Writers Guild Executive Explains Game Writing Awards

[Delusibeta]

Well, aside from practical problems (apparently this [http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/images/11/feb/scipt.JPG] is the script for Deus Ex 1. I'd imagine Ion Storm or Eidous wouldn't want to make 10 copies of it for judging back then, although I suppose there's always sending Word documents over the internet now), there's also games that I really doubt would have scripts in the first place. For example, Valve games. Aside from falling foul of the "must credit writer" rule (hell, they don't even credit Gabe Newell for anything), I'd imagine that if they had a script, it would mainly consist of disjointed passages with little context, especially for something like Left 4 Dead.

 

[DTWolfwood]

Well, aside from practical problems (apparently this [http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/images/11/feb/scipt.JPG] is the script for Deus Ex 1. I'd imagine Ion Storm or Eidous wouldn't want to make 10 copies of it for judging back then, although I suppose there's always sending Word documents over the internet now), there's also games that I really doubt would have scripts in the first place. For example, Valve games. Aside from falling foul of the "must credit writer" rule (hell, they don't even credit Gabe Newell for anything), I'd imagine that if they had a script, it would mainly consist of disjointed passages with little context, especially for something like Left 4 Dead.

well some of the dialogue exchanges that are context sensitive are pretty good in L4D does that count? XD i mean they have to be better than FU II right? hehe

 

[Leperous]

Words

People on the internet do not like to read. This could've been a lot shorter while still getting your point across. It's very unlikely that anyone reading this here care about the specifics. [...] Try again I say. If you are in fact a good writer you shouldn't find it too hard to produce something that is both concise and diplomatic.

Emile Zola once wrote a long letter to a friend which ended "forgive the length of this letter... I did not have the time to write a short one." Brevity and succinctness take time to compose, and it was more important to me to cut short the wildfire insinuations of the WGA's corruption, malfeasance and outright stuidity. I'm proud of the existence of our award, and it bothers me to see major game websites continually spread misinformation about our eligibility standards and how we choose to honor our craft.

Also you should probably cut down on the huff and the veiled threats (like "It's nice to have friends who have friends, and the WGA has a lot of friends. And lawyers.") It may not have been intentional, but it looks bad.

As for "threats," my mention of the Guild's legal staff wasn't a threat... it stands as a benefit to members of our Caucus, along with the award, etc. To my mind the only people who ever need feel threatened by Guild lawyers are Employers who try to cheat their game writers. And we all know those don't exist, right?

I understand perfectly fine why you have the system you do. The rules, the fees and the restrictions are perfectly reasonable since your mission is to promote the profession of Writer. The scripts themselves aren't as important to this award as promoting the people who produced them, but of course you have to judge professionals on their craft.

Exceptionally well put. That said, it bears repeating that we DO care about which game wins the award, and we genuinely strive to give the prize to the best writing presented to us.

 

[Kavonde]

I'm really not sure how they were planning to judge this in the first place. Writing in a video game isn't just about the dialogue, it's about the setting, the character and level designs, the quality of the voice acting, how the player's choices affect the story...

Still, yeah, RDR probably would've won. And I could see Dragon Age get a nomination. But as much as I love Mass Effect 2, the writing for the main plot was terrible, just terrible. The recruitment and loyalty missions were great, but remind me again why we went on the Collector ship with no plan, no layout, no explosives, and no real goal besides wandering around until we find something to plug EDI into? Or why, when we needed to test the IFF, we decided to pack the entire team onto the shuttle instead of picking two beforehand? Or why a Sole Survivor Shep would even work for Cerberus in the first place?

Yeah, sorry, that kind of writing ought to disqualify them from winning so much as a lollipop.

 

[Shamanic Rhythm]

Words

People on the internet do not like to read. This could've been a lot shorter while still getting your point across. It's very unlikely that anyone reading this here care about the specifics. [...] Try again I say. If you are in fact a good writer you shouldn't find it too hard to produce something that is both concise and diplomatic.

Emile Zola once wrote a long letter to a friend which ended "forgive the length of this letter... I did not have the time to write a short one." Brevity and succinctness take time to compose, and it was more important to me to cut short the wildfire insinuations of the WGA's corruption, malfeasance and outright stuidity. I'm proud of the existence of our award, and it bothers me to see major game websites continually spread misinformation about our eligibility standards and how we choose to honor our craft.

