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A few months ago, a developer I'd worked with in the past announced that they were working on a new video game that was inspired (at least partially) by Vampire survivors). I felt inspired to write up a quick story pitch for this new game. I wasn't counting on them using it and treated it like a fun exercise. The pitch won't be used, which means that I get to share it with you, today. Of course, I'm removing and changing a few details to remove traces of the original project (no NDA was signed) because I feel as though they're taking the game in an awesome direction and I don't want to detract from that. I am not married to this pitch, so feel free to use it! If…

A few days ago, I put up an article about my first-ever interview as a narrative video game writer. Since then, I've been thinking about one of the answers I gave that I want to expand on. So, here's the answer that I prefer I said that reaching the finish line – localisations, editing, etc. – is the most difficult part for me when it comes to video game development, but I don't think that's quite right. After all, deadlines are a part of almost every job, and finally seeing the finished product is amazing! The hardest part of what I do are the projects that don't happen. They can be gigs that I don't get or titles that never get off the ground, or in-development games that just fizzle…

In August, I was interviewed by streamer and indie game advocate, kez_liquescent, about my writing work with indie video games.It was fun and the first time I've ever been interviewed. I was a journalist for a few years, so I've never been on the opposite side of the camera.Wanna know what I do for a living? Give it a watch! Oh, and I hardly actually talk about the work that I do publically, so this contains a few insights into me as a writer.My video feed and quality aren't the best, but I hope you enjoy the interview anyway (note to self: don't use a wireless webcam next time).https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0Q32hcL06Y

"Do you have any advice for me on how to get started as a narrative writer?" "I just wanted to know how you broke into game writing." "How do you get involved with these types of jobs?" These are just some of the questions I receive from people who want to be narrative video game writers.Well, brace yourself, because it's finally time to reveal the big secret……there's no secret.I'm sorry. I know that's not what you wanted to hear, but don't click away yet!The hard truthIt really comes down to hard work, determination, and a lot of luck. It's a slog, it's hard, and it's made exponentially more difficult if you don't already know anyone in the video games industry looking for a writer.To date, I've reached out to 402 different developers and…