The Janus Fund Fee Game

The Janus Performance Fee Proposal The Janus fund fee (“performance fee”) recently pitched by Janus Funds is a good example of gamesmanship for higher stakes than seen in your typical RPG or RTS. We don’t usually talk about financial matters here at Game Writer Central, but I believe that it’s important to recognize game elements […]

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Game Designers Actually Write?

Game Writers Aren’t the Only Developers Who Need Writing Skills “Game designer” is an oft-misunderstood label that, like all labels, sometimes fails completely in describing the variety and depth of tasks tackled by the many talented people who fall into this bucket. Many times game consumers and friends have told me they thought game designers […]

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EGM Magazine is Dead

EGM Magazine Closed by Buyer Well, EGM Magazine lovers… I feel guilty, although I probably shouldn’t. On Jan. 7th, Ziff Davis announced that they’ve closed down the entire EGM magazine publishing operation, only days after my post criticizing the clipping problem they had on their Gears of War 2 cover. Okay, I admit that there’s […]

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Screenwriting: a ?!?! moment in Blade Trinity

A screenwriting thought: Blade Trinity puzzler Screenwriting isn’t game design (although a lot of game designers wish it were). Still, screenwriters are, like game writers, in the business of visual storytelling. Under that precept, I’d like to relate the following tale of woe. The other night I channelsurfed upon Blade Trinity. I’m as much a […]

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Game design case study: why can’t I stop playing Bard’s Tale?

Game writing trumps game design? My current crap-game obsession is inXile’s Bard’s Tale for the PS2. An ill-fated classic-game revival, BT has very little in common with its storied predecessor (which I also loved back in the days when I was too young to buy my own computer – can you say “floppy disk swapfest”?). […]

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game writers and gamers welcome

Game writers – specifically videogame writers – it’s here! The video game writer blog. Thoughts about the art and science of writing for games. War stories. Analysis of games, gameplay, and of course, game writing. Case studies of videogame writing and where it succeeds (Planetfall, God of War) — and fails, even in bestselling titles […]

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