CONNECTING STORIES Entrepreneurial Partnerships Between New and Traditional Forms of Writing Foreword 2
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CONNECTING STORIES Entrepreneurial Partnerships Between New and Traditional forms of Writing FOREWORD 2 With this report Luke Kelly has sought to demystify the relationship between writing and gaming, an industry that employs 10,000 people in the UK and was globally worth close to £3.5bn in consumer spend in 2013. Worldwide, games sold more than music or video in 2014 1. Luke suggests that writing for video games is a wonderful and inspiring career choice for writers, although not one that is yet widely understood or embraced by writers with ‘traditional’ work portfolios. The expeditious development of the gaming industry requires writers to adapt and catch up or risk missing out on this creative and potentially lucrative avenue for their skills. Spread the Word is grateful to Creativeworks London for the opportunity to work with Luke Kelly and we look forward to taking the recommended actions forward to support a new cohort of highly skilled and visionary writers ready to make their mark on one of the UK’s most successful and rapidly expanding industries. www.spreadtheword.org.uk Laura Kenwright & Sue Lawther, Spread the Word 1 Source: http://ukie.org.uk/content/games-industry-numbers CONTENTS Click Page Number to Select Introduction 4 Executive Summary 5 Next Steps 6 Methodology 8 Desk Research 9 Case Studies 11 Sherlock: The Network 12 The Black Crown Project 16 Blue Toad Murder Files 20 Inanimate Alice 24 Zombies, Run! 28 Insights 31 “Inanimate Alice” INTRODUCTION 4 What do writers offer video games? Does the rise of video games and the constant development of the industry offer new opportunities to writers? If so, how can writers make the most of these? How can writers skilled in creating films, novels, plays or poetry transfer this knowledge and experience into writing for video games? This project asked questions about the role of writers working in the industry via the construction of several case studies, each of which focussed on a game that showcases high quality written content. In so doing, it presents an overview of the differing ways in which high-quality writing can be - and indeed has been - integrated within contemporary games, and provides insights into the careers of several games writers. The writers, developers, and producers interviewed have all actively challenged preconceptions as to what the term “video game” actually means; this project provides an introduction to both the works they have created, and the skills, experience, and processes used to create them. Many video games need strong stories, original and engaging characters and evocative worlds: the very qualities which also govern much creative writing. This research presents a series of case studies as to how writers have been successfully integrating such skills within a range of critically and commercially successful titles. It uses these as the basis for a series of insights as to how new and emerging writers can seek to replicate, learn, and take inspiration from such successes. By asking what writers offer games, it also uncovers what games can offer the development of writers’ skills and careers. “Inanimate Alice” EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5 This project identifies a series of critically and commercially acclaimed Core Insights games that foreground high-quality writing, using interviews with the writers involved to detail some of the processes by which they were created. From Analysing the results of the interviews also uncovered a series of key insights fitness apps to educational tools to experiments in literature, no two of the which applied to all the games studied. These findings summarise the experiences of the writers interviewed, whilst also indicating a number of games in this study are alike - though they are linked by the integral role of potential areas for future study and actions for Spread the Word and writers the writer. All are playable on either a smartphone or via an internet browser; interested in writing for games (as described on the following page). Presented all are either free to play, free to try, or cost less than £3; all are easily- in detail at the end of this report, these insights are summarised below: accessible even to people with zero gaming experience. They’re collated here as a “primer” to what the industry can offer, highlighting the creative opportunities games can present to aspiring writers, whilst also providing an • Developing Core Skills • Adapting and Interacting indication of the skills, knowledge, and experience such projects require. Writers can hone and practice the Once a game has been released, core skills games required for the interacting with its audience, and development of games using a range adapting to their experiences, can of free-to-use tools and platforms. inspire future development. In-Depth Case Studies For each of the games featured, an in-depth interview was conducted with • Building a Portfolio • Learning to Collaborate one of the key writers or developers involved. These have been used to How to make a portfolio