Games industry opens arms to striking hollywood writers

  • Posted November 29th, 2007 at 06:15 EDT by
  • 2,150 views
  • 15 Comments

According to Variety.com, striking Hollywood writers may be turning to the game industry as an alternative to movie scripts.

"It has been an interesting shift," one writer told Variety. "The literary agents are now saying, 'Why don't we get our clients [into games studios] during the strike?' Even though in the past they thought the money wasn't good enough or the work was too demanding."

Apparently the WGA (Writers Guild of America) is allowing its members to write for games developers during the strike. This means that while our movies may suck, our games will become more story-driven, allowing players to become more involved in the characters and plot.

Marianne Krawczyk, scriptwriter for the "God of War" series stated, "Sometimes they [game studios] make the game and then realize, 'Wait a minute, we need a story!... I give notes on a story that exists and see what I can make work. Sometimes I come in at the beginning and all they have is a one-sentence idea."

Take a look at the PlayStation 3. When you look at games like Heavenly Sword or Uncharted Drakes Fortune, you know that these titles wouldn't be as interesting as they are without and enticing storyline and colorful characters with entertaining dialogue. These writers bring the single player experiences to life, and with the way things are going, games will require them more and more.

Source: Variety

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What are your thoughts?

  1. gorillanuts

    • 6:41am GMT - November 29th, 2007
    • 1

    A better story makes for a better game overall. Too bad for Hollywood.

  2. IRONMAIDEN

    • 6:47am GMT - November 29th, 2007
    • 2

    let them do it. i bet they'll complain there too. just write stuff and collect your dang paycheck

  3. Staticneuron | Staticneuron

    • 6:58am GMT - November 29th, 2007
    • 3

    IRONMAIDEN, If you do not know what you are talking about please don't say anything about it.

     

    This is good for the writers. They will recieve the royalties and compensation they deserve and some might get recognition.

  4. PS3-The Ultimate Machine

    • 7:16am GMT - November 29th, 2007
    • 4

    Most movies suck anyways.Good news for games,is good news for me

  5. Yuk-Yuk | Yuk-Yuk

    • 8:55am GMT - November 29th, 2007
    • 5

    The only story in a game that I really liked was the MGS series. Whoever writes the script for that should write it for the movie. Is it Hideo who writes it? I think he does part of it.

  6. royboy | bigfreezy1975

    • 10:05am GMT - November 29th, 2007
    • 6

    this should have been done years ago. but now it's a major option. oh well i welcome more story driven games anyhow....

  7. cowman285 | cowman285

    • 10:13am GMT - November 29th, 2007
    • 7

    all they will do is wait until they can get a higher paycheck from the movie studios but at least for a year maybe our games will have extremely good story lines

  8. Lozt_again | Lozt_again

    • 11:38am GMT - November 29th, 2007
    • 8

    Ken knew this would happen

  9. gingo | gingo

    • 12:03pm GMT - November 29th, 2007
    • 9

    psn id: gingo... one mans loss is another mans gain or in this case one industrys loss is another industrys gain this is excellent for the aming industry if the writers decide to try it

  10. Enacku | enacku

    • 12:58pm GMT - November 29th, 2007
    • 10

    Yeah thats what sony needs. To add union workers to their payroll, and deal with crap like this happening to them. Screw those writers, bunch of whiney babies.

  11. zbamf

    • 2:51pm GMT - November 29th, 2007
    • 11

    Let TV have its same old dramas and reality shows. The game industry will become the biggest out of all the entertainment industries. Well the games industry is raking in alot more than the box office is and I think its been bigger than the music business for some years now. TV is next.

    Writers and actors will find themselves doing more games than TV and films in the future.

  12. reccodog | reccodog

    • 3:27pm GMT - November 29th, 2007
    • 12

    yep!

     

  13. Uncool | Admodistrator

    • 4:26pm GMT - November 29th, 2007
    • 13

    Meh its a give or take on story telling whether they're from Hollywood or not. IMO the gaming industry dislikes poor story telling or rather recylced ones. Hollywood is more lenient so if the writers plan on doing something like that they will be in for a rude awakening.

  14. IIIKAGEIII | IIIKAGEIII

    • 11:37pm GMT - November 29th, 2007
    • 14

    woot the more great writers working on games the more great games win win. imagine what the lost writers could do for a game :D

  15. MatrixSixaxis

    • 5:26am GMT - November 30th, 2007
    • 15

    This may actually be useful for "mafia" type games! Or dramaz and CSI type genrez.

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