First, let’s get all the bad mojo out there on the table by saying something completely untrue. “Oh, that evil publisher doesn’t like gamers…” Several well-known authors I’ve met are either gamers themselves or their kids are. And by gamers, I mean everything from tabletop to video and card games. Also? Publishers aren’t evil. You may get frustrated by their decisions, but publishing a book — even if it’s potentially your book — is integral to their overall business. To imply that they’re evil means that a business is a biological entity with a soul. Yes, some businesses have been accused of being soul-less, but that’s actually a correct statement. A better description of a business would be to think of it as a large, gigantic clock. You only see the face that tells the time, but there are lots of moving parts. Each of those “parts” may have a soul, but together they act as a publisher who wants to produce books that other people will want to purchase and read – they certainly aren’t there to make a writer’s life miserable.

So now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s get back to the topic at hand. Why won’t your D&D game make a great novel?

Here’s a rhetorical question: have you heard this story before? It’s about an elf, a ranger, a dwarf and a mage…they wake up at this inn…they don’t have any memories…they face this really evil overlord guy who–

Yes. Yes, I’m sure you have. So has everyone else on the planet.

The first lesson here, is that those characters and that plot have been beaten to death so badly, they’ve become their own cliche.

The second lesson I’d like to offer, is that writing a story not the same as “writing up a game” as a story. When you “write up a game,” you are telling the story as it happened during play, because you believe your game is so exciting other people will want to read about it. However, these stories often turn into a dictation of events, which causes the story to sound forced and the characters to become inflexible. When you write a story, you have more freedom because you don’t have to stick to a specific series of events, partly because the writer hasn’t already experienced what had happened.

Third, I’d also like to point out that many new writers don’t realize that when you write a story about your D&D game, you are engaging in a form of writing called “fan fiction.” In other words, you don’t “own” the story that you’ve created and legally, you aren’t able to sell what you’ve written. (Be sure to read my post about the difference between shared world, tie-in and fan fiction if you’re confused).

Yes, there are people who write for DRAGONLANCE and other tie-in novels for established settings. They do have some challenges writing novels, because they are writing in a world that has already been created. This type of writing can be more difficult than writing original fiction, because there are often strict guidelines that the writers and editors have to follow. (If you’ve ever worked on tie-in or media fiction, it’s a lot like putting a puzzle together.) However, this form of writing isn’t the same as “writing up a game,” because the story isn’t about a “real life” game that’s being played, it’s about a story set in the world of D&D.

If you want to share the story about your favorite game, I recommend reviewing Wizards of the Coast’s Fan Site Policy. If you want to write media, shared world or tie-in fiction, that’s an entirely different path and I encourage you to read Wizard of the Coast’s book submission guidelines.

Regardless, if you’re serious about your love of gaming and honing your craft, I’d encourage you to take a more professional approach. Please, do yourself a favor and conduct a little bit of research before you start typing away. Writing a novel is not as easy as it looks, and you don’t want to get off on the wrong foot.

Related posts:

1. Game Fiction Day Two: How to Fit your Story to the Theme of the Game
2. Writing a Story Based on a Game? Day One: Who are You Writing For?
3. Writing Game Fiction Day Three: Plot your Plot

Halloween and White Wolf

As project manager for FlamesRising.com, every year we do something special for Halloween. Last year, we offered Halloween flash fiction from several authors including E.E. Knight, Matt Forbeck and Jess Hartley. This year, we decided to pitch a gaming-related idea to White Wolf Publishing. After some “tough” negotiations (*sarcastic*), I wrote and designed DEVIL’S NIGHT: a free Storytelling Adventure System Scene for the World of Darkness, which was released today. This type of release is “huge” for FlamesRising.com, because this is the first time we have partnered with a publisher to offer free gaming material on the site for fans. If you’re interested in reading more about the design process, check out this post entitled, “Devil’s Night: White Wolf, FlamesRising.com and your Free One-Scene.”

Today, Matt is going to be flying down to Atlanta for the International Camarilla Convention (ICC). This was a spur-of-the-moment trip that was made possible by White Wolf. With our trip to Las Vegas only a week away, we did some scrambling to ensure we had some great content for you on the site for Halloween. Special thanks to Jess Hartley who also pitched in this year. She wrote a great guest post entitled 13 Etiquette Tips for Halloween as part of her One Geek to Another series.

