technical writer. See for yourself!

1) How did you get on board as a technical writer of Red Storm Entertainment?

Well, this job kind of fell into my lap. I had a friend who worked at Red Storm, and I originally had been thinking I would try to get on in the Design department--I do creative writing as well, but I don't have anything published yet. So I really didn't have the actual stuff on my resume to break in that way. But last summer, my friend contacted me and said "We desperately need a technical writer, and no one we've interviewed has a clue, or is even someone we like. I like you and I know you know your stuff, PLEASE apply." So I did. And I got hired.

2) What is your typical day at work?

Well, my day is about the same as anyone else's. Or about the same as any other technical writer's. I come in to work, I look at my task list, I pick a task and start working. If you are looking for the types of tasks that I do...that is highly variable, but that is addressed in the next question. If you want a walkthrough of my day...I get coffee; I banter with my co-workers; as I said I pick tasks to work on; I do some work; I banter some more; I might go talk to someone else in the company if I need additional input or have questions about something; I might set up a more formal sit-down meeting if I have several things to ask or several people to address at once. I usually have a brief check-in meeting with my supervisor once a week to let him know what I'm working on, what I am having trouble with, what questions I have, etc. We have a company meeting once a week where all departments give updates. Generally my day is pretty fun, though--I get to hear people talking about the different parts of the projects they are working on, brainstorming ideas for new projects, working through storyboards or blocking out scenes, etc. It's all very exciting.

3) What tasks are you in charge of?

I've done a little work on a game manual, but most of my work has to do with the documentation that the engineers produce in the process of creating the game. How to use the game engine, the editor, and the software tools that attach to the engine; tutorials for the art team in how to use the software; tutorials by the art team for other artists on specific techniques to use in creating game objects; information about the networking and multiplayer capabilities of a game. I also work on process and policy documentation--in other words "how do we do things here?" Sometimes these are referred to as "best practices" documents. Eventually I'll also be documenting the documentation processes I create--meta-documents, or "documents about documents". Confused yet? I do a bit of everything. Mostly because I'm the only one. Eventually a lot of this will be delegated. I hope.

4) Which tasks do you find most rewarding?

That's a tough call. I enjoy working on manuals, though it's a small proportion of what I do now. At the moment my boss is asking me to focus more on "big picture" projects, having to do with the overall organization of our documentation, and our infrastructure for creating, storing, and distributing that documentation. What I'm doing now could be seen more as "information management" or even "information architecture". I'm also working on a project to completely re-do our company portal or intranet. So those are the biggest things, and I think once we get them done it will improve overall productivity and efficiency at the company, so I think it will have a big impact. That makes me feel pretty good.

5) Which tasks do you find most challenging?

See above! While it's rewarding to work on something that will impact the entire company and improve things on a big scale, it's also something I've never done before. I've never been in charge of infrastructure, developing standards, creating processes wholecloth, or building a company portal/intranet from the ground up. All of it is new to me. Additionally, I appear to be one of the few (maybe the only) actual "technical writer" who is labeled as such in the video game industry. Thus, it's a very challenging job.

6) Who do you work with for information and tasks?

I work with just about everyone in the company, but that's because my job function is still being worked out to a large degree. Right now, I'm in charge of ALL the documentation, for ALL departments in the company. Even though we're still a fairly small studio we're growing fast, and have more than 100 employees so it's a daunting task. I'm still getting to know what all the parts are, and who everyone is, and I'm still defining what needs to be done. I work with the heads of departments, company management, group leads, and some individuals. It depends on the task I'm working on. If I need a particular piece of information or a question answered, I'll go to an individual I think might have what I need. If I'm trying to get more general information or a bigger vision of what needs to be done on a task, I might choose a group lead, a department head, or even company management as a whole. When I was working on the one manual I have worked on so far, I worked with the testing team a lot, as well as the lead designer and the producer on that project. So it just depends on the task.

7) What skills or education are required to be a technical writer?

In general, technical writers can have a pretty broad skill set and educational background. As for me, I had an English degree and some personal background in various technical areas. I was fascinated by computers so I had a small degree of knowledge about them, and more important I had the curiosity and interest to learn more. I think that is probably the key skill or talent you need--curiosity and a desire to learn more about just about any area of interest. If you can summon up your curiosity about even a topic you never thought to investigate before or didn't think you would be interested in, you can probably do a good job. Because a technical writer usually stands in for a particular audience, you see. The people with the information you need are so close to the subject they know that they have forgotten what it's like for someone who *doesn't* know what they know. So the writer has to represent all those folks who need the information that engineer or programmer or whoever has in their brain.

So the skills you need are:
--> Good writing skills (grammar, spelling, punctuation, ability to communicate clearly and accurately, ability to write for a particular audience);
--> Curiosity;
--> Ability to get along with and talk to many kinds of people;
good interviewing skills (ask open-ended questions, create more questions based on answers you get, etc.);
--> Ability to think logically as well as creatively;
--> Good editing skills (sometimes you'll have an editing department but more often you'll do your own or you'll have peer edits only)

8) Are you a permanent employee or is it a project-by-project type of job?

I'm a permanent employee.

9) How much demand is there for the tech writer field? How much do small companies rely on a tech writer? What about larger companies, such as your parent company, Ubisoft?

You know, I really don't know the answer to this question. On the one hand, I seem to be one of the few (or only, as I said) technical writers who actually hold that title within the industry. I think that's because so many studios are general small, and even larger companies are usually made up of several smaller divisions or studios. So in general I think people in the industry tend to multi-task and have variable skills sets. Given that, I would say a lot of technical writing gets done, but probably by people who aren't labeled as technical writers as such.

I really don't know what the state of the industry in general is or will be for a technical writer. I think there is definitely room for technical writers within the industry if you can find a company who is willing to hire you. The key, as in all areas of the game industry, is to diversify your skill set; make sure you know video games and love them; and network, network, network! If you are capable of doing something besides just technical writing (game design, programming, 3D graphics, game writing, etc.) you'll probably be a better sell just because most studios, even big ones, are looking for the most bang for their buck. A lot of the technical documentation created at most studios is likely created either by the engineers (meaning it's likely not very well organized, or very clearly written, unless that engineer also happens to have training in technical writing) or its done by the design writers (which could mean anything; most of them at least will have fairly strong writing skills but may not have experience or training specifically in technical writing).

10) Is there any extra information or advice you’d like to give people interested in this field?

First and foremost, don't give up. I first met my friend and became interested in working for his company in 2004-2005. It therefore took me four years at least to get this job! Granted, I wasn't working actively to get in that entire time. I imagine I would have gotten in sooner if I had. But my point is, it can take time to gather the skills and experience you need, or to meet people who can help you position yourself correctly to break in. So perseverance is important. KNOW VIDEO GAMES. KNOW YOUR WRITING CHOPS. Those are the two most important things, I think, besides perseverance and patience. It's not vital to know and play all genres of games, but the wider your knowledge base the more likely you are to impress whomever you try to get a job with.

Thanks goes to Megan for her time!

The Game Design Document

2009-04-02T15:25:00.000-07:00

I'll be honest: I've only written about 5 or 6 college GDD's and they were pretty lame by anyone's standards. So me telling you how design a GDD would be hilarious to the professionals, who have websites dedicated to the stuff.

