This is really important. And especially for writing.
Everybody these days think they’re awesome writers, but more often than not it turns out to be just heavy reading and pretentious purple prose that puts the reader to sleep in record time. It’s deceptively easy to put fancy sounding words on paper, but it’s waaaaay harder to structure those words to become interesting and entertaining.
I’d buy some design tools (those are relatively cheap these days and readily available) and try to make a small game of my own as a proof of concept, if I had it in me to try and get in the industry.
(I still might make that game for hobby purposes somewhere in the future, as basics of coding is part of my studies.)
Like i said, i expirienced both of those, and once it even happened at the same time.
Back in year 2005 (or maybe 2006, my memory were always bad) i played a browser game called Urban Dead - it was about a world infested by zombies, you needed to scavenge, find shelter, cooperate or fight with other players and ai-zombies, and if you were infected - you could turn into zombie and have unique skill tree, so you could go hunt some players.
I was so impressed by this game that i came out with simillar concept for thrid-person open-world shooter rpg that had simillar key features, but also a lof of new ideas (for example, building outposts, factories, etc, instead of simply barricading existing houses). And i made a mistake by publishing it on various gaming forums. You know how people there reacted? There were not a single positive opinion. "You must be a moron if you think anyone will play a game where you lose all your stuff after death" - they said, and many other things like that. Even providing them with examples of other successfull games where PvP interactions and world simulation were key features, such as Ultima Online or TimeZero wasn't enough to convince them that it would be fun to play.
I was still dreaming about game like that all years to come, but because of those people i also started to believe that it would not be popular, and i will be one of the few players who would like that kind of gameplay.
And you know what? When many years later DayZ, game that were literal manifestation of my concept (minus professions, production, stealth and some other small details) came out, and gave birth to the huge wave of survival games - everyone was playing it and enjoying it, as well as the other games that came after. I bet that even all those people who criticiezed my concept were jumping into survival train.
This told me an important lesson: publishing a concept for random bypassers are waste of time. Majority of them have no idea what they want and ready to criticize everything that's out of their comfort zone before they even could try playing that game, and also they are not expirienced enough to make a proper judgement about the concept of the game, to see the potential in it.
No, i do not believe that all players on those forums could not recoglize the pontential. Just not the vocal majority. The rest either decided to not comment at all, or didn't wanted to go against the crowd. And in this world, sadly, the crowd that screams louder usually concidered to be right no matter what.
So the best possible course of action i see: share concept with professionals who is able to see it's value, if they like it - make game together, and then let people decide what they think about it, when they can actually try playing it instead of making theories. People are often huge conservators, they afraid to try something new, but their opinion changes fast when they see how good it's actually are. Even i often do that mistake - for example, i didn't wanted to play Pyre because of it's battle system that reminded me football, but it ended up becoming one of my favorite games, and i spent lots of time convicing people on forums to try it out as well. I have to constantly remind myself to be more open-minded about things that does not seems good at first glance, because the only way to find out the truth about them - is to try them. You will never know the truth before you get the actual expirience.
This is why i want to reach the developers, people who have enough knowledge and expirience to instantly identify the potential in the concept or plot they see. All i want is real professional to judge my work and decide if it's worth his (or maybe some of his colleagues - because even if the developer who will read it won't be able to make the game, he could still give recommendations for others) attention. Just one person who will trust in me enough to spare those 15 minutes on reading my work - is all i want from this life, and i could give away anything, even parts of my body or my entire life (but, sadly, it's worthless) if i could make it happen.
p.s. And it's perfectly normal that other people already made several games that's exactly like i envisioned in my concepts. After all i am not some kind of genius - i just work really hard to seperate a good ideas from bad ones, and then make them even better. So there is no surprise that with so much people out in the world some of them also had same kind of ideas, and also resourses needed to make games out of them. After all, there are rarely something 100% original - new things are usually taking inspiration from something. For example my 7-th concept takes various elements from at least 6 different games and simply combines them in a way like nobody did before. It feels like taking a lego parts that's made for a car and making a plane out of them simply because they fit just right.
But my stories are different thing. There were a few games with simillar settings and a few plot twists, but most of the time i try to make them as fresh and free of popular cliches as possible, i believe that most immersive, thought-provoking, teaching, emotional and just fun to expirience stories can come out only from burst of inspiration. I try to use all my knowledge and feelings to make a trueally memorable adventures, and hope that one day people will be able to expirience at least one of them.
What I can say to this is yes -- that happens quite a bit: developing something that everyone scoffs at, then years later, someone else comes up with the same thing, which is celebrated. Timing is critical. If you're going to introduce an unfamiliar concept, there is a great possibility that it will not be well-received. (Business = risk, again.)
And no, you don't want to be using forums or social media to "pitch" your ideas. (Most people here aren't buying. ) And the most likely response you're going to get from professionals in existing studios is, "Nice work! That looks like a really good idea. Best of luck!"
If you're looking for employment, you need to make yourself competitive as a writer (or artist, or programmer, or accountant, etc. -- whatever the position you want to apply for.) You don't catch the attention of a professional studio by just exhibiting talent. There's talent flying off the hook in most studios. You gain attention by exhibiting successful, professional work in your field. It doesn't have to be in gaming. (Not that knowledge of and a passion for games doesn't help...but that's not the focus.)
The first time I was ever hired by a studio, it was for documentation for investors and on the legal end. In a couple of months, I was writing some content for the actual game and having a blast. Very fun stuff. The reason I was selected for that was because of the friend-of-a-friend situation. Someone knew one of the CEOs. And it was that grapevine that got me the job. Project didn't succeed. And there ya go: a couple of years' experience, all part-time, contract work, mediocre pay, and it never amounted to anything -- except experience! Years later, almost the same scenario would get me a job with another studio. And that project flopped, too. Can't be all broken up about things not working. It happens, especially with start-up ventures.
If you're trying to pitch your game designs, be sure there is a working ("playable") demonstration of the game itself. Even if it's done as a board game mock-up, there should be something there that interested parties can play. (EDIT: Awww...@kofeiiniturpa ninja'ed me.) Anyone can come up with ideas (good or bad). It takes a totally different set of skills to actually implement ideas and produce something. That's what someone will spend money on.
So i have a game - it shows how i write lore, quests, branching in dialogues, characters, dialogues. Currently it's the best public example of my work. But it takes 3 hours to complete. Then i have few stories written on russian and published years ago. What of that should i chose to show? I don't have anything else.
If they choose to set the application aside, there will be a reason for it. You will probably never get a straight answer as to what, exactly. You'll have to analyze.
Well, that's what i am doing right now. But it's mostly nothing but a wild quesses and comments from people who worked at HR - but all of them say that i don't have a chance even simple because of my english spelling, and they would stop reading after first mistake.
The hiring process is both expensive and time-consuming.
Also, they don't just hire me blindly. They look at my work first. If they satisfied for it and want to use it in their game - then they hire me to provide them with additional details. But they already would have the core - story, main events and characters, lore, and gameplay options. All without spending a cent on that.
You tend to have a high opinion of yourself and a low opinion of others...others being a group largely made up of people you've never met. That's a serious danger zone.
I never lie. That includes flattery as well. If i think something is great - i say so. If i think something is bad - i say so as well. I don't think that valid criticism (and i can always explain my judgement about anything) are a danger zone for everyone except people with ego too big that they cannot accept criticism.
In my game i asked people to share all kinds of opinions, because i want to get better, and it's impossible if people won't tell me what i am doing wrong.
You have no idea if the "mediocre, forgettable" games you're referencing (even if not by name) may well have been worked on by the very people reviewing your application or interviewing you.