Upcoming Appearance at NeonCon in Las Vegas

Next week Thursday, I’ll be flying out to Las Vegas for NeonCon and…well…Vegas. I have been confirmed as a guest with Jess Hartley on the Women in Gaming panel. Even though I’m going to enjoy some time away from the computer, this will be a fun trip to reconnect with some of my friends in the industry.

Novel Revisions and Original Fiction

After I got back from GenCon, I had a panic moment. You see, I definitely want to continue writing for the gaming industry and pursue some media tie-in fiction opportunities, but I also want to leverage that with my original fiction. I have some breakthroughs on that front, and have gone back to start revising ARGENTUM. The novel isn’t coming along as well as I had hoped, and some last-minute projects have kind of taken over my brain. I know I need a vacation, which is why this trip to Vegas will be well-deserved.

Guest Posts on SFWA, Writing Groups and Crackle.com

I’ve started to expand my non-fiction guest blogging, so be sure to hop on over and read my guest posts by Monica Valentinelli on SFWA.org if you haven’t already. The folks over at SFWA.org are really doing some great things by keeping up on current events, so definitely bookmark the site and follow-up when you can. Also, I have a guest post going up on the Crackle.com site soon. I’m really excited about it, because it offered me the chance to get really detailed about a horror film, which is part of the reason why I started the Girls of Gore series on FlamesRising.com. If you enjoy that sort of detailed criticism, I recommend checking out some of Mary Robinette Kowal’s or Ken Hite’s non-fiction works.

In addition to guest blogging, I’ve been attending some local events for writers, too.

So That’s Life in Crazytown

So that’s what’s been going on in my neck of the woods. There’s a lot I can’t talk about, but let’s just say that I’m very excited about the next, few months for many reasons. First, “the day job” at my wonderful employer Musicnotes.com sheet music picks up as we head into the holiday season. It’s going to be frantic-but-fun as we ensure that we fulfill song requests for our customers and provide them with a great experience. Outside of work, I’m looking forward to the snow and cold weather. There are some long, wintry nights ahead and I’m definitely ready to sit in my writer’s cave and get some projects done.

The Favor I Need to Ask

Because I need to focus on paying gigs, I have to be more selective about my non-paying opportunities and time spent on social media. Please, please, please keep me updated with what you’re all up to. I enjoy reading about my fellow authors and game designers, and I hope that you have wonderful news to share as well.

Well, that’s it for me. Back to making brownies in the shape of ghosts and getting reading for another music-filled day. Take care!

Related posts:

1. Three Non-Fiction Releases about Gaming
2. Oh, the Writer’s Life for Me… With Beer? Negative Self-Talk?
3. What to Expect from Gaming and SciFi Conventions When You’re Speaking

What is the Potential Market?

First, let’s look at some numbers that will help put internet usage into perspective and see if they reveal anything about the “potential” market for publishers online.

Take into consideration that the saturation of internet users in the U.S. is 75%(1). Even if the internet usage stats (after some digging, I found were pulled from Nielsen online) are accurate, they don’t show what people are using the internet for. Are they looking at all of the 109,734,433 active domains on the web? (2). Probably not, since Nielsen states that the average time a visitor spends reading a web page is less than a minute. Alexa’s top-ranked websites only show us part of the story, because you’ll notice that search engines, blogs and social media sites comprise most of that top 25.

The point that I’m trying to make here, is that even though internet usage is rampant, visitors use the medium for different reasons and there are a lot of websites trying to grab their attention. Unlike a physical bookstore where you have so many chances to make an impression on a potential buyer, the web is flooded with information — including ads — that are vying for that visitor’s attention. As every bookseller knows, positioning is key. The same may be true for the web, but the question remains “where” that positioning will be the most relevant to get the greatest effect.

Why a Paradigm Shift Might Be Necessary

Working for both online-and-offline companies in both the public (government) and private sector, I can tell you that there is a definite difference between a company that focuses their efforts online vs. offline. Online companies move faster, keep up on daily (if not hourly) trends, and have to make quick decisions that they can then track through virtually instantaneous data streams. As I’m sure you’re aware, offline companies might be structured around seasonality or production timelines, which may be supported by their web presence. The pace in an offline business can be much slower than an online one, depending upon which market you’re in.

