Narrative News October 2024: Spooky Resources, News, and Opportunities!
Plus, some personal developments.
Hello fellow narrative designers!
Well, September was quite the month. In the span of a few weeks, the project I was working on at Scopely was canned and it looked as if I’d have to return to the starving writer ways I’d honed during my previous freelance phase. However, at the 11th hour, I interviewed for and was transferred to another team within Scopely! Kudos where it’s due, they kept a good percentage of our team employed. On my side, I’m quite pleased to be with this team — they’re smart and the project would be enticing to any writer. Still, exhausted is an understatement.
During all of this, I’ve been meeting with a promising narrative designer as part of the IGDA mentorship programs and I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. Not so much for my own sake, but for the industry’s sake. Scopely did right by me, but not every company does. With thousands of game devs experiencing layoffs, it’s a systemic issue that we must resolve for the sake of the next generation, and the generation after that. I don’t want to be 20 years into this career path and keep saying: “It’s bad, but this is just the way things are.” I want to say: “It used to be much worse,” and then make some silly joke about getting laid off from getting laid off back in the twenties.
Now, on to business! This is a good season for job seekers, so keep your hopes up if you’re looking. And, in between all your writing projects, make sure to eat plenty of cheap candy and watch plenty of bad horror movies!
Events
Conferences
PAX Australia is running from the 11th to the 13th
EGX London runs from the 25th to 27th.
Jams + Competitions
ECTOCOMP 2024 is an interactive fiction competition running until October 31st. They are open to submissions in all languages, the main ones being English, French, Spanish, and German.
“As per tradition, Ectocomp has two categories: La Petite Mort, for those who want to speed-write their game in 4 hrs or less or Le Grand Guignol, for games that, for whatever reason, took longer than 4 hrs to write (perhaps a more thoughtful masterpiece? perhaps spent too much time writing SLIMY DETAILS?)”
Don’t forget, you can join any type of game jam, not just the narrative-driven types. For instance, considering joining the 2024 Scream Jam and either offering your services as a writer or starting a team of your own!
Resources
Check out the talented Greg Buchanan’s article on writing for No Man’s Sky and how to deal with players skipping the story.
Guys, I found a repository of absolute narrative design wisdom GOLD. Alexander Freed, a New York Times bestselling author and 20-year veteran of the game writing industry, was kind enough to meet with me and give me some advice and he also pointed me to his website, where he has written a series of blog posts that feature some incredible insights.
Opportunities
Jobs
Junior Narrative Designer at Nanobit Croatia-based. “To get a general feel for the content you will be creating and editing, feel free to check out our games Tabou Stories: Love Episodes and Winked: Episodes of Romance.”
Associate Writer: Pedestrian and Ambient Dialogue at Rockstar Games LA-based. Two years of professional creative writing experience. “This is a full-time, in-office position based out of Rockstar’s new studio on the Westside of Los Angeles, CA.”
Game Writer, Magic Tavern at AppLovin Remote. “At Magic Tavern, we create engaging casual games for the global market and are best known for our hit titles Matchington Mansion and Project Makeover! […] This is a full time, fully-remote position that allows you to work from home.”
Writer (12-month contract) at 31st Union California-based. “We’re looking for a Writer (12 month contract) to join our team and help us shape the future of storytelling in online multiplayer gaming.”
Narrative Designer at SNK IT Solutions Remote. The listing is a little skimpy on details apart from suggesting an assessment relating to cooking games.
Narrative Designer at Avalanche Studios Group Stockholm-based. “We're currently looking for a skilled and creative Narrative Designer (1 Lead and 1 Senior), to join our team at Avalanche Studios Group in Stockholm!”
Narrative Designer at Skillionaire Games Remote. “Skillionaire Games is looking for a skilled Narrative Designer to join our team on a part-time basis.”
Game Narrative Designer at CrazyLabs Remote between UTC -3 to UTC +4. “We are looking for a Game Narrative Designer to join our team and work on an exciting new Casual game!”
Technical Narrative Designer at IOI Hybrid with studios in Barcelona, Brighton, Istanbul, and Malmö. “Acting as a bridge between writers, quest designers, game designers, and the AI team, you will ensure seamless integration of all narrative elements within the larger game systems.”
Senior Technical Narrative Designer at Housemarque/PlayStation Helsinki-based. “As the Senior Technical Narrative Designer in the talented Narrative team behind RETURNAL, you will take ownership of narrative systems and features.”
Senior Narrative Designer at Firesprite UK-based. “Firesprite is a visionary game development studio based in the heart of Liverpool.”
Senior Narrative Designer at Hearthstone California-based. “Pull up a chair and join us by the hearth!! Blizzard is looking for a Senior Narrative Designer to join the Hearthstone team.”
Senior Narrative Designer at Blackbird Interactive BC, Canada-based. Four day work week! “Blackbird Interactive is looking for a Senior Narrative Designer to join our growing studio.”
Principal Narrative Designer at People Can Fly Quebec, Canada-based. “We are looking for a Principal Narrative Designer to join our team. In this role, you will be responsible for creating and seamlessly integrating narrative elements into our video games.”
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.