If they could do those tasks better than me - then why hire me in the first place? The whole point of getting new crew members - is because they are able to do something that current ones cannot. It's not an insult if great programmer writes bad story - it's just not his thing, that's why he needs writer to help. If someone will task me with ANYTHING but writing and say that i did fine - i would not trust this person, because for some reason he lies. I know that i will do terrible in any other field, and i see no reason to get offended by that.
But that's me. I don't know how other people would react. Maybe that is how bad games are created - everyone is just afraid to say the truth because it might offend someone?
For example, when applying to one of the companies i saw that they asked all who applies to complete a small tasks - name the flaws in their latest game and how i would improve that. That seemed to be a rational behaviour, and they even told me that i did well in that task (but eventually they decided to keep using services of book writer they used before, so nothing happened). Would it be wrong to do the same for other companies as well, even if they don't ask? Because i did that several times - took a quest from the game, told what i would improve and why to show example of my skill.
A game that everyone utterly hates, that the studio and producers may understand full-well will be negatively received, can still make enough money on just release day to be profitable.
So you telling me that making an online pvp game that has 428 all-time-peak players, and 30 players in average per month already in first month after the release is... profitable? And that respected company would ruin their reputation like that to sell a few hundreds of copies to people who would be not smart enough to research what they are bying first or refund it in time? That was their plan from very beginning? And that this approach would be preferably for producer, than making a game that will make a certain fan-base because the same kind of resourses were used more wisely during it's development?
Why take such a risk for almost nonexistant profit, if you can fund the small, but quality game that will be good enoush to sell no matter what, because after initial costs spend on basic promoution players and game-related media would keep promouiting it, because game ended up being good? It's a lot more safer option than making bad game just to profit from early sales. CDRP like nobody else proves how important is the reputation of the developer, and how it can influence the pre-orders of the game that is almost year from release now. This is someone i would like to work for, and not people who try to scam players by intentionnaly making bad games. Hell, they recently even pushed release futher because they are not satisfied with game's quality. That seems like example of developer who cares at least about keeping the player base by maintaining a great reputation. Yes, they could not care about that all, release a poor-quality product with lots of microtransactions and use the same "it's buisness" excuse, but they figured out that making a good product pays off more in a long run.
Everybody these days think they’re awesome writers, but more often than not it turns out to be just heavy reading and pretentious purple prose that puts the reader to sleep in record time.
Nah, that's not about me. You can just try to play my game, it's rather short - and while it's not the best example of my work (because it's only a prologue), but if it will put you to sleep, i will punch myself in the face and record it (matrix on my photocamera is almost dead, but i will try my best). My style of writing is pretty down-to-earth and easy to understand, and my main strength lies in making believable characters who keep their personality and act accordingly to it, in creating worlds where every single detail exists not waste your time (like completly mundane notes and journals in some games), but to also tell you and interesting and funny story, and, finally, deliver an unexpected plot twists and just situations that would make you feel something, anything but boredom. I believe that in my life i saw enough of the boring stories to avoid most of things that are making them boring, while also spending a lot of time asking myself various questions "why" to fix any possible plot holes, problems with character's motivations or personalities, etc. I even tried to make achievments in my game as funny as possible and full of various easter eggs, instead of having just another checkbox player needs to complete. Just try it, and say if you still think the same or did you have fun playing it.
The reason I was selected for that was because of the friend-of-a-friend situation. Someone knew one of the CEOs. And it was that grapevine that got me the job.
I understand that in this world connections are everything. You can work as hard as you want for entire life, but if someone knows the right guy - they will be hired instead of you. People who say that "you just have to be talanted and work hard" have no idea what they talking about. My country is basicly ruled by the criminal clans who support each other like that, so i know all that too well.
But what to do if you are unable to form connections? It's a circle - i need someone to look at my work so they could recommend me to someone else, but nobody would look at my work without a recommendation. What should i do to make my way out of this circle? Because, to be honest - just letting people chop my leg off seems like more comfortable ticket in, than figuring out all the social dances you need to commit to make anyone treat you seriously and find the time to speak with you. Especially for people like me, who simply do not understand those dances and don't know any moves.
If you're trying to pitch your game designs, be sure there is a working ("playable") demonstration of the game itself.
Most of my games are story-driven, they don't require studio to do anything that people haven't done before. So there i no need for demonstration, the short plot summary document is the best demonstration in that case.
And those original gameplay concepts - they cannot have a demo without involving a programmer, but i can explain the concept in such simple words, that it will be no trouble for anyone even with a tiny bit of expirience to understand how it's going to be played. Also most of them are quite short (3-4 msword pages), so reading and understanding them should be not a problem to anyone. I tried my best to make them as easy to understand as possible, while keeping all unnessesary details out, leaving only the "selling points".
But there is like only 3 gameplay concepts total that can be called really original out of 12 (actually 13, i forgot one) i have. The rest are just story-driven games with hardly anything out of the ordinary gameplay wise - often they even have several possible gameplay options (and able to adapt in case if leads of the studio will have their own vision for gamepay).
my main strength lies in making believable characters who keep their personality and act accordingly to it, in creating worlds where every single detail exists not waste your time (like completly mundane notes and journals in some games), but to also tell you and interesting and funny story, and, finally, deliver an unexpected plot twists and just situations that would make you feel something, anything but boredom. I believe that in my life i saw enough of the boring stories to avoid most of things that are making them boring, while also spending a lot of time asking myself various questions "why" to fix any possible plot holes, problems with character's motivations or personalities, etc.
I don't want to be "that guy", but I think you're approaching this more like a marketer than a creator. This all sounds very formulaic and "check-list" oriented. "Believable characters who act according to their personality" says nothing, really, nor does "unexpected plot twists" or "details not wasting your time". What does "not wasting your time" even mean here? Or "funny story", funny to who? Or "situations that make you feel something"? I get the idea you're going for, but it all sounds pretty vague and somewhat like you're possibly overthinking it (which rarely leads to good results).
Furthermore, with games, gameplay is king. You can have the best of stories, but you also have to have well designed gameplay that fits with your concept as bad gameplay can ruin the whole thing inspite its other qualities.
Anyway, I'm not a professional on this topic so there's no authority of any kind behind what I said, only my interpretations through my idea of common sense and my own experiences, so I wish you luck with your endeavors and hope it pays off some day.
In many stories there are moments where characters doing something that they would not do just to move story futher. I am not using my characters as the marionettes on strings, and instead thinking on what they would do in certain situation before writing their actions. They also do not change personality or beliefs out of the blue, because any kind of change takes a lot of time and influencing factors, especially if we talking about radical changes, like hero who becomes the villain.
This... should be self-explaining, probably? If you use a lot of cliche turns in the story - every twist becomes predictable, for example - last second save when the character is in danger, you just know it's coming and it's boring to watch. I tried to learn all this tricks and either avoid using them, or use them as a distraction, to surprise player with turn of events.
So we talking about notes here. Lately they are added to all kinds of games, it seems like often creators have no idea what to do with them - but they were ordered to make notes, so they write something very casual in them. Examples might me a diary that describes a completly mundane actions of serviceman, or just list of supplies arrived at the base - it does not mean anything gameplay wise (you cannot find those supplies or use that information in any other way), it's just there to fill space. I do not use that kind of a fillers at all, if you look at journals in my game - you will see that all of them either share interesting information regarding the lore (like description of various monsters), or trying to tell interesting stories. I even have a very little amount of "inactive" npc's in town, most of them have either something to tell, or are parts of the quests. My design is all about having less quantity (smaller sizes of everything), but more quality (content that suposed to interest player, and not just timesinks to prolong the gameplay).
