In 2015, as a recent college graduate, I cold-emailed David Galindo to find out if he could use my writing skills at Vertigo Gaming Inc. My expectations were low. Though I had been active on his forums ten years earlier as a fan of his freeware games, we barely stayed in touch. I was also skeptical that a solo indie developer known for a cooking game would need my skills. I was so sure he'd say no that I told him “I'd love to help for anywhere from little to zero pay.”
To my surprise, David happened to be looking for a writer for his next project. I signed a contract to work on Cook, Serve, Delicious! 2!! and humbly spent a few hours each month writing optional in-game emails, fictional food descriptions, and restaurant descriptions that had no impact on the game itself. What seemed like a fun but an insignificant contribution to the game turned out to be something much greater.
I’m now a full-time Narrative Designer and Community Manager for Vertigo Gaming Inc. Though I didn’t at first understand why David hired me to write those in-game emails, the past seven years opened my eyes. I've seen firsthand how powerful good writing can be to a game's reputation, as well as how many games lack it.
Whether you’re a solo game developer looking to give your next project a punch up or you’re an aspiring writer with a dream like I was in 2015; I want to help you write games.
How To Write a Game is a monthly newsletter that dives deep into everything related to writing for games, including:
The basic principles and best practices of writing and storytelling
The specific challenges of writing for games
How to do the things that aren't technically “game writing” but often still fall on game writers to do
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Thank you and happy writing!