Instead of telling you how to make one, I'm going to go into what a GDD actually is and what it accomplishes. I will also add in some links to websites if you'd like further help in creating the documents themselves.

What is a game design document?

A GDD is a humongous stack of papers that tells everyone on a gaming staff what the game is, how it works, and every single small and large detail incorporated within the game. It's an exhausting document that makes Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace seem like a children's book. Grant you, the less complicated the game, the shorter the GDD. But for large game worlds like Grand Theft Auto or Kingdom Hearts, these documents can be anywhere from 200-1000 pages.

Who is in Charge of Writing it?
This usually depends on the company. The most common way of doing it is to have everyone fill out their own pieces and then the lead designer puts it together and makes it shiny. If there is a technical writer on the staff (which isn't as common as you may think) they usually have a hand in it.

Why do games need such a big friggin document?
If you're a studio of 3 or 4 working in someone's mother's basement making an arcade game, maybe you only need a few pages of memos. But if you are Ubisoft, Square-Enix, or EA Games and employ 100s of people, you're going to need one.

A GDD tells everyone what's going on at any time. If something changes, it's in the GDD. It may not seem like it, but this document saves buttloads of time down the road.

Not only is it important for the developers, but for the publishers as well. They look at the GDD to see if they want to fund the developer or not.

So make sure it doesn't suck.

What does a GDD Cover?
Everything. Seriously. Here's a list of some of the things a GDD covers:

Why you should play this game

What sets this game apart from others
Characters and Controls
AI and Enemies
How the World is Set Up
Storyline
Graphics and Engines
Scales and Objects
Camera and Lighting
Interface and Sounds
Weapons, Health, and Special Abilities
Single Player vs Multiplayer
Etc

How does the template work?
Depends on the company. There really is no set way of making a GDD except for a few things: First, the beginning pages are the ones that make the readers (AKA publishers) excited about making the game. Second, there is always a well written table of contents. And third, everything about your game is easy to find and well written.

Other Notes
GDDs aren't really meant to be particularly exciting nor creative. They're just a reference for publishers and developers. So if you're a college student and you find writings up GDDs boring, just be grateful yours will only be 5-20 pages instead of 500.

Conclusion
All game companies have GDDs. If you want to be a game designer, you're going to have to learn how to write them well. If you want to become a game writer, it wouldn't hurt to know the strings.

Great Links
http://www.gamasutra.com/features/19970912/design_doc.htm

http://www.sloperama.com/advice/specs.htm

http://www.thecorpament.com/the_importance_of_design_docs_in_game_development.html

Templates
www.runawaystudios.com/articles/ctaylordesigntemplate.doc

http://www.cowgodgames.com/articles/designdoctemplate.htm

Examples
https://www.digipen.edu/fileadmin/website_data/gallery/game_websites/Claustrosphere/GDD.pdf

http://gamasutra.com/features/20070220/bateman_01.shtml

Poll: Best Narrative

2009-03-31T13:33:00.001-07:00

Which genre do you think has the best narrative?

RPG
These games are usually the ones with the deepest, most complex storylines. They are also prone to really annoying plot twists and lame characters. These types of games are usually best for people that play games mainly for storyline and rarely for gameplay. Examples of this genre are the Final Fantasy Series and Kingdom Hearts.

ACTION/ADVENTURE
If you like a simple storyline along with blowing up or slashing stuff, this is the genre for you. In these types of games, storylines and dialogue are used only in medium strength for background information. This genre, however, is becoming more in depth and may turn out to be as highly developed as RPGs in the future. Examples of these types of games are Call of Duty or Fable.

SANDBOX
Sandboxes are big worlds in which a player can do whatever s/he wants. Rockstar is a great example of sandbox game writing, with such titles as Bully and Grand Theft Auto. Writing is mainly for entertainment purposes, seeing as how most sandbox games are mission based. The writing in these games are to enrich a game world, not so much to make you see what happens next.

STRATEGY
Go here. Destroy these guys. Blow up this base. To me, this is about the extent of strategy writing. The story depends on the game. Turn based and tactical strategy games usually have the strongest of storylines, while games that lean onto the simulation side will have a fainter one. Examples of these games are Ceasar III, Phantom Brave, and Warcraft.

Which do you choose?

Writing Prompt: Synopsis

2009-03-31T13:33:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of a Game Design Document, you have to describe what a game is and what makes it different from other games. It's an important part of pitching an idea to a publisher.

Here is your assignment:

Look at 2 or 3 games and write a synopsis of the game's storyline and gameplay. Tell us what makes it different from other games. After that, come up with your own game concept and tell us why it rocks.

Tips: Game Design Documents are usually not meant to be highly entertaining, they are used as a reference for all the staff working on a game. However, a synopsis should be interesting in order for a publishing company to be enticed by it. Be interesting, but highly professional. Don't write, "This game rox cause when you blow someone up his eyes bust out of his face and land in two different places!"

Yeah, don't do that.

(Psst... Want to know more about Game Design Documents? Come back on April 2nd.)

Kingdom Hearts

2009-03-26T14:05:00.000-07:00

System: PS2
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Buena Vista Games

This game is rather famous to Final Fantasy and Disney fans alike. It's just too bad you don't get to play as any cool characters. Instead, you play as a sweet, after-school-special boy named Sora, and you are accompanied by the two biggest doofs in Disney history: Donald and Goofy.

So you get this big dorky key as your weapon. I can't stand to look at that stupid weapon until I get a cooler version of it, like Lionheart or even the Crabclaw. At least these blades look more like a weapon and not like a big foam finger.

So let's get to the ratings, shall we?

Story: 5/5
Characters: 4/5

There are major spoilers ahead, but if you haven't played it yet, you're a loser.

Story

Ok, so there's lots of doors. I get that.

You play as Sora, a kid chosen by the Keyblade. (Of course weapons can choose their masters based on the strength of their hearts. It's the same idea as being chosen by a heart attack.) After your worlds are torn apart, you land in Traverse Town and meet up with a whole bunch of Final Fantasy characters that are trying to put the worlds back together as well as finding out about Ansem's reports and the heartless.

You get to travel to plenty of worlds: Agrabah, Halloween Town, Tarzan's Jungle, Atlantica, Monstro, and Wonderland. It appears that the Heartless are after the princesses of heart... which aren't in half of these worlds, so I'm not really sure why I'm bothering. If the princesses of heart are in danger, why am I wasting my time in Winnie the Pooh's world? And why is Alice a princess of heart?

Strengths:
-- Even though the story has a cartoon atmosphere, the basis of the story is medium weight philosophical. It looks at the components of a human heart.
-- Interesting bad guy: Ansem is lost to the darkness, so when Riku gets lost himself, Ansem possesses his body to attack Sora.

Weaknesses
-- The fact that I'm off wasting time in worlds that have no princesses in them is irritating. I understand I'm trying to find Ansem's reports and destroy the Heartless, but if the bad guys are going after the princesses, shouldn't I be saving them?
--Not exactly what I'd call plot twists. It's rather obvious that Riku works against you most of the game and then Kairi is a princess of heart.