Regarding having fun and feeling emotions - it's personal for everyone. There isn't a single piece of art that would make any person in the world cry or laugh, everyone reacts differently. I just make sure that there is enough of events that's suposed to spark various emotions. And it's nice when people getting to share them with me like that, even if it's not going to be everyone.
Depends on the game. For example, Spec Ops the Line has very forgettable gameplay that would not be even mentioned several months after release, but the story (and key moments where gameplay is linked with the story) makes sure that this game is still remembered as one of the most impressive military dramas. And in some games (like those made by Quantic Dream) all gameplay boils down to pressing qte's and interacting with stuff, their selling point is the stories and variety of choice in those stories. I would even say that battle system of Witcher 3 would get boring pretty fast for me if i wasn't lost in the awesome story and general atmosphere of the game. Story is very important, just not for every game.
You can have the best of stories, but you also have to have well designed gameplay that fits with your concept as bad gameplay can ruin the whole thing inspite its other qualities.
But i do. That is why i chose video games - here gameplay can help the story to become whole, in my best concepts i have a lot of moments where story influences gameplay, or gameplay influences the story. Gameplay of my survival horror game fully depend on the story, and it's unique exactly because of it. Even character creation sequence in one of the rpg's are very stylish and are part of the story as well. I would not call myself a video game writer if i wasn't concidering gameplay an important part of the story.
Because people want those who are good at expression. They want those who understand what others are looking for and can provide it in a natural, easygoing, and impressive way. Because it's good for that candidate's image, and it shows that the candidate understands that and is willing to take the time to present themselves well.
It's the same thing as dressing in nice business attire for an interview instead of showing up in shorts. Presentation.
So i have a game - it shows how i write lore, quests, branching in dialogues, characters, dialogues. Currently it's the best public example of my work. But it takes 3 hours to complete. Then i have few stories written on russian and published years ago. What of that should i chose to show? I don't have anything else.
You could include that, but I would generate a scenario that takes 10-15 minutes to play through and exhibits salient mechanics of the game. (Hey, if they want to see more, they'll say so.) Think of it as "building a demo".
It's highly unlikely they will be willing to spend 3 hours on it.
Well, that's what i am doing right now. But it's mostly nothing but a wild quesses and comments from people who worked at HR - but all of them say that i don't have a chance even simple because of my english spelling, and they would stop reading after first mistake.
No one said that, nor is that true. But look at the quote above. I've highlighted some of the mistakes that have been made. If there are any of such errors in the materials you're submitting to be hired as a professional writer, I would say that's a problem. Something to focus on, definitely. All of these little details will matter.
Also, they don't just hire me blindly. They look at my work first. If they satisfied for it and want to use it in their game - then they hire me to provide them with additional details. But they already would have the core - story, main events and characters, lore, and gameplay options. All without spending a cent on that.
Of course. They're called internships. And things like this are offered to individuals selected for it. This is an avenue to try if you're not finding a way to get in the door. (Just ensure you're financially set up for that. Most companies are going to expect at least 3-6 months of full-time work. Not uncommon for that to be unpaid or only a stipend.)
But even that is expensive for the company. Even if they're not paying you, they still have to pay the people mentoring you. Those employees will now not be able to fulfill their other duties because they're working with you, so someone is probably going to start making some overtime. Let's face it, even highly skilled professionals can inadvertently cause issues simply because they don't know the procedures at the new company. When that happens, it's going to be time and therefore money to sort it out.
Bringing new people on board is expensive, any way you cut it.
So you telling me that making an online pvp game that has 428 all-time-peak players, and 30 players in average per month already in first month after the release is... profitable?
I'm not sure how you interpreted it this way. I never once said that every game that was rushed out the door was financially successful. I said that some games would be specifically developed to cut corners and simply ensure day-1 profits over a certain margin. I could use things like Anthem or Battlefront as examples. The complaints are pretty severe, but both of those games made back their production costs on release. They probably made several hundred percent in profits within the first week.
Such companies are not shooting for "profit", they're shooting for incredibly high profit margins to maintain stocks, investors, and growth. The bigger a company gets, the more likely they'll have to engage in some level of this to stay competitive. Or, they'll have to give up the rat race for that coveted, #1 spot.
Which path the studio will take all depends on where the money is coming from. Often times, money talks instead of sense, sadly.
It's not a circle at all. It's seemingly a whole bunch of stuff that you're not willing to do. If you can write one way, you can write other ways. It may not be what you want to do, but writers need to be professionally writing to build any sort of network. If you're not getting jobs in one area, off you go to some other area.
It's not impossible to land fairly exclusive positions without any professional background, but it's much less likely. It's a gamble either way, so play the odds.
Except taking your idea over another person's idea. Likely, one that has been working with that company for some time, knows the team, or developed their next venture with them. Honestly, why would I pay someone else to develop their own idea when we have so many of our own.
This isn't really business end now, just a simple fact of life. You're inherently asking other people to pay you to make your dreams a reality. If you want to achieve them, you'll have to build your own team and find your own fortune.
If you'd like experience in the field to get some idea of exactly what will be required to do that, then by all means, focus on applying to existing studios. Just be prepared that they're going to want you working on their titles...not yours. (At least, not at first.)
And those original gameplay concepts - they cannot have a demo without involving a programmer, but i can explain the concept in such simple words, that it will be no trouble for anyone even with a tiny bit of expirience to understand how it's going to be played.
Ah! Look. You're beginning to highlight exactly what a studio faces. All you need is a demo for a game that's pretty much done (playable at least) from your descriptions. And already you seem to have no pathway forward. Looks like you'll need to hire a programmer to give you what you need for the next step. Sure hope you can find someone that is both talented and willing to meet your requirements for whatever you can pay them.
I wonder how you're likely to react if that individual criticizes your work, calling it disappointing, tired design.
I wonder if you're likely to hire that person if they want to change aspects of your game so that they're "better".
I wonder how much progress you'll make if you happen to disagree with each other.
This leads me directly to what I think may be the most difficult challenge you're facing:
I never lie. That includes flattery as well. If i think something is great - i say so. If i think something is bad - i say so as well. I don't think that valid criticism (and i can always explain my judgement about anything) are a danger zone for everyone except people with ego too big that they cannot accept criticism.
In my game i asked people to share all kinds of opinions, because i want to get better, and it's impossible if people won't tell me what i am doing wrong.
This isn't going to fly in a workplace. Sure, it might last for a while, but people are almost certainly going to take issue with a co-worker that will openly and negatively criticize others' contributions based on their own, personal opinions. Very few people will be willing to work with that type of contention hanging over every minute.
I think the best thing you can do in this pursuit is learn to cork your thoughts and pay attention to only your part in the process. Remove yourself from the entire equation. It's not about you. It's about the project, and what the project needs. And if the leadership says the project needs XYZ, it's your job to write it, shine it up, and deliver it on a gleaming platter...whether you want to or not...all while offering your support to the rest of the team. If there's an issue, you can't go in pointing out their inadequacies and expect the team to thank you for it. It's rude. Jump right to providing better solutions.
Now, this is beginning to draw on. I'll leave this as a closing thought.
You've spent easily thousands of words and the time it took to write them here, but it's definitely not helping you do what you'll need to do to start gaining more experience with the field and getting noticed by a studio. I'm not talking about writing (anyone with the talent can sit down and write beautifully) -- I'm talking about the field of professional writing. That's unique terrain, like with any industry.
I'd say your time would be much better spent there than here. You can work on your personal projects at the same time, but start creating a division in your mind. There's you as a professional writer, and there's your desire to grow that profession into the gaming industry, and then the ultimate goal of developing one of your game designs. If it doesn't happen in that order, the chances are very low that it will happen at all.