Although publishing may not continue in the same vein as it has been, I hope that they don’t place all of their emphasis into an online presence. We’re still in the “Wild, Wild West” of the internet, where specific legal rulings could dramatically impact accessibility and deliverability of content. I’m seeing many businesses pour everything into online marketing because it’s “free” (e.g. have a website), but I think this may yield disastrous results over the long-term. There are a number of factors in flux that may affect publishing, some of which also relate to other businesses as well.

a) Internet Law (copyright, piracy, social media rulings, net neutrality, etc.)
b) Production Schedule (Time to Market)
c) Offline “Support” (bookstores, schools, libraries)
d) Technology (online and offline)
e) Pricing (free vs. paid)
f) Content Saturation and Distribution

Hopefully, publishers will continue experimenting while keeping an eye on the bigger picture. (Tor and Harper Collins are two examples of publishers who are dipping their toe into the space.) Book publishers have a unique challenge, because their product (e.g. “books”) can be offered in multiple mediums. This may be good news for the longer-term, because a product that can be adapted either physically or electronically is a product that has the potential for great accessibility.

What’s to come? The future is anyone’s guess, which is why I highly recommend that authors stay on top of these changes. Either way, it’s pretty exciting stuff!

Related posts:

1. How the Publishing Industry is Evolving
2. Your Writer’s Manifesto, Ethics and Your Future
3. Looking for Publishing Advice? Why Offline May be Better.

But what about games?

Writing games based on a particular genre is a bit trickier because the people playing the game have the ability to create their own mood based on the product you are creating. Unlike fiction where the environment is more controlled, a game’s environment can’t be controlled. Or can it?

The biggest challenge in creating a genre-based game is this: every piece of writing in the game needs to have a purpose, a specific function that speaks to what you (as a game designer) want the game to be all about.

Let’s look at a few, different scenarios. Say you’re designing a fantasy game. In this fantasy world of Lis, you have four races of beings, entire continents to describe, a magic system — and we haven’t gotten into the history part yet. Now, you and your staff have decided that the investigative feel for this game is loosely inspired by The Labyrinth, where the players believe the world to be one way, but as they go they realize that things aren’t always what they seem.

So now what? You have this larger-than-life setting that the players may (or may not) know about. Ideally, your players are only able to “glimpse” the truth, because as they play they find out more through discovery.

I’d like to stop here, because it’s important for me to explain what this means. By setting a feel for your game, you are designing–not dictating–how you want the product to be created, marketed and subsequently played.

Good examples of games that successfully merge setting with a genre feel for a specific goal are: 3:16 by Gregor Hutton, Orpheus by White Wolf, Low Life: a Savage Worlds Supplement by Andy Hopp, Little Fears by Jason Blair, Trail of Cthulhu by Pelgrane Press and Don’t Rest Your Head by Evil Hat Productions. The commonality with all of these games, is that the setting is infused into the game writing to contribute to or enhance its genre. In Low Life, for example, every section of the game was written with an intent and a purpose that draws both the player and the GM into the surreal world.

Let’s get back to the world of Lis for a moment. As a writer, I “could” throw a bunch of chapters with setting into the game, write some mechanics and call it a day. Yes, it would be a game — but it wouldn’t have that investigative feel to it because the setting has been separated from the players. It’s not tangible, it’s not approachable. It might be a list of dates for the players to memorize or chapters for them to read through before character creation even begins. But it’s not going to be “investigative” unless the game design is intentionally geared toward that end.

Instead of throwing up a bunch of setting chapters, you’ll often see chapters written from a character’s point-of-view like in Battlestar Galactica by Margaret Weiss Productions as a writing technique for blending setting with genre. The world of Lis might benefit from that — but what if the entire game was written from the point-of-view of the “bad” guy, trying to convince the players that everything was right with the world by picking and choosing what he relayed to them? The GM’s chapter could engage the group’s imagination, by never spelling out “what” the truth is (which is common in a lot of great mysteries). Right then and there, players might question this world they are being thrown into before they even stat up their character.

Regardless, genre does heavily impact any game’s design simply because I believe that the content has to relay that feel without overloading the reader with facts. Just like an action movie might get bogged down by a slow pace or too many characters, once you determine a game’s focus everything — from the NPCs to the artwork and the style of the writing — should contribute to that particular mood or feel.

For a gut check, I suggest giving your game to someone who doesn’t normally play games, and ask them to read it. If you’re going for a fun, fast-paced superhero game and they’re bored to tears? Chances are, you might want to consider going back to square one.