Characters

Sora
This character gets a lot of crap and after you play this game, you'll know why. He may be 14 years old in the game, but he acts more like 11 or 12. Although, I have to say, I am glad to be playing as an optimistic character, not like in Final Fantasy where every main character hopes for the worst and doesn't really care either way.

Improvements: Sora pops out with insights like trash magazines come out with creatures from the swamp. Can we find out why how he came to these conclusions? He just busts out saying “Kingdom Hearts is light!” and hey, what do you know, it is. Huh?

Donald and Goofy
All I have to say is this: Thank God for subtitles. Even though I loved Donald Duck and understood everything he said when I was kid, I don't understand a dang word he says now.

These characters are almost useless. They knock me off stuff, they don't contribute too much to the story, and they talk to Sora like he's 6 years old even though he could take both of them out in one shot.

Improvements: It would be nice if they actually helped Sora figure out stuff. They're kind of just there for the ride, which is almost pointless. Why don't either of them come up with some insight?

Riku
So Riku is your best buddy in the whole wide universe before he steps into a dark pit and then spends the rest of the game trying to be better than you. Kudos to Square for setting up the fact that Sora and Riku are competitive by nature, and that Riku trying to be better than Sora isn't really that unpredictable. Riku is a complex character, for the fact that even though he works for the dark, he's still keeping an eye on his friends from his childhood. He reminds me of an older brother figure, other than the fact that I'd totally love to make out with him.

Improvements: Why is Riku not afraid of the darkness? He just jumps into a black pit and tells Sora to join him. I know Riku doesn't think it's a jacuzzi. What is he thinking?

Ansem
You only hear rumors about this character until at the end where he just kind of pops out and goes “Ta-da!” He's your typical bad guy: long hair, defies gravity, wants power, yada yada yada. I do, however, like the insane researcher angle. He's consumed by his research to the point that he will kill his oppositions. Not the type of person I'd like to be up against at a science fair.

Improvements: Why is he stealing all these hearts? The guy is far from Don Juan and I doubt he works for the American Heart Association. I hear that he seeks great power and wisdom, but honestly, that's kind of weak.

Final Say
I'm trying to suppress the part of me that is screaming “Play this! It's the best game everz!” because it's the same part of me that loves the gameplay and characters. The writing critic side of me, however, says that even though the plot is deep and complex, some characters lack depth and the writing resembles Saturday morning cartoons. But if that's the kind of writing your interested in, I recommend taking a look at it.

Other notes: Aeris got stabbed. Why is she in Kingdom Hearts? And where's Rinoa?!

Writing Prompt: Complicated Relationships

2009-03-26T11:50:00.000-07:00

I have found that no matter what soap opera or Warner Brothers drama show you watch, there is always complicated relationships between characters. Two people are in love with the same person. Someone is the son or daughter of someone evil. Two rivals are cousins.

It’s fantastic.

Not only do these relationships drive the plot even further almost effortlessly, but it also makes it far more intriguing for the viewers. Will Bobby kill his half brother, Angelo in order to take over the hitman business, or will he give it all up for the love of his life, Rita, who just happens to be the daughter of the police captain?

People get addicted to these things for this reason. I should know. I’m a huge fan of Korean and Chinese soap operas.

I’ll wait till you stop laughing.

So here is your prompt: Take 4 people. Make them all related to each other somehow. Make it complicated. Make it exciting. Make it ridiculous.

Here’s an example from the Taiwanese soap opera, A Prince that Turned Into a Frog:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yExtCHJHCqk&feature=channel_page

Shan Jun Hao: Hotel owner that is trying to tear down Tainyu’s home in order to build a hotel, but ends up getting amnesia and falls in love with her instead. He has a rivalry with Ziqian, who also works at the hotel and who is in love with Junhao’s fiancee, Yunxi.

Xu Zi Qian: Another hotel worker that in love with Junhao’s fiancee, but becomes Tianyu’s boyfriend after Junhao remembers his old life and returns to Yunxi. When he learns that Junhao’s parents were behind the death of his own parents, he gets revenge by taking the hotel business away from Junhao.

Ye Tian Yu: Lives and works in a small fishing village that Junhao is trying to tear down to make profits. After finding out that he’s the one that planned to tear down her home, she is torn between her love for him and her hometown. She finds comfort in Ziqian’s company, both who have the misfortune of the ones they love giving them the cold shoulder.

Fan Yun Xi: Fiancee of Junhao who feels greatly threatened by Tainyu. She is obsessed with marrying Junhao due to happy memories of her childhood with him, despite the fact that he is cold to her. She always goes to Ziqian when she is hurt and doesn’t realize that she has feelings for him.

Delicious, isn’t it?

Poll: Annoying Game Beginnings

2009-03-15T14:32:00.000-07:00

What Game Beginning Are You Most Sick Of?

#1: The hero's town burns down, killing his/her parents. The hero swears for revenge.

This is a popular one. In almost every RPG, something catches fire. It's usually a town and then lots of people die. So whether or not our hero knows who did it, s/he seeks revenge.

If you really want to kill off a character close to the hero, I'm pretty sure you can be a little more creative with it. Poison. Arrows. War. Toxic gas. Shove them off a cliff. A fire is just a way to escape the process of coming up with something original.

#2: Someone wakes the hero up, tells them he or she is lazy and to get to the daily chores...And something goes wrong.

There are a couple reasons why this sucks.
#1-- If we wanted to do chores, we would stick to reality, not a game.
#2-- It's usually an in-game tutorial that most people don't want to play

If you want to throw in an in-game tutorial, at least give the player an opportunity to blow the guy off. If you want chores to be done, make it one chore that has some critical meaning. Have the player go into a tiny opening in a cave because s/he is the only one that can fit. Don't have us go feed the sheep or ask around town for someone we don't care anything about.

#3: Someone needs the hero's help for something and you have to run around for an hour trying to figure out who the heck the person is and where s/he is at.

This one doesn't bother me too much until I realize I have no idea who I'm looking for or where and it takes me an hour to accidently find them. If the town is small, no real problem. If the place requires a map or a "You Are Here" marker, forget it.

#4:You're fighting someone and you don't know who they are and why they are trying to kill you.

This one is a little more exciting, in my opinion, but I would still like to know why I have to beat up all these people. If you're showing off your totally awesome battle system, then whatever. But if you just have no idea how to start a game and your battle system is incredibly weak, don't do it. Just make sure it actually GOES with the story... Don't have me get my butt kicked and then "Oh, you're pardoned. It's cool." What?

Note: I'm not against any of these openings if they're done right. It's all about angles.

What do you guys think?

Crisis Core

2009-03-12T11:58:00.000-07:00

Platform: PSP
Developer/Publisher: Square-Enix

I'm disappointed. I was all prepared to tear into Crisis Core's lack of substantial plot and dialogue; Ready to use my distaste with Final Fantasy 7 as a base for a lot of ranting and poking fun... And now I can't.

Thanks a lot.

If I wanted to review the game in general, I could tell you that the game is insanely easy, it has no replay value whatsoever, and the DMW is really irritating, but that's not what my blog is for. It's about game writing.

And the writing is actually good.

Well, at least plot-wise. There's still the mission writing and Aerith that I can have a rant-fest about, so it's all good.