And don't be frustrated. There are a lot of opportunities out there. They're not dream-come-true stuff...might even be downright dull...but they are opportunities to move ahead.
Sorry, i am not sure i understand you. The more i try think about meaning of this words, the more my head hurts - like i told, i am not smart at all in anything except my writing. How is having a portfolio is different from me showing the game i made? Do i have to do provide more examples of my creations... why? Just for the sake of quantity? What if i cannot make anything good without a team - should i make something bad just for quantity? I am really confused (just like with most things that seems normal for society).
Once i tried to make a game just on my own. I picked up random plot that i came up with in half hour or something, and i did... this:
https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/8zv2szFew people liked it, yes. But it isn't something that i would even concider showing in my portfolio, just because it simply does not represent even a bit of what i am really capable at. And it's way bellow Project Fire, of course. So, why show it, if i can show Project Fire instead?
I doubt that if i just write "Hi, i can help you to make games of higer quality, look at my concept" people will be interested. I feel like i need to explain why i think so, what expirience do i have, etc... Am i wrong?
I know this. And this is why i wrote this letter - i have no chance to ever get past by the HR because he has no intention to figure out possible benefits of hiring me, he justs sees that i do not meet the requirements and tosses the letter to the spam. I will only have a chance if someone competent enough to review my work will look at it.
Like i already told, it's not possible. I am not a social person. I have only one friend who is just as associal as me, and we only play online games from time to time. I don't communicate with people irl at all unless it's about something that must be done. And for people i worked with on mods - i don't have their contacts, we all communicated trough chats.
I only getting involved in conversations with strangers on boards and forums (like we are doing now), but i don't make personal contacts with anyone. I quess i just wasn't born for this.
How would you know that the other candidate is EQUALLY impressive if you never saw the work of the first one? If i were in charge of buisness, i would give both a test job and picked the one who handles it better.
It's like you have two cakes. One is recommended by your close friend, and second offered by the shop to taste it for free. Why would you refuse to give it a taste, if you don't have to pay for it? Just becuase friend recommended another? I belive that most people have their own head on the shoulders (especially those who are in charge of anything), and not doing everything in their lives relying on the co-worker's advice.
I wish my brain allowed me to...
So you are telling me that people are "risking" to spend 5-15 minutes on reading my concept and not being satisfied with it? I always thought that risk is all about losing something. If there is nothing to lose, what's the risk is about?
Then, comes the question: why there is so little good games? Majority of them are completly medicore and forgettable, even if made by big studios with huge budgets. That's why when something like Disco Elysium is made by small and unknown studio come out - happens a huge burst of praise. Why? Yes, of course because it's an excellent game in first place, but mostly because competitors are so bad that games like this feel like a miracle to players, when it should be a common thing. And there is also games like Radical Heighs or Umbrella Corps - games that were obviously doomed right from the start. Everyone with a bit of taste and common sense knew it since they saw trailers. But games were still developed. People wasted money and effort on that, and other simillar trash. Why? How could big and expirienced studio like Capcom fund something so worthless? Isn't this a real risk - developing a game that's obviously doomed to fail? Spending efforts of talanted people on something nobody needs? But you are telling me that the real risk is spending 15 minutes to read the possibly better concept before starting the development. That... does not make any sense to me. It always make me so sad to see another horrible game made out of good assets, because i think what i could done if i had that budget and developers...
If you telling that every studio has lots of ideas, but what's picked are usually either medicore or even flat out terrible, what does it means? Are the rest of their ideas are even worse than this, or the person in charge are always incompetent and picking the worst possible idea from the list?
Because for me it seems like many studios have many talanted people who can create awesome graphics and animations, able to make interesting features with code, but when it comes to originality of the concept or, especially - the story, they just saying "hey, my 3-th grader son wrote a fanfic, maybe we will use it?". It's hard to believe that what they do - is they best they could do. Right now even studios who were always known for their excellent writing, like Obsidian (and i simply adored their games before) are releasing something like Outter Worlds - dull, boring, predictable and uninspired so much, that some of the quests (like cannibal family) causing literal facepalms about how poorly they are written. Why? Studios like them should not lack talent. After all, they were awesome before.
Even CDPR, who so far is known for having both excellent plots and gameplay still making tiny mistakes - for example, a very player-sided and just broken ballance and economy system in Thronebreaker, that also causing negative impact on the story (for example, if i have tons on unneeded gold despite building and bying everything i could - the choice of giving away money to the hungry or keeping them is obvious and not a choice at all, because i don't need those money anyway, i don't feel like i am sacrificing my own power to improve their lives). Everyone has a room to improve.
I already worked with other developers and more or less know what is what. Yes, few of my plots will require a lot of work to be done properly. But there is others who can be developed in team of less than 5 people. Also, majority of them are flexible - i have several gameplay concepts, and, if needed - can adapt my stories for whatever gameplay the studio will want to make, cut and edit parts of the story for budget limitations, better ideas from other members of the crew, etc. After all, i already did all of that with Project Fire - game came out to be nowhere near as i imagined it too be because of too many limits in my way, but i still managed to make it good enough for people to enjoy it, and my partner improved it even more with few really cool ideas and awesome animations. That's why working with team is so important - together almost anything becomes possible, and if it's not - group can find a way around that.
I had expirienced both of those. Once - at the same time! And i could tell you about that, but... character count hits me again) So i will do that in next comment.
Damn. I think you might have a better career as a public speaker than a video game writer.
I don't really have anything further to add. I sympathize with you, but you are effectively asking for video game companies to change the entire way they do business for one person... which is ballsy, I'll give you that, but not sure if it's going to work too well for you. Video game writers don't bring game pitches to an interview and say "here, make my game, you only need 5 people to do it." No way. Those 5 talented people could be used to develop the next multi-million dollar blockbuster.
My advice: Work on your English. Improve your grammar and spelling, or hire somebody to proofread your applications and letters. First impressions are everything. Create a stunning portfolio that shows some of your work. Let go of this tight hold you have on your private idea -- if it's so good, put it out there. It's yours. If someone steals it, that's breaking laws in several countries, and it's an absolutely terrible look. It would not be hard to kick up a fuss if that happened.
At least put part of it out there, the best part, a summary, perhaps. Add it to your portfolio.
EDIT: @SigilFey is right. This is drawing on. I'll leave it here for now, too.
Notice how people like Gabe Newell, Bill Gates, etc would wear whatever they want, because they know that they could turn out naked on company meeting, and still nobody would care because people is after something they can do for them, and not their appearance. I always believed that various types of peacockery are important only for people who have nothing else to show\have no idea what to look at. Others judge each other by the quality of their work, no?
I've highlighted some of the mistakes that have been made.
Years of study. Playing games on english, watching movies with subtitles. Nothing helps to improve even a bit beyond basic level if your brain simply refuses to remember it, just like it refuses to remember to pick up glasses after i bruch my teeths, so every single time i have to come back for them, and no amount of repetition would change that.
If you believe that mental issues can be fixed by trying harder - you, luckily, never expirienced any.
(Just ensure you're financially set up for that. Most companies are going to expect at least 3-6 months of full-time work. Not uncommon for that to be unpaid or only a stipend.)
I live for disability pension anyway. It's 60$ monthly, but it's enough to survive in my country. That's why i have the time to play games and practice my art all day long, and ready for all kind of work, even unpaid.
And yet both of those games had insanely big budgets, each enough to develop several smaller, but better games. What would end up to be more profitable at the end? Especially if those small games would generate constant revenue from cosmetics, for example.
If you can write one way, you can write other ways.