And George Orwell once noted: "Never write a long sentence where a short one will do." Let me give you some advice: writing with passion holding the reigns may have been appropriate for Zola when he accused the French government of conspiracy over the Dreyfuss Affair, but this situation is nowhere analogous. You think you're the first person to ever become the subject of a few wild internet rumours? By wading into this discussion with such fervour, you're actually giving credit to the people making those rumours. You're much better off to ignore them outright.

Oh, and when I looked at this article, I got the impression the Escapist had a positive view of your response. Like Andy said, maybe don't lose so much sleep over it.

 

[Leperous]

First, thanks to Micah for dropping by and commenting personally on the matter. It's always nice to have the people who are actually involved in the matter at hand taking part in our little conversation.

I had a feeling that the "executive" title might have been a bit off the mark technically but the truth is that the sizes of our headlines are pretty tightly constrained, so getting in "Writers Guild of American Videogame Writers Chairman" along with any actual useful information was out of the question. I gave thought to "Game Writer Dude" but that seemed even worse.

My concern about the "executive" was over people at my own guild not thinking I'm claiming a position I haven't earned. We actually HAVE executives, and I'm not one.

So, open to questions?

Sure, fire away.

 

[DTWolfwood]

so they have to jump through hoops to get nominated i c.

ah well, pretty funny finalists nonetheless.

Jump through hoops? you have to submit a script how the heck is that anything like that. Sounds like bioware is anti union or arrogent.

lol literacy really is at an all time low I guess just simply reading the title is all you need to mount an argument nowadays.

here buddy read this [http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/02/04/writers-guild-of-america-explain-themselves/]

yea read the article, I did read that, its not jumping through hoops, and complaining baotu 60 bucks shows you really dont value your work. Since all awards of any prestige require money to be considered. So yea, go read a bit buddy

well apparently a good deal of those writers/studios don't find the award prestigious enough to warrant $60 and any of the logistics involved in submitting a script.

 

[Andy Chalk]

Sure, fire away.

My only question, really, is whether or not the WGA actively solicited scripts from BioWare and Rockstar. The statement that they "refused" to submit scripts suggests that you knocked on their door and they told you to get bent. Is that the case, or was it just a matter of indifference?

 

[Andy Chalk]

Like Andy said, maybe don't lose so much sleep over it.

Actually, that was in regards to taking stylistic advice from random people on internet forums.

 

[Stormwaltz]

(leaving)

 

[Bretty]

I dislike Unions in General. There are many reasons for this but generally speaking they increase the cost of doing business with no value added. Sure in the 1920's they were great, but now? All I know is that if I was to join a union these days I would be getting better benefits and working less.

Bioware is already known for it's great story telling, they win awards every year. They maybe feel that they are being asked to 'Pay the piper'?

Wasn't it George Lucas that refused to work with one of Hollywood's unions? (no idea if he still does or not).

Look forward to hearing from Bioware about this. Also, good for the Escapist for getting a Rep. here.

 

[bvanevery]

People on the internet do not like to read.

I couldn't disagree more strongly, especially when the subject is Writing.

This could've been a lot shorter while still getting your point across. It's very unlikely that anyone reading this here care about the specifics.

I arrived at these comments via a link from the IGDA Writing SIG [http://www.igda.org/writing] mailing list, after having newly subscribed. That means I searched an archive to search an archive to learn what Micah Wright had to say. My interest in doing so was driven by an "interest of note" from my professional peers.

And George Orwell once noted: "Never write a long sentence where a short one will do." Let me give you some advice: writing with passion holding the reigns may have been appropriate for Zola when he accused the French government of conspiracy over the Dreyfuss Affair, but this situation is nowhere analogous. You think you're the first person to ever become the subject of a few wild internet rumours? By wading into this discussion with such fervour, you're actually giving credit to the people making those rumours. You're much better off to ignore them outright.

I don't see that political theories make a dot's difference. The internet has many audiences, and posts of substance have a long tail of references. I appreciate that Micah made a considered statement on the matter, as it has helped me understand what his organization does. I took sufficient exception to these "we don't like how you did your post" comments that I registered on this forum just to rebut them.