Game Script or Storyline Writer

Marc Laidlaw is a veteran game storyline writer. He developed his writing career independently of video games by writing short stories and novels, having some professional success in his teens. Marc went to college to study English literature, which is where he developed his writing style. After college, Marc began analyzing and critiquing video games, which led him to his first job in the industry. He did not have much computer programming experience going into this job, which he acknowledges would have been helpful. He mentions that the game development industry is more of a collaboration than a specialization. Often programmers, artists, developers, and writers will collaborate on every step of the process, and sometimes specific jobs are absorbed by others. Many of the young people Marc works with got into the industry by independently developing modifications of existing games and releasing them to the public, which is an excellent way to showcase your talent and potentially be scouted by professional game developers. Marc also mentions that game storyline writing is a very collaborative work environment, and for it to be successful, every member must put the quality of the product before any of their personal interests. Marc is passionate about using video games as a way of storytelling and is eager to pass his knowledge and wisdom onto the next generation. 

Read more about Marc’s journey here:

Read about one man’s interest in video games as storytelling devices:

Paul Dunn has a passion for storytelling through video games. He found his way into the gaming industry through his background in communications. He has developed an interest in the way that video game storytelling differs from storytelling through other mediums. “Like any author, a game writer needs a diverse and well-stocked toolkit, but they also need a keen understanding that the protagonist will have the last word in what they do or don’t engage with.” His basis is the fact that as the game storyline writer, you are not totally in control of the way the story is presented. The player will always control the pace and how the story unfolds. Paul now tutors video game writing classes at schools in New Zealand, The U.K., and South Africa. He urges his students to be considerate of the tools that games provide for storytelling and encourages them to develop a working knowledge of how games are made. 

Read more about Paul’s story here: