201 réponses à ce sujet

[Jerrybnsn]

Wasting away. Can't eat. Can't sleep. I keep the curtains closed. If only EA would have announced any news on DAIII than I could have the will to at least take a shower. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.

[Nimpe]

Working on my game backlog. Jesus, is it getting out of control.

[hussey 92]

even when DA3 comes out I'll probable wait until the price drops

[TEWR]

Allan Schumacher wrote...

No college education = no shot in hell that I'll become a writer.

Are you looking at becoming a game writer?

Very much so. Writing and video games are pretty much two of my favorite things in the world, the former being a talent I discovered in my senior year of high school. Being able to write for video games -- preferably RPGs -- would be nothing short of amazing.

Most of the writing I have done has generally been on my own. Non-published material or the like. Poetry, songs, fanfic, original stories, general plot ideas, etc.. I try my best to make what I write seem at the very least decent.

Modifié par The Ethereal Writer Redux, 10 juin 2012 - 03:37 .

[joshko]

The Ethereal Writer Redux wrote...

Allan Schumacher wrote...

No college education = no shot in hell that I'll become a writer.

Are you looking at becoming a game writer?

Very much so. Writing and video games are pretty much two of my favorite things in the world. Being able to write for video games -- preferably RPGs -- would be amazing.

Don't you love the higher education system in the US.

You have to go to school to make a decent living, but if you don't make a decent living you can't afford to go to school.

The dam educrats, beurocrats and every other crat here has me banging my head against a wall.

[Persephone]

Playing Game of Thrones, Mount & Blade Warband and my fave Bioware games.

Writing my DA fanfic. *Points to sig*

Work.

Are we there yet?

[brushyourteeth]

Avejajed wrote...

Getting older by the minute...

No joke. I'll probably pop out a few kids before the next DA installment comes out, and then have to save up to hire a sitter for release week.

Of course that's a good thing - our patience will be rewarded with Dragon Age: The Best Thing™

[Dakota Strider]

The Ethereal Writer Redux wrote...

Allan Schumacher wrote...

No college education = no shot in hell that I'll become a writer.

Are you looking at becoming a game writer?

Very much so. Writing and video games are pretty much two of my favorite things in the world, the former being a talent I discovered in my senior year of high school. Being able to write for video games -- preferably RPGs -- would be nothing short of amazing.

Most of the writing I have done has generally been on my own. Non-published material or the like. Poetry, songs, fanfic, original stories, general plot ideas, etc.. I try my best to make what I write seem at the very least decent.

There are probably few things in this world that are more over-rated, than what a college education will do for you.  As for writing, you can educate yourself in what you need to know.  Look online to find groups that host writing contests, and you will find people that will critique your style, so that you can make improvements.  If you absolutely need college, for something like programming, do not dismiss online courses as an inexpensive alternative. 

There are many multi-millionaires that did not attend, or graduate college.  Your only limitations are what you choose to accept for yourself.

[Raydiva]

Getting back to my fanfictions and hopefully finish them.

[AstraDrakkar]

I am playing other games and working at my job. I love DA, but its not my whole life.

[robertthebard]

Playing DA2.

[Teddie Sage]

Eating peanuts and getting fat.

More seriously, replaying DAO and DA2.

[Shevy]

Bought Dark Souls one week ago and finished the Undead Perish yesterday. Now I'm dying thousands of deaths in this ghost plagued village.

[TEWR]

joshko wrote...

Don't you love the higher education system in the US.

You have to go to school to make a decent living, but if you don't make a decent living you can't afford to go to school.

The dam educrats, beurocrats and every other crat here has me banging my head against a wall.

Irony's a **** sometimes .

Dakota Strider wrote...


There are probably few things in this world that are more over-rated, than what a college education will do for you.  As for writing, you can educate yourself in what you need to know.  Look online to find groups that host writing contests, and you will find people that will critique your style, so that you can make improvements. 

Unfortunately, most places tend to look at where you've been educated rather then your expertise in the field, even if it's self-taught. If you want a job somewhere, you need a fancy piece of paper saying you're qualified.