that The case studies show that construct a “Writers’ Journey”, a map detailing some of the key challenges demonstrates a grasp of the key skills collaboration with other people is faced during the development of each game. Collated here together with needed - even if this doesn’t take the crucial, whilst the experiences of the profiles of the interviewees and key excerpts from the interviews, they show form of a game. writers interviewed hint at ways this what writing for a game “looks like”: they provide a glimpse ‘behind the can be practiced. scenes’ of each game featured, showing the kind of challenges which were • Turning Moments into Games faced by the writers involved. Several of the games featured involve looking not just at successful games for inspiration, but at everyday moments and experiences that can be enhanced. NEXT STEPS 6 Various opportunities exits to take the findings from this research further: • Widen the research by adding more in-depth interviews with various stakeholders, documenting the results on video so that the findings can be disseminated in a different, engaging way (see diagram). • Commissioning accessible, detailed resources for writers to use and access online in a variety of different subjects, from process to actual writing exercises, containing links to work opportunities and the gaming/ writing for gaming industry. • Integrate more video gaming writing opportunities into Spread the Word’s box office programme, or via development of targeted professional development projects. • Developing partnerships with games developers, national networks (i.e. Ideastap) and the literature sector (e.g. other regional writers’ development organisations, Arts Council England, British Council, Arvon, Apples and Snakes, The Writing Platform, The Writers’ Guild, TLC) that consolidate a national offer for writers to develop key skills in a practical way, and source further paid opportunities, perhaps in the development of a writer-led game. REPORT “Blue Toad Murder Files” METHODOLOGY 8 Desk Research Interviews Journey Mapping Insights & Report The first stage in the project The next stage involved identifying The results from the interviews The maps were then used to reviewed some of the existing a range of games which each were visualised as a “Writers’ develop a series of insights into studies which have been already presented a different perspective Journey” map. This tool structured the writing process - insights conducted in this area. Whilst on how to integrate high-quality the data gathered into a series of which applied to all of the games not intended to be an exhaustive writing. This was used as the key moments in the project, each involved which could be shared overview, this survey allowed for basis for inviting some of the of which detailed a particular task with aspiring writers eager to a contextual background to be writers, producers, and developers or experience faced by the writer. learn more about this continually created for the work, situating involved to share their experiences The maps show who was involved; expanding medium. This the insights gathered within prior in an interview, one which focused describe what duties were report is designed to share and knowledge whilst ensuring the on the skills and knowledge undertaken; and indicate how this contextualise these insights, whilst study did not simply re-cover old needed to make the project a stage fit within the development also indicating opportunities for ground. These works also helped success. process. The maps were also used next steps. form the basis for the interview to show how projects came about, script used in the fieldwork. and in some instances, what opportunities they led to. REVIEW EXPLORE MAP SHARE DESK RESEARCH 9 Next Gen: Transforming the UK into the world’s leading talent hub for the video games and visual effects industries 1 Next Gen, published in early 2011, Whereas Next Gen focused primarily investigated the skills needed to on the teaching of STEM (Science, support the UK’s video games and Technology, Engineering and visual effects industries. It argued that Mathematics) skills, this study seeks Next Gen. both of these industries “combine to uncover the importance of creative Transforming the UK into the world’s leading talent art and digital technology, and rely writing when developing games. It hub for the video games on a highly specialist, yet flexible, will do so by working with developers and visual effects industries workforce that can adapt to furious in order to chart and analyse the role A Review by Ian Livingstone and Alex Hope rates of technological change”, creative writing skills play in typical making several recommendations for development cycles. how the UK education system could support these needs. One intended benefit of this approach is that it will complement the findings It cited a recent fall in the UK games of Next Gen in relation to STEM industry’s global development skills with an understanding of how ranking, together with the need of traditional Arts & Humanities subjects both industries to continually source can be orientated towards the needs talent from overseas, as evidence that of the gaming industry.