The Pocket Mentor for Video Game Writers

Cover
Half Title
Series Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
List of Abbreviations
Meet Your Mentor
	Note
Chapter 1: The Basics
	What Is Game Writing?
	What Do You Mean by Game “Narrative”?
	How Is Game Narrative Different from Regular Narrative?
		Player Agency
		Perils of Player Control
	Are There Different Kinds of Game Writing?
	What Does a Game Writer Do?
		Don’t Writers Just Write Dialogue?
	What’s a Typical Day for a Game Writer?
		The Three Ps
		So Game Writers Do All the Narrative Stuff?
	What’s the Difference Between a Game Writer and Narrative Designer?
		Narrative Specialties
	What Are Other Narrative Roles?
	How Do I Become a Game Writer?
		The Reality of Game Development
		It Gets Better
	Notes
Chapter 2: Wise Up
	What Skills Do I Need?
		Baseline Narrative Skills
		Spreadsheets
		Pitching and Presenting
		Tags and Conditionals
		Communication and Collaboration
	Do I Need Any Specialized Skills?
		Voiced Dialogue
		Characterization
		Screenplay Software
		VO and Mocap Direction
		Writing Skills
		Design Documentation
		Game Systems Knowledge
		Implementation
		Perforce
		Programming
	Do I Need to Know How to Program?
	Do I Need a College Degree?
	What’s the Best Degree for Game Writing?
	Do I Need to Go to a Game College?
	What If I Can’t Go to College?
		Extremely Online
		Internships
	Can I Teach Myself Game Writing?
	What’s the Most Important Thing to Learn?
		Steps to Success
	Notes
Chapter 3: On the Hunt
	How Do I Break into Games?
	Isn’t Finding Work Just a Numbers Game?
		Keep Your Day Job
	How Do I Make Myself Hireable?
	How Do I Make Contacts in the Games Industry?
		Social Media
	How Do I Make Connections Offline?
		Conventions
	How Do I Find Work with No Industry Contacts?
		Spec Apps
	How Do I Find a Job?
		Studio Career Pages
		Recruiters
		Staffing Agencies
	How Do I Know it’s a Good Place to Work?
	Is This Job Right for Me?
	Notes
Chapter 4: Introduce Yourself
	Am I Qualified for This Job?
		Title
		Education
		Experience
		Skill
	How Do I Read This Job Post?
	How Do I Apply for a Job?
	What Do Recruiters Look For?
	When’s the Best Time to Apply for Jobs?
	When Should I Nudge the Studio?
	Should I Reapply for a Job?
	What If the Answer Is No?
	Should I Ask for Feedback?
	What If They Won’t Give Me Feedback?
	Do I Need to Write a Cover Letter?
		The Short Answer
		The Long Answer
	What Makes a Good Cover Letter?
	How Do I Write a Good Cover Letter?
		Extra Credit
	What Should a Cover Letter Not Say?
	P.S. Relax
	Note
Chapter 5: Resume Speaking
	What Makes a Good Resume?
	What Should A Resume Include?
	Where Do I Find a Good Resume Template?
	What’s the Best Resume Format?
		Content
	What Are the Dos and Don’ts of Resumes?
		Do
		Don’t
		Especially Don’t
	Do I Need a Resume Service or Career Coach?
	What’s a Keyword Pass?
	How Do I File My Resume?
	How Do I Write a Resume Step by Step?
	Note
Chapter 6: Showcase Your Work
	Do I Need to Show Writing Samples?
	What Samples Should I Send?
		Fill the Brief
		Interactive Work
		The Rules
		Contextualize!
	What Should I Not Send as Samples?
	How Do I Submit Samples?
	How Do I Make an Interactive Portfolio?
		What’s Your Story?
	What Goes in My Public Portfolio?
	What Goes in My Private Portfolio?
	What Do Studios Look for in Portfolios?
		PROSE
	How Do I “Tell My Story”?
Chapter 7: In the Spotlight
	What Is the AAA Interview Process Like?
	What Can I Expect at Each Step?
		The Screen
		Hiring Manager Interview
		Follow-Up Interview
		Team Interview
		Studio “Panel” Interview or Onsite
	How Do I Prepare for an Interview?
		Know Your Stuff
		Mock Interviews
	What Are Interview Dos and Don’ts?
		Do
		Don’t
	What’s an NDA?
	Should I Sign This NDA?
	How Can I Tell If I Passed the Interview?
	What Are the “Next Steps”?
Chapter 8: Time to Shine
	What’s a Writing Test?
	Why Do Studios Have Writing Tests?
	Should I Take a Writing Test?
	What If I Don’t Take the Writing Test?
	Can I Get Paid for the Test?
	What Does a Writing Test Look Like?
	What Do Studios Look For?
	How Can I Tell If It’s a Scam?
		Red Flags
	How Do I Ace the Writing Test?
		Do Your Research
		Follow the Instructions
		Don’t Cheat!
		Minimize Risks
		Have Fun!