And even if you're not the best writer out there -- with not a lot of experience with official game writing (maybe even none) -- you might not be considered for a job somewhere. Which sucks, because even if you've never been on a team before of game developers, it doesn't mean you're not cut out for it. You learn. No one's perfect on the first try.

I can understand wanting experienced people though. The more knowledgeable they are, the better chance they'll come up with good ideas. But I've also found that many good ideas can come when -- and where -- you least expect them. I could take a run down through the woods and see something, and my brain would go off on a train of thought that eventually leads me to such a thing.

Places will go "We require you to have worked on some big-name stuff" rather then "It'd be nice if you worked on some big-name stuff." I just wish that was some of the optional things they'd look for, because not a lot of video game companies actually hire writers as part of their staff -- something I read on a blog post of Brent Knowles' -- which makes it even harder to get a job for a video game company, indie or not. That said, being a third-party writer -- I guess that'd be the correct term for it? -- would be an alright way to start, because I'm pretty sure my name would still be tossed into the credits of a game.

But that's stuff that's working from home, if I'm remembering Brent Knowles' blog correctly. I've found that most of my best ideas come from collaboration and discussion, and very rarely do they come from me just trying to think of it on my own.

Ah well. Listen to me blather on like a fishmonger's wife. I'm certainly not going to stop trying to get a job as a game writer, however inexperienced I may be -- though I have been told that some of my ideas for how certain elements of DAII could've happened were good ideas, so I think that's an indication that my desire to be a writer is off to a decent start.

At any rate, what you said is the general opinion I have of college these days -- and it's a discussion I've had with some friends on here in fact. The education it teaches may not actually do much in the way of... well... educating. It would just be a bunch of nonsense, ill-fit to the actual desires of the person taking the course.

I definitely tend to lean more towards criticism from my online peers on my writing, because I can get some valuable insight on what to do. Just as much, I prefer criticism from friends in the area that I live in.

Writing is one of the hardest things to learn about, but it's also one of the most rewarding if done well.

Of course for me -- and I don't know if this is par for the course for writers -- I tend to always second guess my writing, always wondering if it's really that good. I'll scrutinize it and drive myself nuts over it.

Modifié par The Ethereal Writer Redux, 11 juin 2012 - 01:20 .

[PaulSX]

Skyrim, Dragon age Origins and BSN

[Allan Schumacher]

The Ethereal Writer Redux wrote...

Allan Schumacher wrote...

Are you looking at becoming a game writer?

Very much so. Writing and video games are pretty much two of my favorite things in the world, the former being a talent I discovered in my senior year of high school. Being able to write for video games -- preferably RPGs -- would be nothing short of amazing.

Most of the writing I have done has generally been on my own. Non-published material or the like. Poetry, songs, fanfic, original stories, general plot ideas, etc.. I try my best to make what I write seem at the very least decent.

College writing is probably not as necessary as you may think.  For almost all things in gaming, I find showing that you were able to start on something and finish it is a fantastic thing to have on a portfoilio.  I actually had brief discussions regarding a writing position back when I was still a contract worker and was told that writing for a video game can be very different than writing a novel or even for film.

It's not as relevant now which is unfortunate, but taking something like NWN and writing a short module can still work wonders.  Show that you're able to take a story and provide some branches while not letting it get carried away so that you can focus and wrap up the story.

I wouldn't even consider it necessary to properly script it, though if you do that too it'll help develop some skills for other aspects than just writing.  You could probably still make it work with DAO's toolsets (I'm not sure what the capabilities are of the end user toolset), or maybe something like Gamebryo's (I have zero experience with that one unfortunately).

I'd probably recommend writing from an established setting though, because it'll help you skip over a lot of the introductory exposition of the setting.  Jump in and hook your audience.  Heck, try writing a side quest in the DA universe (or another RPG of your choosing).  From there, and I think this is most important, look forward to the feedback and go into it with an open mind.


IMO showing that you can create a fun adventure within the context of a setting is probably more likely to get you consideration for an entry level writing position than going to college (unless maybe that college specializes in writing for video games).

[TEWR]

Allan Schumacher wrote...