Let's get to it, shall we?

Plot: 5/5

Characters: 4/5

Mission Writing: 2/5

If you've played Final Fantasy 7, I doubt there's really any spoilers here.

Plot

All right, so you play as Zack Fair, Cloud's old war buddy. You know, the guy Cloud spent half of FF7 thinking he WAS. So you get to watch as Zack flirts with Aerith, watches Shinra go to crap, and gets shot in the face at the end of the game.

FF7 seems to have a large amount of mad scientists. In this game, mad scientists are busy cloning people's genes and sticking them into random people to make some sort of ugly army.

For FF7 fans, you get to watch YET AGAIN Sephiroth find out that he's a human experiment, go nuts, burn down the town, and stab a couple people.

After you kill some random character named Genesis, your friends die, and Cloud is out of harm's way, you get rewarded by getting shot numerous times by the army and then dying.

Good times.

Strengths:

--> Follows the plot of FF7 with no hiccups

--> Easily mixes two genres together seamlessly: fantasy and sci-fi. People who enjoy one but not the other, will still appreciate the plot

--> Emotional dialogue and strong character connections

Weaknesses:

--> Individuals not familiar with sci-fi plot complexity (or Final Fantasy 7 for that matter) might get slightly confused at what's going on. There's a whole lot of clones floating about which makes things complicated.

--> I have the army and all of Shinra after me and I don't even know why...

--> You mean to tell me that the entire army riddled Zack with bullets, but he still had enough time to talk to Cloud in a dramatic scene before dying? Unlikely.

Characters

Zack

Square Enix is actually doing a good job in keeping to the story of FF7. The character in those blocky FF7 flashbacks is the same character portrayed in Crisis Core: fun, loyal, hard-core, and squat-happy. Zack is a strong character, chasing after all the people who have betrayed him in order to help them.

I like this character for a couple reasons. 1, he shows his loyalty to his friends in a non-after-school-special sort of way (*cough*Sora*cough*) and 2, he's a little naïve and has normal weaknesses. I like a bad-ass character as much as the next person, but I am so BORED with characters that have no weaknesses, flaws, and have a plan for everything. You know, the guy that comes out of an explosion with a cleanly pressed suit and perfectly cut hair.

The great thing about this game is you get to see why Zack meant so much to Cloud. Other than an annoying giggle-fest about the names of their hometowns, Zack and Cloud have a pretty honorable relationship. Zack carries Cloud through half of this game (Tifa carrying him for ¼ of the game and Cloud amazingly walking for himself—or leaning against a wall or laying flat on his face-- for another ¼.) and takes on numerous amounts of enemies in order to protect him.

Improvements: I know FF7 is against emotions of any kind, but Zack lost all his war buddies. Can he show a little anger or resentment? Some agony? 13 hours of this game and I get 2 scenes of him upset? Can I at least get some inner thoughts?

Cloud
I know this comment is on the borderline of blasphemy, but I have found a new respect for Cloud. Probably because I got to see him try to hold down his lunch after a helicopter ride. He's human now! I got to see his wimpy little butt get kicked over and over again, with Zack coming to his rescue.

My only question: He gets car sick, but if Sephiroth stabs him he can unrealistically use the blade as a see-saw to throw Sephiroth into machinery? Huh?

I have to say, I'm glad the story cleared up the whole clone mess. I was confused on if Sephiroth was a clone of the original Sephiroth, or Cloud was a clone of Sephiroth, or if Cloud was a clone of Steve Burton's character on General Hospital...

I mean, come on. There's even a girl with two kids that Burton's character is in love with, but can never seem to get together with. (If you didn't know, Steve Burton IS the English voice actor of Cloud.)

So as it turns out, Sephiroth is the “perfect monster” and once Cloud gets stabbed, some mad scientist injects him with Sephiroth's cells in order to create another monster like him. It's just too bad that Cloud is too weak towards the Mako and spends half the game as a zombie. Until his friend is shot, in which he magically snaps out of it for the dramatic end of the game. The dude can't walk for half the game and then all of a sudden he can pick up the Buster Sword and head towards Midgar. Yeah. That's how that works.

I have to say, watching Cloud go from motion-sick-dork to what he is in Advent Children is an interesting transition. I actually found him more interesting in Crisis Core, due to the fact that it shows his depth. When he complains about not being able to save anyone in Advent Children, you realize that by playing Crisis Core, he's sort of right. He gets in a couple good shots and that's about it. Which I like better. It's more realistic.

Improvements: Cloud is anti-emotion as well. His best friend dies, he does the usual “noooo!” that everyone in every game does, and then he thanks his dead friend? Confusion. Maybe he's not emotionless...just bipolar.

Aerith
Anyone who knows me, knows that I hate Aerith. But after playing Crisis Core and getting to know her character better, I have realized that I had good reason. She's irritating. Not to say that she's a badly developed character. In this game. In FF7, she still sucks.

The sweet and shy princess-like character is more annoying to me than the bad-ass emo characters Square Enix likes to recycle, and Aerith takes the cake when it comes to that genre.

Here's what bothers me about her: my friend dies and she talks about flowers, I make her a flower wagon that is perfectly suitable and she wants a do over, she writes Zack about the flowers... GET OVER THE STUPID FLOWERS.

Improvements: She lives in slums and she's watched constantly by Turks. Can't she have a bit of an attitude? Some spunk? Something OTHER than an obsession with flowers?!

Sephiroth

Sephiroth is actually one of my favorite villains because the dude is insane. In this game, he's perfectly honorable and loyal, until he finds out that he was a scientific experiment and then everything hits the fan and he goes berserk.

However, I do hate the whole “the universe is MINE!” crap, and it seriously needs to stop. He was betrayed by his father and a bunch of scientists, not the universe.

Improvements: The rule the world thing. I'm done with that.

Other Characters

Genesis: I love the whole poetic sort of character, mainly because they're so rare. Genesis has this crazed obsession with the Gift of the Goddess, like a seriously disturbed religious person. I'd like to know why he's so interested though.

Angeal: He's like the sweet uncle you adore. He pokes fun at you and tells you stories about life. And then he manipulates you into killing him and then after he dies, his clone protects you. Just like in real life.

Missions

All right the missions in this game were lame and I'm going to tell you why: They were all the same.

No, no. Seriously. I get a mysterious letter or someone wants to challenge me, I go to the middle of a field that has 2 boxes, and I find one lone monster by itself, kill it, and I'm done.

Square Enix seems to have put missions in this game to make it longer. (And maybe to show off Yuffie a little bit more.) That really seems to be it. They went to great lengths to describe what I'm doing, but they don't give me any info into why I should care or what happens after I'm done.

FINAL SAY
If you're a FF7 fan, you won't be learning more than you all ready know, but it's a good look into character development over time and relationship chemistry. If you're not a FF7 fan, I don't think you'll get much out of it. The characters won't have any real depth to you. I'd take a look into this game if you're either a sci-fi nut or a FF7 fan, but that's really about it.

Other notes: What is with Cloud's relationship commitment issues? How long do the fans have to wait before Cloud FINALLY gets together with Tifa? I mean, really.