Because better games sell better? That is, of course, if those people are making buisness and interested in profits, and not fufilling their dreams of making very certain games.
If i was selling a bike, but someone comes and says "here, you can sell my car" - i see no reason to refuse that.
Just be prepared that they're going to want you working on their titles...not yours. (At least, not at first.)
I don't really mind. Like i said - it's not my strongest side, but i still can improve almost any game in genres i work with. But i cannot achieve even that.
All you need is a demo for a game that's pretty much done (playable at least) from your descriptions.
If i had a person or team capable of creating such demo, i would not even go trough all the hassle and go straight to the publisher, got funding and would keep paying that person or team to keep developing the game.
I wonder how you're likely to react if that individual criticizes your work, calling it disappointing, tired design.
If he would suggest better ideas, i would read them and see if they are really better, and if they do - i will use them. Why should i refuse a free upgrades?
But i don't see a reason why would programmer want to change the aspect of the story. And for the same reasons i cannot imagine why would i want to change his code. He got his job, i got mine. We both are there because we know our jobs the best, so why we should tell each other what to do? He is the professional, i hired him because he is the professional - so i would let him do what he thinks is a right thing to do in his area of expertize, because i pay him just for that.
And if the leadership says the project needs XYZ, it's your job to write it, shine it up, and deliver it on a gleaming platter...
Was Anderson wrong here for arguing both with his superiors and his clients? He was suposed to simply do what they told him to do. That's what professional does, right?
Don't you need to explain what is wrong first? Not all people are experts in your field. It's not obvious to them. Often it's not possible to offer a better solution if people can say "why we need that, we already have a solution?".
It feels like you thinking that i would go around, point and people and scream how bad they are just for the sake of keeping team's morale low. Why would i need to do that? First, i would never say anything abut work of other departments because it's not my job, they are paid to do that job, not me. But when it comes to writing - people will be paying me for my skill as a writer. And if they will suggest me, for example, the lore that i will not concider good - i will offer them improved version just because it's my job as a writer. Providing better solutions - is what i am there for. And if they will still want to keep the original one - sure, it's their choice, but... why do they need me then? You don't hire a cook because you know only how to bake eggs, and then ask him to make baked eggs, right? So why not let everyone in team do what he does the best? This is how great games are made.
I think it's funny how a lot of people gave their honest, useful advice and somehow it all just ended up with you arguing about everything they have said. Im curious; what have you actually learned so far and what are you going to do now?
The thing is that i already heared almost all of this before. Dozens, maybe even hundred of times. I know it's hard to understand that someone may be uncapabe of making things that is natural to you (i was also shocked when i found out how people in multi-million projects cannot see the obvious flaws of their creation), and this is why i try to explain why what they suggesting isn't going to work with me - that is what you calling "arguing".
You probably have no idea how it is - to be a complete, absolute retard. Right now i am playing Fallen Order and stuck for two days because... i cannot read the map. I see my destination, i see myself, but my brain simply refuses to process all those blocks and passages, they don't form anything that would make sense to me, so the only choice i have - is to wonder around aimlessly, trying to find a right patch randomly. But in the end i will have to use walktrough, i just know it.
Also i know that i am going to die on the streets after my mother will pass away, because i cannot learn all things that's needed to sustain the appartment and she is helping me with doing them - paying the bills, knowing what to repair, when to change water filter or unfreeze the freezer. I cannot even remember to take my pills after eating - my brain remembers only things it wants to remember, not the things i want to remember or understand. Trying to understand some social or buerocratical concepts for me feels like reading ancient languages - i see the letters, they has to mean something, but i have no idea what exactly.
That's why all the advices like "you just have to do what you cannot do" feel like a cruel joke, like saying "you just have to walk" to someone without legs. I know that people do not mean that, that they simply cannot understand, and that's why i am trying to explain.
What i learned... hard to say. I am still trying to process all this information. I came with simple proposal - developer spends 15 minutes to read my work, if he becomes impressed with it - he might give me the resourses to develop the game for him, and he will have all the profits from it. And i am more than sure that expirienced developer will be able to see the potential in a good plot or gameplay concept. After all, the same things happens with published - developers just coming to them, showing the prototype, and publisher using their expirience and knowledge to decice if it's worth financing. And since CDPR are both publishers and developers, they could as well do both.
But all the information i got here remind me a twisted labyrynth that's full of traps, monsters and also is on fire. There is an overly complicated solutions for such a simple request that can be solved with just 1 human spending 15 minutes to read the text. Some... no, most of them require me to do things that i cannot do. And i... have no idea what to do with this. So far i am trying to read it again and again in attempts to simply understand. But i done it lots of times before with no results, so...
Plans for the future? I already wrote to majority of existing studios, small or big, anyone who could be interested in making games like those or just using my help in general. Writing the public letter like this was the last resort. I see no other options but to wait and see if there will be new studios to write to, or new openings in old ones. I know that repeating same things with hope of change is madness, but... what else i can try? I have not so much time left in the world, at less less than before. And when i will feel like all my efforts are failed, i will use the plan B. It's also not perfect, but it at least will give me last chance to share my universes with the world.
But there is a clear reason why i cannot share any of my current work: have you ever saw a game made out of published script? Even if contents get leaked - people are tasked to remake it already.
This.
This one thing would me not hire you.
Yes, I don't expect game to be created on leaked script. But I expect someone, who is writing scripts for last 16 years to be able to show dozens of scripts and excellent ideas, while holding the best for later.
I would expect him to throw at me ideas and short texts at my whim on the topic I would decide right here right now.
And you are saying "no, nah".
You know this game, Gwent? It's based on Witcher 3 game, it's based on Sapkowski Witcher Novel. And you think he wrote it, went to publisher and said "it's good, publish it for me". No. First, he wrote some stories for I think "Fantasy" monthly. People said "yes, it's good"! So he wrote more. Ha made book of it. And than he started saga (which is arguable worse).
You know J. R. R. Tolkien? He spent years polishing his Silmarillion. He went to publisher, and showed him "this book is great, publish it!". Publisher said "naaah". So Tolkien wrote child's book - Hobbit. People loved it and wanted more. So he wrote Lord of the Rings. People loved it even more. So he was able to publish his, as we know it now, best book: Silmarillion.
You wrote script for one game, maybe good script. Maybe your ideas are incredible. I don't know. You don't want to share. But you want to skip some and just be in industry.
I have no idea, how big comapnies work. But I would expect them to have topic for a game, and make writers do exactly what top branch want. Yet more you write, more you seem like guy who would say "naaah, this idea is stupid, lets do my script I made 10 years ago because it's the best, now you, work polish and translate it for me, since I can't speak English good enough". "You want this story go this way? No, nah, I will not write it, I see through the eyes of my character and he would do exactly opposite, since your way of forcing story is stupid".
With this way, maybe you can again make some people do with you some indie game. Maybe I will in few years make gaming indie company, as many of as is dreaming off, and with yours great script we will be indie of the year! Like some Bastion or other Undertale.
But even in this dream (that it's just a dream) I won't hire you - because I see how big problem you have with showing your skills, other, than one game.
And I see your attitude.
There are people trying to help you on the forum. They are telling you, what they believe would help you achieve your goals.
Your answer are mostly "Oh, those bad companies. Would they really hire someone who can show them some work, instead of other guy (me) who is the best? Would they really hire someone who follow they guidelines instead of some great solo mind (me)? Would they really hire someone who know English/Polish well, instead of...
I don't know. Maybe answer is "yes" - companies are bad stupid organizations and they will make wrong decisions - if that is true, you REALLY need to listen people giving you some advice.
