ABSTRACT
Writing for video games often means writing a sequel to a previous game or a tie-in game for an existing movie or comic franchise. Heidi McDonald has worked on 18 game titles over her 8 years as a game writer and provides excellent advice for diving into universes created and owned by someone else. She covers basics like canon vs. non-canon, the intersection with fanfic, how to work in the space if you’re not a die-hard fan, dealing with multiple revisions and complicated approval processes, and how to make it new and interesting. She encourages the use of strong themes and exploring universal human experiences not yet covered in other incarnations of the IP (intellectual property). She talks about how to handle big changes in an existing universe and how to spot toxic fandom which will hamper progress rather than help. She includes an excellent example of working with kids in an after-school program to help her write authentic dialog for a children’s IP. Writing exercises at the end of the chapter provide opportunities to practice.