Hello and a Prompt

2009-03-06T21:14:00.000-08:00

For the 3 people that follow my blog, you probably haven't really noticed that I haven't posted in forever. Sorry about that. I'm sure one out of the 3 of you missed me. The other two forgot this page existed.

I'm working on finishing up Crisis Core--the prequel to Final Fantasy 7-- as we speak. I know there are a ton of FF7 fans out there so it should be fun to ward the bunch of you off with a stick. But I'm never going to be able to review this game if I don't finish the 500 random missions I have to do, which I'm sure Square Enix just threw in so the game would be longer. But at least it goes with the plot fairly well. And I mean fairly. More on that later. (But beofre you all get defensive, know that I'm actually enjoying the game. And also know that getting defensive over a game is a waste of energy.)

So I thought I'd give you a nice easy prompt to warm up the old blog.

I forgot how I even start these things...

Your assignment for this week is to take two characters from games (or if you would like, you can use movies), stick them in a room with no windows or doors, and watch how they react with each other as well as towards the fact that there's no escape.

This could be really fun, if you try. Sephiroth and Mario. Nina Williams and Rocket, the slime from Dragon Quest. The Terminator and SpongeBob Squarepants.

The point of this exercise is to watch characters interact, without forcing chemestry between them. You simply observe and record. When you think about it, that's the basic block of writing. A writer is not meant to control circumstance. S/he is meant to record what is happening in his/her imagination.

This is an exercise I'd really love to get replies for, so leave me your prompt!

Poll

2009-01-26T15:55:00.001-08:00

I'm a little sad that there's only 2 votes on my poll at the moment. There's only 5 more days to vote, guys!

Dead or Alive XTreme 2

2009-01-16T12:04:00.000-08:00

Console: XBox 360
Developer: Team Ninja

This game has the deepest, more emotionally impacting storyline and characters that I have seen in the history of gaming.

Yeah. Right.

Let’s be honest: half of you don’t know what this game is, and the other half are surprised I’m writing about this game at all. The basis of the game is you choose to be one of 9 bikini-wearing Dead or Alive girls, then take an island vacation choosing between water and beach sports, such as volleyball or water skiing.

So why AM I making a review on this game?

All games have writing. Even for games in which the writing may seem like it has no purpose, there should still be an effort to bring across the characters and plot as strongly as possible. Even casual games need story.

That, and this game is really addicting.

So, to the fact that there are no spoilers or deep plot twists, feel free to read the entire post.

Characters: 2/5
Storyline: 2/5
Interaction: Great!

Zack
Zack scares me. This can be a plus or minus to an audience depending on your angle. But as a character, he stands out quite well. He is the comic relief, and he has the personality type that makes me believe that he would, in fact, pull up a desert island from the bottom of the ocean and trick a whole bunch of girls to escape on it so he can make cash.

Improvements: It’s his island, but there’s no interaction with him during the game. He gives you a present every night (creepy) but he never talks to you. If he’s in charge of the island, don’t you think he would check up on you?

Niki
Niki is meant to be the girl that is head over heals for her boyfriend. She plays it well. The problem with this is she almost lacks personality of her own. She’s sweet and seems to make a good partner with Zack, but I think she could use a little individuality.

Improvements: She can be her own person. Make her more than just “Zack’s girlfriend.”

Kasumi
According to the insert, Kasumi is a runaway ninja. For a ninja, is sure is sensitive. She’s more like a Disney princess than a trained assassin.

Improvements: Make the background match the character’s personality.

Hitomi
This girl is quite childlike. She reminds me of a 10 year old girl, not an 18 year old tournament fighter. I found this character a little bland. She seemed like a rather generic character, with nothing that really stood out.

Improvements: Have something about her that stands out!

Leifang
Leifang has the least amount of character depth out of any of the characters in this game. She’s far too generic, with nothing that stands out.

Improvements: Personality! Make her an individual.

Christie
Since there are so few girls with spunk in this game, thank God for Christie. She’s cold and rude, which fits her background as an assassin very well.

Improvements: Christie doesn’t seem to play well with others. This makes it hard for me to believe that she would try to play volleyball and tug of war with other girls.

Kokoro
While Hitomi reminds me of a 10 year old, Kokoro reminds me of a 5 year old. She’s constantly whining and worrying about her mother coming and taking her off the island. Other than that, she almost has the same traits as Kasumi, in the fact that she seems like a Disney princess.

Improvements: Add a little more maturity to this character. And why are both the Japanese girls these dainty and sweet little things?

Helena
Contrary to American stereotypes that make the French seem rude and selfish, Helena is a sweet girl that looks at the finer things in life. She is almost never rude and is very in touch with her surroundings. Way to go on going against stereotypes!

Improvements: Add a little more flavor to her. She’s got the sweet, now where’s the spicy?

Tina
Tina is a southern girl, showing off the American way of being sugar and spice at the same time. She’s spunky, but kind. The story behind Tina is that she has ran away from her father for a good time. Tina is one of the better characters for the fact that she has a distinct personality and a background that matches.

Improvements: Sometimes she’s randomly rude to you if you ask her to be your partner, but if you play as her she’s normally semi-sweet. It’s a little inconsistent.

Lisa
I take it back. Lisa is the most bland out of the characters. She has 2 alternating lines that are completely generic and boring. Try again.

Improvements: Everything.

Ayane
Ayane is hot and cold. If you play as her, she’s nice and frisky; if you play as someone else and ask her to be your partner, she’s a jerk. Bipolar?

Improvements: Not only does she not have that much character depth, but she can’t decide who she is. Pick a personality (or lack there of) and stick to it.

Interaction
The interaction in this game is the best part regarding the writing field. Each character is programmed to respond to the other whether or not it’s in volleyball games, casino playing, or jet ski racing. When someone is with a group of people, there is usually more interaction than someone talking to themselves. It’s important to remember those types of things when making casual games.

Final Say:
If you’re looking for a game that’s mentally stimulating, you’ve picked up the wrong game. This game can’t even give you an assortment of female personalities. The interaction between the characters, however, is good and more games should have that sort of interaction.

Other notes: I don’t care if you have 18 different songs. They all suck.

Character Development #2: Interview

2009-01-09T00:31:00.000-08:00

Your character should be as real to you as possible. If he or she is not real to you, why would he or she be real to anyone else?

If you’re a writer, you’re part crazy. And that’s ok. You should be crazy enough to be able to see and talk to your characters as if they were real people. In that case, interview your characters. If you want to roleplay as both an interviewer and the character... well, you’re crazier than I am.

There are many questions you should ask your character, whether or not it comes into light within your story, plot, or gameplay. These questions that you ask your characters will shape who your character is, regardless of whether you tell your audience or not.

Here are some questions you should have the answers to for your characters:

Background
-->What were your parents like? Did you have a good relationship with them? Who did you like better? What was their relationship with each other like?
--> What about other family members? Do you have aunts, uncles, nieces or nephews? Cousins? Pets?
--> Did you like your childhood? What would have changed?
--> Where were you born? What was the neighborhood like that you grew up in?
--> Were you traumatized by anything as a child?