	What If I Bomb the Writing Test?
		Ask for Feedback
	Can I Use My Tests as Writing Samples?
	How Do I Turn Tests into Samples?
		File Off the Serial Numbers
		Stay Inside the Lines
	Notes
Chapter 9: The Dotted Line
	What’s in an Offer Letter?
	How Do I Know it’s a Good Offer?
		Salary Information
		Cost of Living
		More
	How Do I Negotiate a Better Offer?
		Never Go First
		Know Your Worth
		Negotiating Bias
	Should I Work for Exposure?
	What Salary Should I Ask For?
		Make A Budget
		Find Your Floor and Ceiling
		Shoot Your Shot
		If They Say No
		If They Say Yes
	Do I Need a Lawyer?
	What’s a Reasonable Rate for a Lawyer?
	What Should I Look for in a Contract?
		Is Everything We Agreed on Here?
		Is Anything I Don’t Agree With Here?
		Clauses to Watch Out For
		Unreasonable Clauses
	Can I Work on Side Projects?
		Deed of Variation
	Signy Sign
	Notes
Chapter 10: Press Start
	What Should I Do on My First Day?
	What Should I Do My First Week?
	How Do I Know What Work to Do?
	What Is Preproduction Work Like?
	What Is Production Work Like?
	What’s a Writer’s Day to Day Like?
	How Do I Work in a Writers’ Room?
	How Do I Get Heard?
	How Do I Deal with Imposter Syndrome?
	How Do I Get to the Next Level?
		Get Direction
		Training
		Mentoring
		Keep Improving
	Notes
Chapter 11: Hurdles
	How Can I Work in This Environment?
	How Do I Overcome Writer’s Block?
	How Do I Ask for a Raise or Promotion?
		Procedure
		Performance
		Keywords
		The Next Level
		Get Feedback
	How Do I Manage My Manager?
		Show Some Empathy
		Know Thyself
		Tactics
	What If My Manager Won’t Help?
	Do I Have to Crunch?
	How Do I Stop Burnout?
	Help! I’m Being Mistreated. What Do I Do?
	How Do I Deal with Discrimination?
	When Should I Go to HR?
	How Do I Handle Studio Politics?
		Allies
		Enemies
		Find Your Community
	Notes
Chapter 12: Running the Show
	What Does a Lead Do?
		When You’re the Lead
	How Do I Keep Track of Everything?
	How Do I Manage a Team?
	Help! How Do I Manage My Time?
		Prioritize
		Assess & Adapt
		Delegate
	How Do I Balance Creativity and Management?
	How Do I Keep Up Team Morale?
	How Do I Help My Team Through Crunch?
	How Do I Run a Writer’s Room?
	Notes
Chapter 13: Making the Team
	How Do I Put Together a Team?
		Assess Your Needs
		Make a Hiring Plan
	What Do I Do as a Hiring Manager?
		Be Fair
	What If I Don’t Have Budget for Writers?
	How Do I Create a Writing Test?
		Be Cool
	How Do I Onboard New Writers?
	How Do I Estimate a Line Count?
		Quick and Dirty
		Napkin Math
	Notes
Chapter 14: Document Everything
	What Is Narrative Drift?
	How Do I Prevent Narrative Drift?
		Speak Their Language
	What Documentation Do I Need?
	What Do I Need for Preproduction?
		Defining the World
		Lay a Solid Foundation
	How Do I Write a Good Story Pitch?
	How Do I Write a Story Bible?
	What Goes in a House Style Guide?
	What Do I Need for Production?
	How Do I Keep Track of the Story?
	How Do I Prep for Recording and Mocap Sessions?
		Schedule
		Casting Materials
		Scene Counts
		Glossary
		Represent!
	How Much Studio Time Do I Book?
	How Do I Help Localization?
	Notes
Chapter 15: Exit Stage Right
	When Should I Leave a Job?
	How Do I Look for Work While Working?
		Start the Hunt
	How Do I Show Work That’s Under NDA?
	What If I Don’t Want the Job Offer?
	I Want This Job Offer! Now What?
		Timeline
	How Do I Leave on Good Terms?
	How Do I Resign?
	How Do I Write a Resignation Letter?
	How Do I Guarantee My Game Credits?
	What Work Can I Take with Me?
	Should I Sign All These Papers?
	What Do I Say in My Exit Interview?
Chapter 16: On the Road
	Why Can’t I Work Remotely?
		Reasons for Being Local
	How Do I Find International Work?
	How Do I Plan for Overseas Work?
	How Do I Pay for My Move?
	How Do I Apply for a Visa?
		Biometrics
		Picking Up the Visa
	Where Will I Live?
	Can I Bring My Pets?
	How Do I Choose a Mover?
	What Should I Pack?
	Do I Need to Speak the Language?
	How Do I Handle Culture Shock?
		Change Your Mind
	How Do I Network Abroad?
	How Do I “Find My Community”?
	Notes
Chapter 17: Wrap It Up