If they are smart, I'm sure you still need to take some advice in heart. Right now you are "no guy". You are not showing that you are good for any position, you are just telling with all your authority, that you are best and you should be hired. The end.
It looks a little like "split self mechanism" I'm nor sure if its right in English. You same time think about yourself that you are worst and you are best.
When you are not worst.
And you are not best.
You are you. You need to look at yourself at right colors.
OK, I don't want to write it in vain, so I will try also advice.
1. Work on your attitude/psychological problems. You may be great! But pretty sure you are not the best. And FOR SURE you are not worst. So work on "oh, ok, I will try to do it this way if you want it from me" instead of "oh, I'm the best, you should lets do it my way".
2. With way you are going now, try more small indie projects. Don't stop trying big players, but same time work on "portfolio". Small games, small stories, many different scripts, be able to show it to everyone. Of course you need to be brief same time - for companies just some short best work.
I think it's funny how a lot of people gave their honest, useful advice and somehow it all just ended up with you arguing about everything they have said. Im curious; what have you actually learned so far and what are you going to do now?
I think, instead of us, there is place for some psychotherapy.
I don't say it in any wrong way. I had mine share of psychotherapy too, probably not enough.
Do you have way to get it?
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Some advice have nothing to do with things you can or cannot do.
Problem with language is big problem. Maybe it will block you for your dream forever - I don't know. I hope not!
But for example, the fact that you are not sharing anything, since "it will not be later made into game"...
And yes. He shouldn't argue. Maybe for a second. But seeing this attitude of everyone else on this table, he should stop arguing and just do it the best he could, or don't. I know it's impossible.
Now, surely, it is a tricky topic. Primarily for you, of course, and anyone reading here passively who might perhaps be in a similar situation. This is perfectly understandable from that end, but in the end, sadly, there are certain rules or norms to this "game", by game I don't mean a product now but life itself.
I first would like to say hats off or kudos for seeing more detailed or responsive posts by @SigilFey and anyone else who also added their views from a professional end - because they have job experience in this matter or related fields of work.
While anyone could give you fitting or not so fitting, specific or more general advice, it's that particular field of work related advice that you likely need or at least can work with more than someone saying "You can do it if you believe in it".
It's not necessarily wrong to say this, but it's rather unspecific.
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But here's the kicker. Or key point.
If you favor honest words I'll try to describe my vibe or impression I get from this debate to you. This is a summary or recap from my end, I will not be able to refer or comment on every specific small detail or statement.
Several people gave their views and advices to which, if I saw it well, added questions or mentioned that it was problematic to do so. For example at one point you said
So i have a game - it shows how i write lore, quests, branching in dialogues, characters, dialogues. Currently it's the best public example of my work. But it takes 3 hours to complete. Then i have few stories written on russian and published years ago. What of that should i chose to show? I don't have anything else.
Make more. You are more likely to be considered for acceptance or get further in an application process if you can offer what people in the industry usually look for. Wasted / never seen talent of some or not, usually the bigger the business or involvement gets, the more they need to "streamline" certain processes because they cannot spend time not going "by the book" of certain procedures. Just like the following:
Notice how people like Gabe Newell, Bill Gates, etc would wear whatever they want, because they know that they could turn out naked on company meeting, and still nobody would care because people is after something they can do for them, and not their appearance. I always believed that various types of peacockery are important only for people who have nothing else to show\have no idea what to look at. Others judge each other by the quality of their work, no?
YOU are not Gabe Newell or Bill Gates however, are you? Especially if you want to get the foot in the door as stranger into an industry or company and if it's not a creative branch (like fashion I mean) in the first place you'd do well to mind this too. At least in the branches I applied for proper first representation was key, in my particular case a suit or similar fitting fashion if not a full suit, like business shirt, proper pants, shoes, etc. And not, to give a counter-example, "shoddy look" or a too casual look that might fit on the beach or in the free time but not for a workplace interview.
These are just two examples. I won't (not in this post at least) go on about other things but if you want to have a real chance of making it into the industry, you need to play by certain rules or steps.
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Closing note (for now)
Look, we're one big community here. We'll even try to help if you have specific questions in specific things, from a more professional angle as we've seen so far, or perhaps more general life related ones. Like general life advice. Tips by the community and for the community.
But sincerely, from following this exchange so far there seem to be various aspects that make your dream very hard to achieve at this time - from my humble observation at least. I do NOT want to discourage you or remove your motivation but if you ask me?
You should seriously take a step back and rethink it through and try to work on certain norms or your views on those. I realize the frustration or lack of options might be high if you reach the point where you say you tried a lot and now try your luck by openly posting about it on the forum. Not that this makes your situation worse, if you're lucky maybe someone else finds an interest or gives you tips as some here already did. You can't really lose by doing this I mean.
But yet you should seriously ask yourself if your dream to at least work in the big industry (maybe an Indie studio or modding team will be more realistically attainable or possible?) is realistic and reachable. Perhaps only you can truly answer this question, if not someone else close to you. To make it more possible, you need to work on several things and if you cannot find a studio or dev team in your language, you cannot avoid improving your English skills even more as the competition who has less or no issues with English gets the benefit. Truly ask yourself if right now, applying for big studios is attainable or a waste of time both for you and the other side. And if you say it's been met with little success so far analyze why. Then see if all those results you get from the analysis are fixable by you (or with help) in a 'reasonable amount of time'.
And if not, it's not the end of the world to discover it will realistically not work at this time.
Job-wise you perhaps might actually have to look for some alternative. Something to help you pay the bills and to finance courses or treatments to help you with any problems you might have. It's a tough thing and I can only imagine but one has to find a way. If it helps motivation-wise, I also saw lots of crap in life and had to go through bad phases. Perhaps I don't have the same issues as you do. But I can damn well tell you that I also initially wanted to do various things job-wise.
Guess what? I couldn't for whatever reason. I applied a lot and was denied, but played along with "social norms" (maybe you can truly pick them up and learn with increased help?) But also guess what? I eventually found a branch or alternative I didn't have on my radar for a while and now I'm more happy than ever.
Maybe you will find a fitting alternative that motivates you too. Something you didn't even think of now but maybe discover as something very interesting. Even if it's not related to what you look for right now, like being a writer in the gaming industry.
Because an unrelated job you start to like or at least find suitable and okay doesn't prevent you from writing in your own personal projects.
What i learned... hard to say. I am still trying to process all this information. I came with simple proposal - developer spends 15 minutes to read my work, if he becomes impressed with it - he might give me the resourses to develop the game for him, and he will have all the profits from it.
Okay, I can't help myself, let's address this one particular thing. This will not happen. Not ever. Not unless you find the most open-minded indie dev on the planet (which you might -- look for indie publishers/devs instead of big AAA companies).
You will not be able to walk up to a publisher or developer, say "Here's this great story, make a game out of it." It doesn't matter if your story is the next Witcher, or the next Lord of the Rings. Games aren't made just based on good scripts. There is no such thing as an "idea man" in the video game industry.
That is simply not how this business operates. It's tough love, but you need to understand and accept this if you're going to progress in your chosen field. You cannot approach a multi billion dollar company as a complete unknown, and have them make your game for you, even if you give them 500% of the profits.
They don't know you, have no reason to trust you, even if they like your ideas. Will they even be able to understand your script if it's not written in proper English (no offense!! nothing wrong with not being super fluent, it's a tough language to learn)? Will they need to hire a translator to get the idea? Will the grammar mistakes make your work seem worse than it is? Why should they bother overcoming any of these hurdles for you, over anybody else?