Personal
--> What ethnicity(s) are you? Where do you get those from?
--> What is your religion? Why are you that religion? What do you practice?
--> What is your philosophy towards life? Are you optimistic, pessimistic, or a realist?
--> What social class are you? What is your annual salary?
--> Which of the 7 Deadly Sins do you suffer the most from?
--> What is your highest education? Do you have any awards or degrees?
--> Do you have any illnesses? Physical or mental.

General
-->What do you do in your free time? What hobbies do you have?
--> What subjects interest you? History, Art, Literature, Music, Math, Technology, Philosophy, Medicine, Zoology, Dance, Language, Cuisine, etc...
--> What are you afraid of? Heights, spiders, enclosed spaces, dogs, UFOs, work, sex, being buried alive, germs, the world spinning backwards, dust, everything...
--> What is your biggest strength? What are some other strengths you have?
--> What is your biggest weakness? What are some other weaknesses you have?
--> What are your dreams?
--> What would you like see in the world? What changes would you make if you could?
--> What clothes style do you like? What clothes style do you think is really stupid?
--> What form of exercise do you like? What type do you hate?
--> What are foods you can’t live without? What are foods you wish never existed?
--> What are your pet peeves?
--> What turns you on? What turns you off? What do you think is romantic? Are you old fashioned or modern?
--> What are your best traits? What are your worst habits?
--> What skills do you have?

Personality Traits
--> How do you handle problems? Slow to anger? Quick to anger?
--> Shy or loud?
--> Quick witted or slow to process?
--> Sarcastic or sincere?
--> Show off, goof, or angel?
--> Rebellious or obedient?

The list can go on and on if you let it. And you should! The more you know about your character, the better! Characters have to be living, breathing people to you or else your story will be weak.

Remember: Stories are character driven, not plot driven. I can’t emphasize that enough. Your characters tell the story, you’re just there to put it on paper.

Helpful Tip: Look at my blog on character development with astrology here: http://thickorthingamewriting.blogspot.com/2008/12/character-development-type-1-astrology.html

Use it with the questions to create an awesome character!

Writing Assignment #3-- Character With a Handicap

2009-01-07T12:25:00.000-08:00

Most of us are regular people. Even if you are a politician who claims to have godly powers, truth be known, we still all have our strength and weaknesses. Some of us have physical or mental handicaps.

The assignment for this week is to write out a character with a physical handicap. What is s/he physically incapable of doing? What elements in a plot would challenge this?

Now, you don't have to go all Touched By An Angel and make it so the character becomes cured of their ailment, but at least think about a plot in which this character would have difficulty. Plot is based on struggles, right?

In a book series, Keys to the Kingdom: Mister Monday by Garth Nix, the main character has asthma. His violent attacks are softened by a magical key that he has to grasp in his hand. I know this isn’t a video game reference, but the idea of a handicap is still behind it.

Why have a character with a handicap in the game? Isn’t the point of game characters to have someone to identify to? The point isn’t to have gamers shed a tear when the main character realizes he can do amazing things even as a handicapped person, the point is to make stories rich with characters we can identify to.

If you want to go so far in this exercise to figure out gameplay, have at it. I'm sure there are a few game designers as well as writers out there, so feel free to put in whatever aspects necessary.

Post what you come up with!

Fable 2

2008-12-30T13:24:00.000-08:00

Release Date: 2008 (Xbox 360)
Developer: Lionhead Studios
Publisher: Microsoft

Fable is rather famous among gamers, either being the greatest thing ever or a sad attempt at an action RPG. But gameplay is not what I'm reviewing, so I'm leaving it out of this.

Story Rating: 4/5
Character Rating: 3/5
Mission Writing: 5/5

Warning: Spoilers Ahead. Please skip the rest of this post if you plan on playing the game!

Story
The basic story of Fable 2 is that you play as an orphan boy/girl who buys a music box that is supposed to grant one wish. You and your sister end up in a huge castle where a dude named Lucian flips out and shoots you and your sister. You fall out a window to be saved by a blind gypsy who raises you to stop Lucian from destroying the world. To do this, you must find the other 3 Heroes that are needed to defeat Lucian.

Pros:
--> The dialogue is written wonderfully, giving personality and individuality to each character.
-->I like the idea of actually searching for a few particular people, instead of most RPG games in which you just “run into” people that just decide to tag along for no real reason other than “Hey, I'm going that way too. Let's go together! Tee-hee!”

Cons:
-->A dog that seems to have no real point in the story besides taking a bullet for you at the end
-->Another bad guy that wants to rule the world sort of deal

Characters

Main (Rating: 0/5)
Yes, you play as a speechless character. I understand that this is a sandbox game, but so is Grand Theft Auto 4 and the main character in that game speaks. At least let me have some dialogue to choose from...

Improvements: I don't know...maybe... a personality?

Hammer (4.5/5)
I rather like this character. A buffed-out lady monk who wants to smash in some faces but has to hold back since she's sworn an oath. But once she loses her father, all oaths go out the window and she swears to get revenge on Lucian for his men killing her father. She's witty, chatty, and has fun when smashing things.

Improvements: She didn't seem to have enough faults. Other than being incredibly chatty, there was nothing about her that struck me unpleasant. All characters should have things that you love and hate about them. Not just love.

Garth (2/5)
Garth is a James Earl Jones reincarnate that follows me around telling me to use my magical powers. Sorry guys, but this character is way too Star Wars for me. He has some great moments of wit, but when it comes down to it, all he does is boss me around while sitting in a corner glowing.

Improvements: Needs to be a little more rounded out. Garth didn't say much and when he did, it was barely anything original. I barely know anything about him other than he was in Lucian's hands and I had to break him out of them.

Reaver (4/5)
I hate this character. And I don't mean because he's poorly developed, I just mean that I hated him so much that when I beat the game I wanted to go back, track him down, and shoot him in the face. Reaver is a very arrogant and rich thief, who tricked me into selling my youth to save himself, and then turned around and called Lucian to come pick me up just for his own personal gain.

Improvements: The opposite of Hammer: there was nothing about him I liked. He could shoot a gun pretty well, but that's not reason for me to like him. I almost killed him myself and he's supposed to be a Hero?

Theresa (3/5)
Why are mystical people always able to speak in my head? It's creepy. Theresa is an interesting character, and one that I kept trying to figure out if she was using me for her own plans or if she was actually on my side. She gets the spire and ditches you, which makes you think that the spire was her main objective all along, not to protect the peace. She has no real show of emotions and usually just tells me what to do.

Improvements: How about a mystical character that doesn't state the obvious? Theresa needs a little more depth to her. If I'm supposed to be confused about what side she's on, really confuse me about it. I want to be on the edge of my seat wondering if she's going to betray me or support me. Also, her dialogue sounds more like a narrator than a character.

Lucian (3.5/5)
Lucian wants to create a new and better world. Or an old one... something like that. Someone mentions in the game that he wishes to revive his family from the dead, but that's not really looked into and it doesn't seem like a valid excuse try to change the world into what he wanted. This guy is pretty bad, considering the fact that he shot me in the face twice. And once in awhile you see some sort of heart in him, but it's quickly eaten by his insane mind. With the way he gathered and killed people that didn't fit his view of a perfect world, I'm sure him and Hitler would have a lot of common interests.