Related posts:

1. System vs. Setting in Game Design
2. The Difference between Game Design and Writing Games is…
3. About Me: On Game Design

I often laugh at old fifties advertisements showing a submissive wife waiting hand-and-foot on her husband. If you’re writing fiction or a story about that particular time period, however, those gender roles were part-and-parcel to what the society is about—much like “hippies” were part of the 60s, “disco” defines the 70s, and “over-consumption” spelled out the 80s.

Unconsciously, we deal with gender treatment all the time in today’s society; when we see a female action hero and comment on her costume, when we read about bisexual, gay or cross-gender relationships in the news, when we form opinions about gender treatment based on what’s happening in another country.

In writing, our own ideas and conceptions about gender treatment may color our projects and speak to our values. This isn’t a “good” or a “bad” thing, but it does have consequences that may range from alienating sections of a market to offending a particular group. Some of these reactions are unavoidable, but they are a result of how we approach gender even before we write words on a page.

If you’re ever been involved with marketing, gender treatment is part-and-parcel to market research. Take, for example, “paranormal romance” where the main, female character falls in love with a vampire or a werewolf. In romance, writers shoot for a different kind of fantasy than a dragon-filled world; in paranormal romance, it is a mixture of both, but the main focus is on the relationship of the characters. When love and sex are the selling points for the book, often the cover art will be shaped with that particular market in mind.

In this genre, writers aren’t going to write about unattractive characters or avoid certain tropes, because marketing caters toward the stereotypes, but the same isn’t necessary true of other industries.

For games, for example, there is a big problem with gender stereotypes, because according to “old” popular beliefs, girls don’t game and if they do? They’re fat and unpopular and useless. In gaming text, if the text continually is catered only toward male references and stereotypes of girl gamers, it can actually hurt the product’s efficacy because it’s ignoring a blatant truth. So-called “girl-unfriendly” products may perpetuate the stereotypes because the products are selling, but they could sell a lot better if they focused on gender treatment that leaned toward more realistic characters. Sexual orientation is also something that directly effects the definition of “gender,” and can add a layer of confusion to the mix. When is it appropriate to include a gay character, for example?

Regardless of your personal beliefs, gender treatment is a subject that can be very touchy for almost anyone. As a writer it’s something that affects your prose; as an editor it will be something you’ll have to determine up front through style sheets either with your marketing department or with your product developers.

If you’re looking for a single solution to resolving appropriate gender treatment–there obviously isn’t one. In this case, you’ll want to ensure that you understand this dimension of your target market, and compare notes with your editor or publisher to ensure that you’re representing the company appropriately.

Related posts:

1. Guest Post: Gender Portrayals and Genres at Apex Book Company
2. Emotional Connection and Writing
3. Feminism in Sci Fi, Fantasy and Horror?

In 1969, Jericho Usher disappeared without a trace, never explaining the otherworldly nature of the annex. Jericho Usher spent his lifetime investigating anomalous phenomena, and it was his intention that others take up his work once he was gone. To facilitate this, Jericho left behind very detailed instructions for assembling a society of investigators. Terrance honored his friend’s intent, overseeing the creation of the Seven Dogs Society, recruiting those who fit the exacting instructions left behind by Jericho Usher.

You may remember that I had written a series of posts about writing game fiction; this post focuses on a behind-the-scenes look at my novella.

Design Notes

One of the advantages to writing fiction for the Aletheia setting, is that I had written for the game. Since I was already familiar with the role of the characters, it was a lot easier to imagine what kind of a story I was going to write. Instead of writing an action/adventure tale, I chose to write a story that alluded to the game’s metaplot.

If you enjoy playing RPG-style games, whether they are part of an MMO, video game or tabletop RPG, you probably latch onto those points in the story that change and shift what you know about your character. This novella was written in much the same way, but in a very low-key, almost subtle fashion because I didn’t want to “ruin” the entire metaplot for anyone who was interested in playing Aletheia. For me, it’s not a lot of fun if I play through an RPG when I know what’s going to happen.

In addition to including metaplot, I made a conscious decision to pick a “character power” that may not be the most popular. Characters, in the game, have psychic powers that help them through their investigative activities. I chose to write about “Presque Vu,” which is the ability to see the “Grand Design.” You know why things have to happen the way they do–and even if you don’t right now, you soon will. Presque Vu is not a straightforward power, however, because there is a lot open to interpretation. Depending upon your religious or philosophical point-of-view, you may believe that the Grand Design is actually the work of a petulant god or goddess, a series of mathematical interpretations, or part of God’s Will.