You say you can't do things like build a portfolio, talk to people, etc. due to mental problems. If that's the case, I'm very sorry. I'm racking my brain trying to think of some way around that, but I can't find one. For the record, I too spent four hours on Zeffo in Fallen Order, unable to find a simple passageway, but I know your problems extend beyond that. The world is a hostile place to anyone who is "different" in any way, and that really, really sucks.
Look, I have a lot of great game ideas and stories, too. I'm a writer by trade. I'd love to have 15 minutes of a decision-maker's time, and honestly, I could probably get it. I've got a couple connections at other studios. But even if I could, it won't matter. Ideas are cheap, they're a dime a dozen, there are more ideas and story scripts out there than there are people on the planet.
Watch this. THIS is what a full-fledged game development studio has to worry about when they pitch their ideas to a publisher. They don't just say "here's a story, I have the talent to make it." They have to worry about costs, they have to demonstrate a track record, they have to talk about the risks and challenges they will face during development, etc.
You are asking to skip Steps 1 - 100 of the process and jump straight to the point where a company starts making a game.
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To add a touch of optimism, a game pitch might be the best route for you to take.
Formulate a full idea for the game, find other people willing to help you get it off the ground, and take it to a publisher to get funding that way.
But I expect someone, who is writing scripts for last 16 years to be able to show dozens of scripts and excellent ideas, while holding the best for later.
The things is that i don't just write scripts and move on. I drop hundreds of those where i cannot see the potential to become great, and keep developing those that have it. I don't produce high quantity of medicore plots, instead i making serveral that's almost flawless. Almost all of them are the best.
And what is the purpose to show dozens of scripts, if people say they can't find the time to play a small prologue game? When they will find the time to read dozens of scripts then? Instead, i give them the short list that has various range of things, and letting them chose what they want to see. What's wrong with this approach?
I would expect him to throw at me ideas and short texts at my whim on the topic I would decide right here right now.
And you are saying "no, nah".
I only don't want to do it in public. What's the big deal with writing on email?
The companies care about privacy. They sign NDA during development and heavily pushish people for leaks. NOBODY wants people all over internet to know what they are making, especially in games with original concepts like Death Stranding, where people had no idea what kind of gameplay it's going to have almost up to the very release date. I remember cases where games were remade simply because plot was leaked. What's the point of wasting the work of many years, if i can simply show it privatly, only to the people who need to see it?
I have no idea, how big comapnies work. But I would expect them to have topic for a game, and make writers do exactly what top branch want.
Each company works how their leads want them to work. Some have powerful writers as a leaders, so i would no expect, let's say Kojima or Cage to trust anyone else the writing in their games. But there is also the people who hire writers because they have different skills. And i believe here can be anything - from giving a setting and gameplay concepts and saying "can you make a story and lore for this?", to giving you specific point to start with (maybe even existing universe), and instruct what kind of story they would want to see. Anything of that is doable (even more - i did all of this already), but of course it would be better if leadership could at least concider other ideas that might be better.
Yet more you write, more you seem like guy who would say
Now you starting to assume things others might do. Honestly, i don't even want to engage in conversation where i have to prove that i won't do things that exist only in your mind. Assuming things about others are pointless patch, make your judgements based on facts.
I have only two questions to this: 1) How, if i don't have a team? 2) Why, if people saying that my game is already too big to look at it? If people don't even have a time to look at one game, how making even more things to look at will help?
And i have more. I even already finished writing some of my short gameplay concepts in English. It's just that i cannot publish it for quite obvious reasons, and need one simple thing: for revievew to give me his email so i could show him my best work in private. Why it's not an option?
But yet you should seriously ask yourself if your dream to at least work in the big industry (maybe an Indie studio or modding team will be more realistically attainable or possible?) is realistic and reachable.
Well, i believe that all i need is get the attention of right person and convince that person to look at my work. It will cost them nothing but a tiny bit of time. And then i won't have to do anything else, my work will speak for me.
And if you say it's been met with little success so far analyze why.
So far i believe that i simply can't reach the right people. They are like final bosses who won't even speak to me until i defeat the crowd of minions and several other bosses. And i have no idea how could i convince them to just give me those 15 minutes of time, just once in this life. I don't understand, do i really ask for too much?
Maybe you will find a fitting alternative that motivates you too.
I will not, because there is only few things that interest me in life, and the other ones are unavailable for me because of my conditions, and... not really fitting for a job anyway. There is a reason why i don't make social connetions - other people do not have this kind of "tonnel vision", they have vast range of interests, whil i only interested in good stories and video games (i tried many other things but felt nothing at all towards them at best). My stories are my entire life.
They don't know you, have no reason to trust you, even if they like your ideas.
If they like my ideas, they don't have to trust me. That's why i don't ask me to hire me before i do my job - they have to hire me after. If work is already complete, it's not about trust, they already know what they are getting.
Will they even be able to understand your script if it's not written in proper English
Can you understand me now? Then they will too. My scripts aren't the rocket science, and in english they will look just like this comments. Most likely even better - because when i write my work i use the correction software that i don't use when i write on forums.
All they would need is to spend a bit of time to read it.
This is why i have at least one (but often more) gameplay concepts attached to each of them. Or i can adapt my story for their gameplay. Or i can write a new one for the setting they give me. There is lots of options.
You cannot approach a multi billion dollar company as a complete unknown
Why who am i matters more than what i can do? If you approached by unknown, and he gives you a cure for the cancer - will you refuse to take it because it's an unknown person? I am not giving them a cat in the bag, they can look at my work first, and then decide if they want to make something with it or not.
Maybe if they are just ideas. But there is a long way from random idea to fully finished story with original lore, characters, events, and everything is linked with gameplay options. You are right, ideas are cheap, but what i offer are not the ideas. They are finished plots and game design concepts.
find other people willing to help you get it off the ground
This is the problem that i already talked about several times here. I would be happy to, but i am not the leader. If someone else would help me gather that team - i would gladly offer that person all profits from the game for the work he will do. But i cannot form a team, i cannot even convince a single person to give me 15 minutes of attention to read my work, how you expect me to convince serveral people to work with me unpaid?
Watch this. THIS is what a full-fledged game development studio has to worry about when they pitch their ideas to a publisher.
I watched it. And i can safely say that my concepts are fine with all of that paragraphs, except the ones about prototype (because i don't have one, but if i was able to do it, it's obvious that i would try to show selling points of the game), and also part 20 (you have no idea how much money you will need to make the game) because i really don't know how much anything in the world costs. If i had a team and i know how much any of them are paid, and also they told me how much time certain tasks will take them to do - maybe i could calculate approx sum (but i would rather let someone else do that). The only thing i can do - is take other simillar gamers and look at their budgets, but since no company would make the same thing with same budget (because they all have different specialists), it's not a good way as well. But for the questions like how many levels it would be, what kind of people would be needed the most in development, etc that he asked about - i can give answers to all of that. But of course i would perfer someone with industry expirience in the team to count all that.
And there is 21 - i don't have a team. I quess that's obvious because i am looking for one.
Can you understand me now? Then they will too. My scripts aren't the rocket science, and in english they will look just like this comments. Most likely even better - because when i write my work i use the correction software that i don't use when i write on forums.
Why who am i matters more than what i can do? If you approached by unknown, and he gives you a cure for the cancer - will you refuse to take it because it's an unknown person? I am not giving them a cat in the bag, they can look at my work first, and then decide if they want to make something with it or not.
I understand your point, but what you're proposing is not a cure for cancer. It's a game design concept, and other people have those, too. There are far, far too many people like yourself for a company to give you a leg-up without some sort of reason to do so. You aren't the only one shopping their ideas and game design concepts around.
