Leveling Up

Here's the challenge: Transition out of an established career and leap into a shockingly competitive industry– with absolutely no experience to speak of.

Hi. I'm Paul, and I want to become a Narrative Designer, otherwise known as a video game writer. (Turns out, these terms are not wholly interchangeable. More on that here.)

This notion has followed me around for at least a decade, but I've always brushed it off as a flight of fancy because it's utterly preposterous. There are a myriad of reasons why:

• I've had no formal schooling or training.
• Most days, I struggle to call myself a writer, let alone believe I'm good enough to snag such a sought-after role.
• There are people who live, eat, sleep, and breathe video games. Historically, I've not been one of them. I'm more of a thoughtful video games enthusiast.
• Did I mention how competitive the field is? One AAA developer reported getting thousands of applications every day the role was open.

Any one of these sounds like a great reason to give up. Despite the weight each of those bullet points carry, I find there's one that, against all odds, seems to carry more:

• Paulie wants to write.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Ten years is a long time to wistfully wonder, "What if?". Suddenly, and without warning, the idea of being a game writer popped up, and for the first time, my response wasn't "That could never be me!" but instead, "Why not me?"

Maybe it's the new year, maybe it's my midlife crisis talking, or maybe it was this post from Narrative Designer Ann Lemay:

Yeah ok, I’m doing this. Here is some advice for aspiring game writers. Do not come into games wanting to be a game writer with the attitude that all you are going to write are the cinematics. Fact: a game’s story is not about the cinematics. 🧵

— Ann Lemay 🧂 (@annlemay.bsky.social) December 17, 2024 at 2:46 PM

The thread goes on to discuss the immense amount of collaboration involved in being a game writer, as well as being able to work within a strict and rigid framework to imbue life into a fictional world. I'm not sure what it says about me as a person, but one of my biggest motivators is hearing about others doing a bad job and feeling fairly certain I could do it better.

In this case, "better" isn't about the nuts and bolts of being a narrative designer, but knowing that I thrive on collaboration, rolling up my sleeves, and staying humble. Plus, I know how to rub a word or two together.

But let's be real: I won't get anywhere without something to show for it. If this is something I'm serious about, I need to gain some experience and build a portfolio. To do that, I need accountability. That's where this newsletter comes in.

I’ll post here weekly about my progress: what I’m working on, what I’m worried about, and how I’m pushing through. Maybe nothing will come of it. But at the very least, I might motivate others who are fairly certain they can do it better.