Improvements: His motives confuse me at points. I understand that he wants to get rid of the Heroes so he can get the spire to bring his family back. But what's with the recruits for “a better world?” I'd like a little more background on the character that I'm spending the entire game trying to defeat.

Side Quests 5/5
My rating on side quests have to do with these things:

-->Does it fit in with the game world
-->Are the characters in the side quests well developed enough for me to believe that they REALLY need my help
-->Is it something really pointless

Fable has pretty good side quests for the most part. I'm not going to go into each one obviously... I assume you people have lives. (Emphasis on the word “assume.”) Overall, Fable 2 did side quests that immersed you into the world, giving me some memorable characters along the way. How can I forget the heart-warming quest of where a transvestite guy tried to trap me in his house and stab me in the neck after setting fire to all his pets. Good, family-oriented times.

FINAL SAY
Fable 2 has a pretty simple storyline, with good side quest writing. Lionhead Studio said they wanted to focus on the emotion of the game, which I can't say didn't work for the main fact that I got pissed off at half the story because it seemed so unfair. However, there was no part in the game where I was so emotionally distraught that I shed a tear. That didn't happen. And I'm pretty sappy.

I recommend playing it not for the storyline, but for the characters. If you want to study some interesting and insane characters, definitely play.

Other Notes:
Why did I look like a she-man half way through? That was really irritating...

Writing Assignment #2-- Bad Guy

2008-12-17T15:54:00.000-08:00

There are many types of antagonists. Some of them are really boring, others I find a delightful twist in. Have you ever noticed how much creativity goes into antagonists meant for kid shows? I’ve seen more originality in comic book characters than in video game bad guys.

All right, so here’s your assignment:

Give me the background to an awesomely evil dude. Where he grew up, what he likes and dislikes, who his family is, what morals does he stand by, what things does he fight for, why does he oppose the protagonist....

Remember that bad guys have strengths, the same way that good guys have faults.

Writing Exercise #1-- Your First Mission

2008-12-08T15:25:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd start a new regular article on my blog. I'm going to post some writing exercises in which you can work on some writing elements.

Your first writing exercise is going to be a first mission. There are a few types of writers in the industry: a technical writer, a dialogue writer, plot writers, and mission writers. I'm going to start you out with a mission writing exercise.

Background: Rhet is a dark elf that lives in a secluded forest village. He only has one weak spell: Lightning.

Task: Give Rhet a task to do in the village or forest involving his lightning spell. Remember that this will be the first mission within the game, so do not make it too difficult or long. Write a basic overview of what the mission is, what tasks are involved for Rhet to complete his task, and if you wish throw in some dialogue that will be exchanged in this mission.

Feel free to post them up here!

Poll #3--Elements of Writing

2008-12-08T12:24:00.001-08:00

What element of gameplay do you think needs the most work?

Choice #1-- Dialogue
Some characters are all kinds of dull. They tend to fall into a speech pattern cliche that drives me crazy. Or worse, to better "immerse" yourself into the game, they take out the speech of the main character entirely. I really don't see the cleverness to this. If you want to make it more like the player, why don't you let the player choose traits for the main character and base speech patterns off that? It would take some work, I realize, but it would give the game tons of replay value.

Choice #2-- Character Development
This is my vote. Two dimensional characters piss me off. If your character is going to be cold and quiet give him a REASON to be so. Not just cause you saw Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children and thought "Omgz Cloud is awesome!!!! My entire life will be based off his totally cool example!!! I love youz!!!!"
...Sad.

I have nothing against Cloud, but the clones I see throughout RPG games is to say the lamest thing I've ever come across in game writing. If you're going to have the strong, silent type don't make him the main character.

And another thing, what is with the stereotypes? I haven't found a black character that wasn't all "Bust a cap" with an insane gun and ready to pop someone the face whenever they said something remotely suggestive. Way to profile, jerks. There seems to be only seems to be 4 or 5 types of characters in games anymore; few with any real depth.

Choice #3-- Plot
We get it. The bad guy is the main guy's father. Someone is always magically royalty. The bad guys want to rule the world for no real reason other than to mark it off their checklist of "Things to Do Before You Die." How many times are you guys going to use these lame plot devices?

Now I'm not saying not to use what has been used before. That would be nearly impossible. But at least put a spin or an angle on it. In Final Fantasy 10, they had Sin (the main bad guy) as Tidus's father. But they didn't tell you that at the end, where it would have been retarded and not that great of a surprise. They told you directly after they set up the fact that Tidus hates his father with a passion. So during the game, you watch as Tidus gets ready to destroy his own father, but starts to become torn between his hatred and his compassion. It has some dorky parts, but at least it put some sort of depth into it.

Choice #4-- Romantic Chemistry
Anyone who knows me well knows that I can't stand the fact that Tidus and Yuna get together in Final Fantasy 10. Not to piss off you Yuna fans, but Tidus and Yuna had the worst romantic chemistry of any two game characters I've seen. They were entirely fake. Remember that forced laughter scene? Look it up on youtube if you've never seen it. It's ridiculous. It is my personal opinion that Rikku was much better for Tidus. Not only did they work well in battle situations together, but the first thing she does when meeting him is knocks him out. It's funny and it works.

If you want two characters to be romantically involved, you have to have them bring out the best and the worst in each other. A romantic interest should bring out all of the characters colors and just lay them out on the table whether they like it or not. It's even more fun if they hate it! And by the way, if you have two well developed characters, the chemistry should speak for itself. You won't even have to put much effort into the chemestry because the characters will do it for you.

So what do you guys think? Leave some comments!

Character Development Type 1: Astrology

2008-12-01T16:12:00.000-08:00

Whether or not you believe that the stars can tell you your future is irrelevant. The use of astrology in order to create a character is a great way to create someone with depth.

There are two types of astrology: Chinese and Sun Signs. (I do hope that if you create a character, s/he is real enough to you that you would give him/her a birthday. ) Chinese Astrology is the type that has to do with the years. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “Year of the Rat” or “Year of the Dragon.” Sun Signs have to do with monthly readings, such as Aries, Virgo, Cancer, etc.

The point of using these is to make sure that your character is a complete person. Often we fall in love with our characters so much that we refuse to give them weaknesses and bad traits. This is ridiculous. Can you think of anyone you adore that doesn’t have at least one trait that bothers you? Big or small, weaknesses and bad habits are important to a character.

Another good use for this strategy is for character compatibility. A lot of astrology sites can show you compatibility with two people regarding work, romance and friendship. People can’t agree on everything, and what they do and don’t agree on you can use to your advantage.

I’m going to do two sample characters to give you an idea of how useful it is: Marc and Dhara.

Marc’s birthday is going to be February 3rd, 1984. This is going to make him an Aquarius, Year of the Rat. Now, I don’t have to use ALL the traits mentioned in one of these sites. None of us meet all of these, and some of us barely meet any of them whatsoever. The point isn’t to have as many traits as possible, its to have depth and dimension to the character.

Here are Marc’s traits using Sun Signs: Original, independent, and honest. He also has a dry sense of humor, doesn’t forgive easily, and has a tendency to do the opposite of what everyone else is doing just for the heck of it. Some traits from the Year of the Rat that I can use for Marc are that he has his own agenda and is quite persuasive.