That’s where the idea for the twin brothers came in. Ralph and Edgar have similar-yet-opposing views that influence their ability. Ralph was named after Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Edgar was named after Edgar Allen Poe. Why? Well, both authors experienced personal tragedies, but both emerged from their experiences differently–one developed the concept of the “universal all” and the other…well…quote the Raven, “Nevermore.”

The novella is split between their two point-of-views, because I couldn’t realistically have one of the brothers tell the entire story and influence the metaplot at the same time. In order for a certain event to happen, I needed the readers to see both sides of the twins.

Is this your typical gaming fiction? Yes and no. I created characters, wrote with the metaplot in mind, and utilized elements within the game’s setting to tell a story. In this tale, the setting and the metaplot drove the story and the individual weirdness or investigations were designed to complement what was really going on. This isn’t a smash-and-grab type of a story, nor it is an investigative-find-the-villain plot. Simply, I wrote this story with Aletheia in mind, because the metaplot is what separates this game from other supernatural/scifi RPGs. Always with the reader (and gamer) in mind, I wholeheartedly admit I didn’t write in “everything” about the metaplot. I’d need a whole novel to be able to do that.

The other reason I had for writing the novella this way, was based on what the other writers were doing. Matt’s tale will be an introduction to the world, a slice of what the game can be. Jim’s story will take you a little deeper, so by the time you get to mine–you may find yourself even more curious about the game of Aletheia.

Related posts:

1. Post-GenCon Sale! Tales of the Seven Dogs Society Fiction
2. Novella Update: Into the Home Stretch
3. Writing a Story Based on a Game? Day One: Who are You Writing For?

Diana Jones Award

I had the pleasure of sponsoring this event through Flames Rising last year and was on hand to take pictures and throw in support.

Attracting international attendees, there are folk from Scotland, Ireland, Germany, France, the UK and as far away as Australia have come to Indianapolis for this convention opener. The Awards commemorate the “excellence in gaming” and while for many folk that might mean “excellence in design” — the Diana Jones awards has a different take on it.

The Diana Jones Award is designed to reward any combination of achievement, innovation, and anything that has benefited or advanced the hobby and industry as a whole; or which has had the greatest positive effect on games and gaming; or which, in the opinion of the judging committee, shows or exemplifies gaming at its best. –Source: About the Diana Jones Awards

To people within the industry, the Diana Jones awards gives us the ability to nominate and support those kind folk who “do good.” The 2006 winner were the Irish Game Convention Charity Auctions led by Brian Nesbit (pictured at right).

Ireland has a vigorous hobby-gaming community and a strong tradition of local conventions. These often climax with a charity auction that raises astonishing amounts of money for good causes, particularly given the size of the conventions. In 2005 Gaelcon’s auction made €31,000 (US$40,000)—that’s US$80 per attendee—and the smaller Warpcon raised €12,000 (US$15,000), making its parent society the biggest charity fundraiser at University College Cork. This extraordinary spirit of generosity not only helps the needy but also publicizes gaming to the wider community in a very positive way, making it less obscure and more approachable, which may explain why the Irish games scene is so full of life.–Source: 2006 Diana Jones Award Winner

This year’s 2008 nominees include one gaming organization that might look familiar to you. The group “Child’s Play” I had mentioned in my post about gaming charities has been nominated this year, and I can’t wait to see if they win. The Diana Jones awards are usually held in our favorite watering hole the night before GenCon and are typically hosted by the infamous-yet-humble Matt Forbeck.

The ENnie Awards

On Friday night, after the GenCon convention hall closes, many of us in the industry venture off to a ballroom to attend the ENnie awards. More of a formal awards ceremony replete with speakers and presenters, the ENnie awards mean a lot to the publishers because they encourage fan involvement.

With award categories recognizing the components that make a game great to the types of products fans have come to love, categories for fan-based websites and much more, the ENnies are the best way for fans to acknowledge outstanding effort from and to say “thank you” to the publishers, designers and artists who make this hobby great. Source: ENnie awards Home Page

This year, to our great surprise, Flames Rising was included in the 2008 ENnie award nominees for best “fan product” which, in this case, is our horror fanzine. Last year Flames Rising earned an Honorable Mention nod and this year we’ve only made it as far as we’ve gone because we’ve had a lot of help from reviewers, our web designer and programmer and our fans.