If you have two people sitting in front of you with equally-fantastic story ideas, but one has a lot of experience in the industry and connections with people on the development team and the other does not, they are going to go with the first person. That's the situation it seems you've found yourself in, unfortunately.
I get it. 15 minutes to view your work is not a lot of time. In fact, I'm willing to bet a CD Projekt Red employee has been reading this entire discussion, or at least most of it.
But so what? What do they do next? Do they go to their boss and say "I found this guy with a great idea!"? You know what the boss says then? He says "So what? We've got 50 more just like him, but they all have better qualifications, connections, and/or experience."
I watched it. And i can safely say that my concepts are fine with all of that paragraphs, except the ones about prototype (because i don't have one, but if i was able to do it, it's obvious that i would try to show selling points of the game), and also part 20 (you have no idea how much money you will need to make the game) because i really don't know how much anything in the world costs. If i had a team and i know how much any of them are paid, and also they told me how much time certain tasks will take them to do - maybe i could calculate approx sum (but i would rather let someone else do that). The only thing i can do - is take other simillar gamers and look at their budgets, but since no company would make the same thing with same budget (because they all have different specialists), it's not a good way as well. But for the questions like how many levels it would be, what kind of people would be needed the most in development, etc that he asked about - i can give answers to all of that. But of course i would perfer someone with industry expirience in the team to count all that.
And there is 21 - i don't have a team. I quess that's obvious because i am looking for one.
Fair enough. Thank you for watching the full video. I didn't expect you to, to be honest. I think you'd be surprised by the number of people who are willing to jump in and work on a project together in their free time, provided the concept is interesting enough.
Honestly, you seem like a smart and interesting person. If I knew more about you and I knew what other passions (aside from writing in video games) we shared, I'd probably want to be your friend.
You aren't confident in your ability to lead, but who says you have to? The best game development studios are often started by a small group of friends who have shared interests. You don't need to find employees, you need to find friends who share your passion. I think you can do that, and you've given me no evidence so far to suggest you can't. You're capable of having a civil discussion, that's about the only qualification you need to meet people online.
And, hey -- why not learn a bit of coding yourself and make a very basic prototype for your game? That'd give you a much better chance of getting your foot in the door.
And what is the purpose to show dozens of scripts, if people say they can't find the time to play a small prologue game? When they will find the time to read dozens of scripts then? Instead, i give them the short list that has various range of things, and letting them chose what they want to see. What's wrong with this approach?
Your answer was one big "no".
It's ok, if I'm wrong in most things. But even so, you just say "no" to things people say here, to ideas that they try to give you.
"Go public with your things."
"No, it will not work. So what is wrong with what I'm doing?"
Wrong is, you said by yourself, your way is NOT WORKING!
What do you want us to do? We try. We recommend. Maybe better, maybe worse, but still things you didn't do. You got this idea, that if some developer can check your work, he will be amazed and you will be hired on spot, but still believe, that the way to do it, is only your way.
Did it work?
Let's say, instead of big complaining topic, you publish some best work here, without any attachments. "Hey I want to show you something great I did, I want to know your opinion (that means, that you are not sure it's the best, it already make people like you more than saying - I'm the best you will love it since I'm best*)".
You post SHORT amazing idea, part of script, story, dialogue etc. short enough to be in one post here.
We are amazed. 5% of as reply "We want more".
You link us to more good work.
We read it when we have time, maybe same day, maybe few months later. We ask you for more, you say "here is game I made story for, but I don't want to publish all, would like to work in this industry tho".
We make a little rumor here.
Someone from this forum recommend your post as funny/good (both i hope) to some HR/Dev/etc.
You got your contact.
Will it happen? 99,9% not, EVEN if you are as good as you are saying.
Is it better, than what you are doing?
Yes, because you have this 1 in 1000 chance, or 1 in 100 000. Because it's something DIFFERENT. Because every post here, saying "no, I will not do this, why THEY won't do this things the way I WANT". "Why THEY don't give me e-mail to CEO so he could read/play/something my work. Cause I'm the best. Like Bill Gates. This multibilion company is making soooooo big mistake not reading what I have to offer." Push you away from your goal. at least as I see it. Every post with more "no" from you, make me want to recommend less to anyone "If I would have anyone".
Your great work without attachment WOULD make me want to recommend you to someone (I don't have connection, so that's not happening from my side in any way).
The way you are saying "no" frustrate me. This topic now - frustrate me. It also make me remember 'me' in my deepest s***. When someone was giving advice, I was like "no, this won't work, I tried so much, LOOK IN HOW BAD POSITION I AM." The way out of it was to actually want to get out of it instead of complaining how bad it is.
And I see you in this position. So yeah, since I'm frustrated, because everything I say is just taken as useless not working bad advice, I'm out of here.
*I was studying physics. I don't remember fellow students, masters, doctors, professors to ever say "I'm the best, just look at me". Even those professors were sharing ideas with other professors... No, with everyone. They were listening to students, if they appear to have idea and clue about what they are talking.
But, I met people who were so right, that discussion wasn't possible. They usually read some article in some bad newspaper about some physic phenomena. And after this, they knew best. No basics of mathematics, 3 from physics in school, just recently interested in topic. So they knew better because of this article, and it looked logic THEM.
As far as i know, it worked in other parts of life like this.
So, every time you say by YOURSELF that your work is incredible, best, everyone else is wrong and have bad writing, but you are unbelievable perfect - I think worse and worse about this, because of my past experience. It may be wrong and unjust to you. But from my perspective - 99,9% it's not.
... Can I give my brutally honest opinion about this whole thing? I'd like to, but it'll involve terms like "narcissism" and the suspicion that this entire thread is just feeding into it, and I'm not sure I'd be able to show as much kindness as the other forum goers have so far (mad respect). It might be what's needed to break the spell though. This entire thing has become one person's would-be commercial self-advertisement and there's a regulation about that somewhere too.
Consider there's thousands, if not millions of other would-be writers who simply keep their nose to the grindstone and would've used this time and effort to improve their writing instead of complain, and this thread comes across as rather bizarre.
Why open a topic if you're going to spam no to all suggestions? Even people from CDPR answered you but you still keep saying no.
The thing is, even if you wrote best story of all times and nobody in future will suprass your quality it doesn't matter if your customers just don't like it.
Hideo Kojima thinks Death Stranding is a cult game but most will always think he just created a cargo simulation with bizarre storyline, EA was trusting BFV too much they said "don't buy if you don't like it" and people just didn't (If I didn't had Premier I wouldn't play it at all) buy it. See? I'm talking about a cult (also troll) director/writer and one of the biggest game company (and was really good in past) in the world, they thought their product was best but it wasn't (at least to customers) so it didn't matter.
... Can I give my brutally honest opinion about this whole thing? I'd like to, but it'll involve terms like "narcissism" and the suspicion that this entire thread is just feeding into it...
Haha you are absolutely right... when I saw his original post for the first time I felt kind of bad for him, but after seeing some of his replies I realised there is no helping him really. Now Im just fascinated by his incel-like view on the game industry, the world and himself and wonder how it happened that someone can think like this. It's good to see the other side of humanity in this thread though; other people trying to help someone who is down, but yeah this is getting a bit absurd now.
@ElvenNeko: Seriously what happened to you that you became this way? You seem to know exactly what is 'wrong' with you, like you say you'll die if your mom dies because you don't know know how to take care of yourself... except you are aware of this problem and show no interest in actually doing anything about it? Same goes for this whole writer thing, your path is leading you nowhere yet there is nothing in you that is willing to change, what causes this, Im honestly curious?
) And the most likely response you're going to get from professionals in existing studios is, "Nice work! That looks like a really good idea. Best of luck!"