With these traits working together, I’m sure Marc will end up getting on my nerves frequently, but wondering what he’ll do next will keep me interested.

Next is Dhara. I’m going to make her birthday November 22, 1982. This makes her Year of the Dog and a Scorpio.

Here are some traits of Scorpio: Forceful, intuitive, emotional, and passionate. However, she’s also going to end up being secretive, compulsive, and is almost never satisfied with the results of something. Traits of the Dog that I will add in for Dhara are a firm code of personal ethics and a love of physical activity.

Now, I just made up birthdays before creating these characters. I had nothing pictured in my head for either one of them. But I can all ready tell that no matter the plot, these two are going to have some interesting chemistry. I don’t have to use a guide to tell me that Dhara won’t take any crap from Marc, but if Marc wants what he wants badly enough, he’s eventually going to stick around and use Dhara’s traits against her to get it for him.

If I want these two to be romantic, I’m going to have to use some of their traits in order to create reasons why these two would even fall for each other. Whether or not the compatibility tools on a site agree or disagree means nothing. They’re just helpers if you can’t think of something yourself.

For Dhara, I’m going to make her slightly impressed by Marc’s honesty. Even if he’s persuasive and tricky, he’s not going to be dishonest. She’ll also end up being intrigued by his original and inventive mind.

Marc is going to be excited by the challenge Dhara presents for him. Putting his mind to work in order to get her to help him for his tasks may frustrate him at times, but ultimately he’s going to love the mental exercise. And sooner or later, whatever emotional reasons Dhara reveals for passionately perusing what she’s doing is going to get him to think a little more about himself and get him to understand and empathize with her.

As work partners, I can tell these two will be quite competitive; as friends, they’re going to try to outshine the other with quick wit and personal accomplishments.

The story can almost be seen through the personalities of these two characters. That’s the point. The characters are the most important part of the story. Stories are character driven: not plot driven. A great plot is awesome, but without characters that drive the circumstances, these plots end up weak and typically cliche. Make sure that you have characters that people love or love to hate, because those characters are what keeps people interested in what happens next!

Here are some good Astrology sites:
http://www.astrology-online.com/persn.htm
http://www.usbridalguide.com/special/chinesehoroscopes/dog.htm
http://www.theholidayspot.com/chinese_new_year/zodiacs.htm
http://horoscopes.aol.com/astrology/zodiac-central/aquarius
http://www.astrologycom.com/zodiac.html
http://horoscopes.astrology.com/index/dailychineseindex.html

Poll #2

2008-11-03T15:19:00.000-08:00

New poll has been posted.

What Character Stereotype Are You Most Sick Of?

#1-- Cool and Heartless Jackass.
This one is personally my pet peeve. These characters are in mass production. They're usually quiet, with this annoying view that they can't/should not be loved. They normally have really cool weapons and sometimes some humorous sarcasm, but overall they're pretty boring to me.

#2-- Peppy and Bubbly Misfit
Usually a girl character, which is fine because I'd be really creeped out if a guy was like one of these characters. This person usually yells "We can do it!" some time during the game. No one really cares whether she's there or not.

#3-- Sweet and Soft Princess
My 2nd worst pet peeve. She's too damn sweet to do her own fighting and she's usually spouting off some garbage about saving the rainforest or something. She never raises her voice. She's like a robot with a plastered on smile. It hurts me.

#4-- I Want to Rule All Bad Guy
See #2 on my Avalon Code post. This guy has been DONE.

Avalon Code

2008-11-03T15:09:00.000-08:00

Platform: DS
Release Date: TBA

Have you noticed that more and more games are refusing to give release dates? Just pointing it out.

The game I'd like to bring attention to in this particular blog is Avalon Code. Not too much has been released about the game, but the concept is what I’d like to bring attention to.
I could go on about the gameplay features and cool graphics, but this is a writing blog so I’ll save that to your own research. (But on a side note, the battle system looks awesome!)

So, here’s the story: You play a character that has just been informed that the end of the world is coming. You cannot save it. Instead, you pick out the stuff you want to take with you to the new world that will be created after this one is destroyed.

Reasons why this concept rocks:

1) You get to choose how the story plays out. There are a lot of games out there in which you get to choose your own events, but it doesn’t really have anything to do with the actual storyline. It seems to be totally just for giggles. I am a total The Sims fanatic, but if I set Suzy on fire, the only thing that happens is Billy stops and cries every once in awhile. (The Sims was not made for storylines really, but I’m just using it as an example.)

2) There’s no evil dude trying to take over the universe. (As far as I know.) I’m really sick of this scenario. WHY do bad guys want to rule things for NO real reason? Half of them are so anti-social, it really doesn’t make sense that they’d want to rule and deal with people day in and day out. Most of them seem to want this “world as my slave” deal, which is an interesting goal, but I’m pretty sure that if there was someone trying to do that well placed TNT would do the trick. Sephiroth from Final Fantasy 7 passes, mainly because it makes sense that he would think there’s a universe that belongs to him, because he’s bloody crazy. It’s a low grade, but a C- is still passing.

3) Personalization. Play as a boy or girl. Destroy things you hate. Keep things you like. Mess with the universe. I hate it when a game either goes half in or half out on the immersion. Take Dragon Quest 8. I’m a huge fan of the series, but removing the main character of dialogue to make you feel like you’re part of the game is lame. I’m not a mute. Why am I playing one? How am I supposed to identify to someone who doesn’t say anything?

I think Avalon Code has a cool new angle for a storyline and I’m excited to see whether or not it turns out to be a good game. Check out IGN for more info and screenshots!

Poll #1

2008-10-11T17:06:00.000-07:00

I've only had 4 votes on my poll off to the side here. I hope all of you who visit my site vote and vote honestly. No suck ups!

Just for the record, if you put "really hot characters" I won't judge you. Why do you think I bought Kingdom Hearts? Hehehe.

Quick Tip: Portfolio Articles

2008-10-11T16:59:00.000-07:00

At the recent E For All, I tracked down the editor of GamePro Magazine and asked him a simple question: What do you do when you want to put articles in your portfolio, but you can’t afford any of the new games?

His advice was to write about games that have been released in the last year. Don’t go too far back, but the articles in your portfolio don’t always have to be the new hot games coming out. Just show that you can write.

Introduction

2008-10-09T13:50:00.000-07:00

My reason behind this particular blog was to write about my passion of games without doing another site that squeals, "PRINCE OF PERSIA 2008!" (Not that I"m not incredibly excited about the new one!) So I tried to think of the main reason I play games.

It's an interactive story.

It's obvious with the release of games for the PS3 that graphics have breath-taking realism to them. However, I think the industry is far too focused on graphics and not enough on the story of the game. What keeps me most interested in playing a game is the "what happens next" factor. And I have plenty who agree with me.

What my plans are for this blog are to write about the elements of game writing. I would like to bring attention to how dialogue has been written, the storylines, and character development. I would also like to touch upon writing within the industry, such as technical writing, story writing, samples for a portfolio, and journalism. I don't have a lot of info on the industry side subjects yet, but I will work hard for you guys to find out!

As much as I'd like to throw myself into the blog and write my first article, the first thing I have to do is work on this layout because right now it hurts my soul. I'll try to have an article for you guys next week!