Tips for writing a video game script

The story starts out simple, like all stories. I got a call from an old friend and he got straight to the point: I want us to create a video game. Years before, while playing World of Warcraft, I dreamed of dedicating myself to playing or creating video games. Life passed normally: I studied law, then I did a master’s degree in Literary Creation and about twelve years later I was with the phone to my ear with something that I had never done in my life, but that I was definitely willing to do.

We met, we defined responsibilities, and it was up to me to write the script for the video game and carry out the investigation. Even though I’ve written short stories, novels, even poems before, the experience of writing a video game script is completely different. The objective of this article is to share the steps, my advice, and the difficulties that one would encounter in such a challenge.

• RESEARCH

It may sound obvious, but it is the most important part of the process. Although there is a freedom in video games that is not found in any other type of writing, the truth is that the mechanics, the animations, even what happens within the story, must maintain a balance and be linked, at least a little , with reality.

What am I going with this? For my case in particular, the game is about indigenous people from the Colombian territory. If I want to stick to a royal style, I have to keep their instruments, the way they competed for territory, the rites and myths they possess, their skin color, the way they eat, and, above all, the historical events that happened to them. , to get ideas from there.

For example, a skill derived from indigenous research is to resort to poison arrows, or to fill the ground with frog poisons to harm the enemy. They are simple examples, but they certainly help to understand the dimension. Now, they can say that in a game about indigenous people you can put an astronaut: the answer is yes, however, if the idea is to merge two different times, it has to be justified in the script. Why is the astronaut there? Are you a time traveler? Will it be an enemy? And in any case, knowing both will never be too much.

• WHO IS THE SCRIPT AIMED AT?

Unlike all literature, the film script itself, and unlike any artistic product in general, the script for a video game does not have a wide audience. The readers of the script will depend on the size of the company, but in my case, with STINKY FOX STUDIO, I only write for two people: the developer and developer of the terrain build, and the art designer.

That the script is directed to specific people completely changes the idea that we have in the head about writing. A novel, in general, seeks to be universal, but in the case of a video game script, the most important thing is that the two people who receive it interpret it correctly. And that implies writing taking into account what the other is thinking, interpreting and analyzing the story.

At this point we have had some difficulties with my work team. It may be because of my lack of talent, or because it was my first time writing a script, but there have been times when scenes have been misinterpreted. In any case, the important thing is that communication has continued and things have been solved.

• DEFINE THE CHARACTER

By defining I am not only referring to the basic idea of ​​creating a personality: the real difficulty is that in each paragraph you have to say what the character feels and how it is reflected in their movements (animations). The personality of a character is what creates and is the common thread of the script. Many times the fires are a journey to fulfill the purpose of that character, in others it is a simple spectator of what happens, but in all the scenarios and possible options, the personality, the way in which that character feels a certain level, may help give unity to the environment.

To give an idea of ​​what I mean, I would like to bring an example: the main character of the video game written for STINKY FOX STUDIO, arrives completely out of place and enters his house. Inside the house, he notices the absence of his daughter. He is not surprised. I knew it wouldn’t be there. But he’s looking for clues.

If I do not narrate that description that I have just given, probably the art creator may think that the reaction of the character is one of surprise and sadness, instead of being aware of what is happening and looking for clues. Both cases involve different facial gestures, different movements.

• WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO HAVE A SCRIPT?

I think writing a script can save you a lot of time. Obviously there will be other activities that will make the game even more effective, such as creating a storyboard, however, having a written guide and a complete overview of what will happen and happen in the video game gives a completely different dimension to the one you have when it is improvised.

It does not mean that having a script written implies not leaving room to improve aspects, or that you will work following a fixed map. No. In my experience it is precisely, on the contrary, from the written history, the capacities of the animator, the programmer and the writer himself, things can be added and scenes improved from something basic. I would think then that the script is a good starting point: something that will keep us united to the feeling we want to share with our game and the story we want to tell.