Voting hasn’t opened quite yet, but when it does fans can vote for their favorite publisher, product, and more! In my mind, this award is pretty interesting because it blends both worlds — both the industry-facing publisher side and the fans, who keep the hobby and the spirit of our gaming community going. The awards ceremony is funded by two auctions: a silent auction and a “dream date” auction where fans can get a seat at their favorite publisher’s table for the awards ceremony. Eight years and it’s still going strong!

Related posts:

1. Buried Tales of Pinebox, Texas is up for an ENnie Award
2. Who I’ll be Hanging Out With at GenCon: Indy
3. Like the Dark? Meet me for a Dream Date in Indy and get Swag

(1) Got an Idea for a Game? Great. Then What?
There are dozens if not hundreds of people out there who have a natural ability to design games. Game design is a multi-disciplinary function that may blend psychology, group dynamics, mathematics, strategy, engineering and creativity. There are many folk who run circles around me in game design, but there are just as many that don’t understand what that critical next step is and how it relates to running a business.

(2) Working in the Gaming Industry is Often a Labor of Love
There’s a common phrase that I hear all the time, “If you want to make money in the gaming industry, stay out of it.” Because the people behind-the-scenes are in this industry for different reasons, there are multitudes of levels of professionalism and business conduct. It is not uncommon for a person not to get paid–even when a contract is in place. Communication can either be sparse or excessive, which may create challenges with how much time it takes to complete a project. Yet, people keep coming back year after year because they love what they do.

(3) Everyone Wants to be a Star
Because there is so much passion and creativity involved within gaming, there is a certain amount of recognition that is passed around between members of the industry through awards, kudos, and encouragement. This type of positive energy has been a great focal point for people because of their dedication to what they love to do. Fans, gamers, and supportive folk often come out in droves in defense of their favorite game or company. As a freelancer, this is great to see because it shows just how much fun people are getting out of what they enjoy so much.

(4) The Flip Side to Love is…
For any process, product or person, there are others who either love or hate it. It’s pretty easy to visualize this idea on a bell curve graph; never aim for the fans or the critics but the people that are somewhere in between. Within the gaming industry, though, it’s critical to get people talking about your game in order to generate interest to sell copies. Sometimes that works, and sometimes that doesn’t. When it doesn’t, the effects can be devastating because gamers can be pretty outspoken and opinionated. Companies deal with this differently, but once the floodgates open, it can be hard to recover from negative press, just like any other company. Within gaming, though, word spreads like wildfire because fans truly are a powerful community.

(5) Drama versus No Drama. Take Your Pick
Whether you’re behind-the-scenes or on the front lines, there is drama and sometimes, there is lots of it as everyone tries to tap into the gaming community. In my opinion, most of the drama boils down to either selling product or getting recognition for the product you created. All too often enough, creativity can foster healthy and unreasonable types of competition to that end, which can blindside and isolate folk from the greater community. When that happens, drama can often cause otherwise really professional people to do really dumb things.

So there you have it, my five take-a-ways from five years in this industry. It’s had its ups and downs. Often people ask me why I’m in it, wondering whether or not I’m not working exclusively in the craft. It’s not that easy to find a well-paying, stable job in the gaming industry and for the few jobs that are out there, competition is extremely fierce. I’ve met several cool people in my time in the industry, have had a lot of great moments, and get to write. For me, this is a hobby–not a full-time job–but I enjoy it when I can.

Related posts:

1. When Fan Awards Make a Difference: Diana Jones and ENnie Awards for Gaming
2. What to Expect from Gaming and SciFi Conventions When You’re Speaking
3. Gaming Fiction Day Four: Inferred Plot and Metaplot

For those of you who are familiar with research methods, you will notice that some of the steps are out of order. For my own work and curiosity, it has become necessary to formulate my hypothesis after I read my source material to reduce personal slant and remain objective.

Research Exercise: Avoiding a Common Trope in Your Setting

Step One: Identify your Intent

Create a dark-skinned race of characters that do not adhere to the common fantasy trope: all dark-skinned characters are primitive, barbaric, or villainous.

Step Two: Recognize Potential Sources of the Belief or Trope

Specific to fantasy there might be: Dungeons and Dragons, Tolkien’s the Lord of the Rings, or Conan the Barbarian. In this area, I would also recognize the need to read history or other nonfiction source material.

Step Three: Investigate a Major Influence for the Belief or Trope

Tolkien is often considered the father of fantasy and, in fact, heavily influenced early Dungeons and Dragons.

