„Writer / Editor“

Editor/Games-Journalist

Do you like writing? Do you feel good about your style, spelling and grammar? Do you know the games industry, its key players and startups? Can you describe games and the market professionally and objectively? If so, games journalism might just be your calling.

Requirements

Required skills vary from outlet to outlet (blogs, magazines, etc.). When applying to a special interest magazine, experience in journalism (degree, traineeships, internships) is a plus but not a dead set requirement. If your writing style fits the outlet, you have a passion for games and good knowledge of the industry and its products, you can go for it. Entering games journalism is best done via traineeship or internship. Long time contracts or permanent employment are rather rare. Most have the status of freelancer, working for different media at the same time.

Games Writer: Tasks and Qualifications

Game Writers are responsible for story and dialogue in video games. They develop backstory, lore, tooltips, manuals and more. The job is quite comparable to that of script writers for movies. Crossovers of the two fields are known to happen. Take for example Hollywood writer Randall Wallace of Braveheart-fame. He created the story and dialogue for the PC RPG Titan Quest.

Game Writers also write internal documents concerning game development and other areas. Among those are scripts, concept sheets and design documents. The game’s visuals should reflect the written word. If a character describes a person or thing as beautiful, they should look accordingly in the game. Therefore, coordination with the graphics department is a priority.

Game Writers are often freelancers, especially when a development team lacks the time to come up with story elements and put them into writing. If you’re interested in this field, games should be your passion. Skillful writing, being creative under pressure and speaking excellent English are crucial.