Narrative News March 2025: GDC, Meetups, and More!
The industry's biggest event approaches...
Hi fellow narrative designers!
GDC (the Game Developers Conference) is approaching and it’s sure to be a strange one. I look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones in San Francisco this year, but with the shocking number of jobs lost in our industry just this past year (never mind the past three years), the mood is sure to be pensive. The question on everyone’s minds: what do we do, as an industry? And, even more pressing, how do I personally survive as someone who loves this work?
I don’t have answers, per se, but I do have a bit of time to chat. If you’d like to schedule a quick 30-minute in-person meeting in Yerba Buena Gardens, add something to my calendar here. This is mainly for aspiring narrative designers and students who are just starting out on their journey — if you know me already, please reach out directly. And if you have business offers for me regarding AI, please do not.
I would also like to gauge interest in a meetup related to the Writer’s Guild of America. In the UK, game writers and narrative designers are part of that country’s respective Writer’s Guild, offering certain benefits and protections. I’m curious if such a model might work here in the US, as I’m sure many of you are as well.
If you are not able to make it to GDC (which is understandable — I myself could only afford the plane tickets and will not be attending the conference proper), then I’ll make sure to provide whatever news I can in the next roundup. Now, let’s get to the current batch of jobs and resources.
Meetups & Conferences
For those who can’t make it to GDC, check out #notGDC, a free online event.
For those who can make it to GDC, check out this comprehensive list of events and parties that take place during the conference, and GIG’s GDC Guide, which has TONS of useful advice.
Jams & Competitions
Spring Thing 2025 submissions are due by March 30th.
Dialogue Jam begins April 1st until May 1st and is a “month-long unranked jam all about communication between characters. Whether through verbal dialogue or written correspondence, this jam aims to bring discussions forward.”
Text Adventure Literacy Jam is running until April 30th. “Write a text adventure that is suitable for beginners to this genre.”
NaNoRenO is running until April 2nd. “NaNoRenO is an annual month-long game jam in which developers are challenged to make a visual novel from start to finish. It was originally inspired by the more famous NaNoWriMo (National Novelist Writer's Month, which takes place in November).”
This month’s bitsy jam is themed “Orbit”. Bitsy is a wonderful, small, and simple engine for creating narrative games — especially if interactive fiction doesn’t tickle your fancy.
If you’re eager to work with (or lead) a team, try reaching out to folks partaking in RPG Maker Game Jam, The Outbreak Jam, or Road Trip Game Jam. These are all the type of jam where a strong narrative will be appreciated. If you need a push: I’ve led several game jam groups as a narrative designer. It’s possible, and it usually leads to great results.
Resources
David Kindregan has a whole YouTube channel full of videos on game writing, including this one above.
David Gallaher writes about how a premise alone isn’t enough (so true).
Meanwhile, Danny Salfield Wadeson notes that writing does not equal narrative design (also, so true).
Lots of good articles this month: narrative designer James Cavin speaks about his work on limited time events in Temple Run Legends.
Jobs
Note: This month I’m reducing the jobs section to just junior and mid-level jobs, as the senior level jobs haven’t been clicked much in the past. If you’d still like to see the senior level jobs in Narrative News, drop a comment below!
Narrative Internship at Serious Point Games Remote. “We offer guidance to aspiring and passionate game developers through our work experience programs, ranging from 2 weeks to 6 months with flexible, no-minimum-hour schedules. It's worldwide, so even if you are outside of the UK, you are welcome to apply!”
Narrative Designer (Freelance) at SOFTGAMES Remote but based in Central Europe. “SOFTGAMES is the leading instant gaming company. We develop casual, truly social games that can be played instantly across all devices.”
Technical Narrative Designer at Take-Two Interactive Remote. “Our studio designed and released award-winning games, such as System Shock 2, BioShock and BioShock Infinite. We are currently working on our next project and would love for you to be part of our team.”
Writer at CD PROJEKT RED Warsaw, Poland-based. “We’re looking for a Writer to join the CD PROJEKT RED team dedicated to crafting the studio’s first-ever original IP and video game, codenamed Project Hadar.”
Writer for ReelShort, Elastic Heart Studio at Crazy Maple Studio LA-based. “We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Writer to join our team for the production of many Reelshort Mobisode Series with Elastic Heart Studio.”
Writer and Narrative Designer at Failbetter Games Remote (within three hours of UK time zone). “You’ll be working on Fallen London, a somewhat unusual narrative browser game. It’s 15 years old this year, with over four and a half million words when we last counted.”
Writer at Santa Monica Studio Remote. “Santa Monica Studio is seeking a Writer for the development of a new unannounced title! If you love collaborating with talented developers to create genre-defining games, join us as we embark on a new journey.”
Thanks for reading! Pass on the good vibes and share this newsletter with other narrative designers.
About the Writer:
Rose Behar is a narrative designer at Scopely working on a new IP. Her previous work is featured in Longleaf Valley and Cell to Singularity, among other projects. She puts out the free Narrative News roundup every month.
Just wanted to chime in and say that I'd be glad if you kept posting senior roles. And thanks for running this newsletter, I've found it quite helpful!
One of the jobs is a volunteer opportunity by the way, which can help foster junior talent with experience, but I also know there's a lot of conversations regarding whether it should fall under the "Jobs" category.