Step Four: Create a List of Author Influences

In this bucket, I sometimes either write down or note a variety of things about the author. For example: When was the book written? Where did the author hail from? How did the author create the trope or belief? Was the trope intentional? Did the writer have any prevalent or outspoken beliefs?

Step Five: Formulate your Opinion

Here is where you, the author, come into play. In this really basic example, you’ve done your homework to pinpoint what you believe is the reason why this trope was created and where it came from. Knowing those two things can really help you engineer other ways to avoid the trope or realistically portray a belief.

Step Six: Read Others’ Opinions

When appropriate, it might be a good idea to read other people’s opinions when appropriate. Literary criticism might be a great resource in this example or even commentaries from other writers. This step ends up becoming more important if you’re researching the origin of Halloween, for example, or myths and legends that cross time, cultures or countries.

Step Seven: Return to Your Original Goal

As the last step in the process, I recommend circling back to your goal and writing one paragraph to complete your thoughts. Sometimes, the act of writing down how you’d like to infuse your story with that different perspective can make all the difference.

What process do you use to marry research elements with your work? How do you manage collective thoughts and creativity into your projects? If you have other methods you use, feel free to share! Happy scribing!

Related posts:

1. The Myths And Realities Of Writing For The Screen and Stage
2. How the Media You Surround Yourself With May Affect Your Writing
3. Feminism in Sci Fi, Fantasy and Horror?

Game Design

When someone designs a game, they are planning out a mechanical system of rules that addresses the player, the environment the game takes place in, and the way that the player interacts with other players and that environment. Take UNO for example:

Player The holder of a set of cards
Environment The way the deck is laid out or: discard pile vs “play” pile
Player Interaction Player plays off of the cards in the environment and interacts with other players through a turn.

Okay, so that’s pretty easy to see where the design comes in because there’s this concept of adding and factoring in mathematical chance and…but wait? Does that mean that every game is designed based on math? In my opinion, great game design is based on a combination of math and logic (as in propositional logic) to keep players focused on that game. Let’s take a look at another less obvious game called the Kingdom of Loathing.

Player Paris the Fat, a pastamancer (Yes, that was actually my character name.)
Environment Kingdom of Loathing
Player Interaction Play is turn-based, where you interact with the environment and the environment mechanically responds based on different actions you take. Player may interact with other players by joining a “group” which offers a *stat benefit.*

Now, with games like these you can see where the design takes a different turn. The focus is on how the player interacts with the environment around her in order to follow the “rules.” This is where it gets confusing. In order to have rules for setting-rich environments, you have to describe those rules. Enter the writing aspect.

Writing Games

Sometimes, people who write games and people who design games are the same people, er…person. (You get what I mean.) When someone writes a game, they are either describing the environment for the player to play in, the type of character the player might play, or the rules. If the rules are established (like they are at larger companies) then it’s the writer’s job to translate those rules into a marketable, attractive setting. The game designer knows what kind of game they want because when done right, the rules are integral to the setting. The Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic classic is a good example of this because within that game, a writer had to come up with dialog that would influence his (or her) Force rating. The way that a player chose to respond affected his character’s mechanics in game either for better or for worse. Here it takes a great amount of skill to come up with dialog that reflects subtleties of meaning — either positive, neutral, or negative — and not every game designer has that skill. Unfortunately, not every writer can design games either. Within the industry, rules can often get outdated as designers often try to remain current with different styles of play.

Besides dialog in video games, tabletop games often run the gamut of writing skills requiring technical, fiction, and nonfiction styles in order to put all the pieces together. The skills that game “writers” require are often different, because if a game designer is building the foundation or the structure of the game, the writing fills in the bricks, furniture, windows, and other elements necessary to what the game is supposed to be about. Game writers will often familiarize themselves with a game’s rules and setting in order to successfully contribute to a project; game designers will often do the same thing, but from their perspective. Sometimes, a game writer will be able to flesh out the setting like I typically do; other times, creative teams that include artists and other folk will map a game’s scenes out through storyboards while the game is being developed.

Hope that helps clear up the difference between the two. Keep in mind that the roles people have within the gaming industry varies depending upon the size of the company. This is true for any business, but especially true in this energetic, creative field. Happy gaming!

Related posts:

1. How Genre Affects Game Design
2. About Me: On Game Design
3. Celebrate Game Design with the Blog Carnival for Game Designers!