Charlie Roberts
IMG Year 2 Portfolio
Writing Role Career Pathway
For this section of research I plan to look into jobs for video game writing to see the type of skills I would need to carry out the job(s), and to see what the requirements for said job(s) would be.
To do this I will search for 'games writer jobs' online to see and look at a few of the web search results, and then pick out and talk about some of the responsibilities and requirements for the jobs.
Job 1: Lead Scriptwriter - AAA Games - London - Permanent (https://bit.ly/2RkG1zN)
What is the job?
As stated in the job name, the role that the job is offering is a lead script writing role. The description also states that this role would be working in an in-house team, as well as working closely with other teams (similar to the next college project).
Responsibilities
The job description states what the different responsibilities of the job role would cover. However, after looking at these responsibilities I can tell that I would struggle to effectively carry out the responsibilities of this role.
The first responsibility stated in the description is"Write compelling dialogue and narrative content​". This is something I would be currently unable to carry out at a professional level, since I am only just looking into and learning how to write dialogue and narrative.
Another responsibility I would struggle with would be "Provide insightful, constructive feedback to other writers". I would struggle with this since 'm still learning how to write for games, and therefore my feedback would lack experience.
Requirements
After reading the listed requirements I can tell that this isn't the type of job that I would currently be able to apply for, as there would be no chance of me getting selected.
The very first listed requirement is "Professional experience writing creatively for games, ideally at a AAA level". This is something that I lack, as for one I am still learning creative writing for video games. Because of this, once I have learned (creative) writing and carried out the final project, I will need to further improve my skills, as well as gain experience.
However, there is one listed requirement that I am currently working towards, being "Strong writing, character and plot development skills". I am working towards this as character writing is an area of writing that I currently want to learn, as I have a personal interest in it.
Final Thoughts
After reading the responsibilities and requirements listed on the job description, I can already tell that I am currently not even close to being fit for this role.
However I do have an idea as to what needs to be carried out to be better suited for this job.
The main area that I am lacking in is experience. This being in experience in writing as a whole, and experience in a professional environment.
Because of this, a leading role is not something I would be able to aim for anytime soon, which means the most effective option is to search for minor writing roles.
Job 2: Writer – Games Writing Experience Required – South East, UK - 11 month FTC...
(https://bit.ly/2Frgs8J)
What's the job?
Unlike the previous job looked at, this job isn't for a leading role. Instead it's stated that the employee will be working within their narrative team, as well as working close with an number of others.
Responsibilities
The responsibilities listed for this job role are a but more suited for me than the previous job looked at.One responsibility, being "Collaborating with design, art and audio teams to establish the tone of the game" is something that will be developed during the next project (extended project), as that project will require me to work closely with a number of different roles to create a game.The job description also states that "Generating dialogue and text content for in game systems" and "Preparing VO scripts and maintaining in-game narrative text" will also be responsibilities of the role. These are both areas I would need to develop an understanding for,if I was to carry them out effectively. Although they should be able to be developed during the next project.
Requirements
The listed requirements are somewhat achievable for me. The first requirement stated is that "A passion for video games and an understanding of gameplay and narrative design" is needed. I have the passion needed for video games, but currently lack the understanding of gameplay and narrative design. However, I hope to learn this during this / next project, since I want to be able to carry out the writing role to the best of my abilities (if I manage to get the role of being a writer).The second requirement is to be able to "Demonstrable experience developing fiction in games, film or print". This is something that I am currently unable to demonstrate. However, after completing the extended project, this will hopefully be able to be something I can show my understanding of (by using / showing the work I would have carried out during the extended project)Finally, the last requirement that is stated is "Beneficial to have a knowledge in car culture". This is most likely due to the fact that the project that the employee will be a part of is to do with this. This is something I'm not currently knowledgeable of, meaning I would need to play some car related video games, as well as read book / online pages about car culture (if I was to aim for this job in particular).However, in the title of the job role, it states that experience is required. However the experience gained from carrying out the final project may count towards this. Although this may mean professional experience. But either way I would be using the final / extended project as a way of showing my interest and experience.
Final thoughts
Compared to the last job looked at, this is definitely a more achievable goal, at least for a first goal, as the requirements and responsibilities of the job role can be developed during my time at college.The extended project will play a large role in this development, as it will require me to work in a group, where communication between the different roles in the group is key. Additionally, I will be able to learn and gain a greater understanding about writing within video games.