I'd probably recommend writing from an established setting though, because it'll help you skip over a lot of the introductory exposition of the setting. Jump in and hook your audience. Heck, try writing a side quest in the DA universe (or another RPG of your choosing). From there, and I think this is most important, look forward to the feedback and go into it with an open mind.

Sadly, I have neither the PC capability nor the money to invest in such a venture at this point in time. I've been playing the DA series on my PS3 and the computer I do play games on is one that I'm reasonably sure can't play anything other then Alpha Centauri and Age of Mythology.

Although there is one idea I have been wanting to mod into DAO for some time now. If I ever get the money to buy the PC version of DAO, install it, download the toolset, and begin my work I'd do some Dwarf-related stuff.

I was planning on doing Dwarf-related stuff a month or two ago, but that was when said money troubles arose.

Perhaps if I can't do it all on my own due to those money issues, I could at least engage in some sort of collaborative modding. I and other people do the writing, others the more technical aspects that I would be incapable of doing.

In fact, I might just do that.

I'd prefer to have experience with DAO's toolset though -- if nothing else for the sake of some knowledge on implementing features and stuff.

Modifié par The Ethereal Writer Redux, 11 juin 2012 - 09:19 .

[MerAnne]

TEWR (sorry, your name is tool long to type it often). The short version - what Allan said. The slightly longer version. I have both a bachelor's and a master's degree - in a field TOTALLY unrelated to my RL job. Those degrees proved that I was capable of learning and got my foot in the door. That was it. I can honestly say that there were only a handful of courses that proved useful after I left college, but they made my (future) employer willing to hire me.

Urban legend says that this clip was the entire resume for the gentleman who wrote it. True? I don't know, but it proved that he could do animations before all of the tools that we have now to help us.

General writing skills would also - IMO - be important. Not necessarily a game, but if you wrote a 30 page policy document, for example, it proves that you didn't get bored part way through (trust me, not as easy as it sounds) and just stop. It isn't optimal, I grant you, but it shows that you could stay on task and complete the project.

Allan - how sought after, in the gaming industry, are testers? No one ever seems to want to pay to have it done. No one wants to do it. Done well, it is incredibly tedious. But it seems like a foot in the door. (Diablo III - two words - LOAD TESTING. geez)

Back to topic - what am I doing while waiting for DA3? Activities too numerous to mention. I'm hoping that DA3 is a game that I will want to buy/play, but I'm not stopping all activities until it is available.

[Shadow of Light Dragon]

Allan Schumacher wrote...

IMO showing that you can create a fun adventure within the context of a setting is probably more likely to get you consideration for an entry level writing position than going to college (unless maybe that college specializes in writing for video games).

It's no guarantee, though it definitely helps. I was a writer for the Ultima 5: Lazarus remake, and after completion the majority of the team moved on to applying for jobs in the industry. Many landed them, though as far as I know none got writing jobs (though I did, once, get offered an interview for such a position).

Ian Frazier, who was our lead for Lazarus and used his experience with the mod to go professional, ended up heading Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.

[Hurbster]

Waiting for Bioware to sort out ME3 so I can bring myself to finish it again. TOR, Football Manager, work.

[Allan Schumacher]

Allan - how sought after, in the gaming industry, are testers? No one ever seems to want to pay to have it done. No one wants to do it. Done well, it is incredibly tedious. But it seems like a foot in the door. (Diablo III - two words - LOAD TESTING. geez)

I can only speak from experience at BioWare, but we typically have hiring fairs every few months for contract positions. I do believe BioWare is a bit unusual with more "in house" QA than some other studios.

Most of the entry stuff will probably be contract, but if QA is fairly well integrated with the rest of the team (it is at BioWare) opportunities to network in other disciplines present themselves, as well as more permanent stuff in QA.

[Quill74Pen]

Hmm. Well, I've been re-rolling Wardens and Hawkes, playing MAG, doing a bit of reading on the side and beta-testing a non-Bioware game that's not yet in the public domain.

[Chromie]

Drooling over the Wasteland 2 vision document <--- Bioware should take some ideas. Especially how they plan to make the party work.

Modifié par Skelter192, 12 juin 2012 - 03:46 .