Here it is! My how-to-write-games-good-and-do-other-stuff-good-too thread where I answer your questions.

caveats: this is based on my experience; it isn't exhaustive; different writers have different methods/opinions; blablahblah OKAY LET'S GO
Depends when I’m brought onto a project. If I’m in early production or pre-pro, I’m expected to help outline the story (from NUTHIN), start to finish. If I’m brought in mid- or late production, my job is to add to, improve, or fix what’s already there.
 https://twitter.com/abitmeddlesome/status/1357723924902129664?s=20
This is the hardest thing omg; ideas feel so much safer in my brain.
ANYWHO, when I have an idea, I quickly sketch out the beats in my head. Then I turn those beats into a scene. Then keep building, add more scenes, and voila: a story! https://twitter.com/invader_lucky/status/1357758221847560197?s=20
Pt 1: Create characters who are interesting people! Give them nuance, flaws, traits. Don’t worry about whether they’re “likable.” The bigger question: is this character consistent? Arcing? Are they fulfilling their purpose in the story? https://twitter.com/viragoergosum/status/1357723105523687427?s=20
Pt 2: Character arcs = super hard! Best practices:
1. Gate content (AKA you can’t complete mission B til you’ve done mission A)
2. Don’t tie the Player-Character’s arc to optional content UNLESS you've planned for that with *conditional states* https://twitter.com/viragoergosum/status/1357723105523687427?s=20
*For clarity, a conditional state is something like this:

Player has choice to PICK UP or DROP a flashlight.

Next scene: the player-character (PC) enters a dark room. IF player has flashlight, PC clicks it on; IF player dropped it, PC complains about how dark it is.
We’re an interactive medium; actions the player performs are ALWAYS more memorable than the words they listen to.

In a situation like this, I'd want to brainstorm with design: what story are the mechanics already telling that we can build on? https://twitter.com/lucid_coder/status/1357736841496178689?s=20
If it's the other way - the story is great but the mechanics are blah - I have less power to help.
Either way, getting design and story to feed into and build on each other is one of the most challenging/rewarding parts of our job :)
Oo. I love bouncing ideas off other writers and building on existing stories, so that was easy. Harder: learning to discard my favorite ideas if they didn’t mesh with the bigger story, & making our different senses of humor/drama/romance work together.
 https://twitter.com/ChessRobot/status/1357728577165221889?s=20
It already exists! So far the hangup is: computers can learn to follow a set of rules (like “Save the Cat”), but they can’t learn to tell a natural story. Which is why you shouldn’t marry yourself to story beat guides :) 


https://twitter.com/ajstichter/status/1357736624482844672?s=20

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2016/01/21/a-computer-program-is-writing-new-friends-episodes-are-they-any-good/
Pt 1: Create a theme that is a question, or a THING V. THING, then keep offering that choice to the player. If it's survival v. self-sacrifice, for example, offer this choice multiple times (low stakes to high stakes as the story progresses), and... https://twitter.com/Deenarrhea/status/1357764598925914112?s=20
Pt 2: Let players build an arc for themselves! Create dramatic situations/characters that push & pull players. A player who chose "survival" the whole time might, in the final hour, choose self-sacrifice. Let them! That's cool! :) https://twitter.com/Deenarrhea/status/1357764598925914112?s=20
(Or a player might never arc and choose exactly what they did in the beginning... and that's also cool! Players love to build their own stories like this)
Basically, yup, though we’re more limited than, say, a CYOA book (because of scope/cost). We create “conditions” and “triggers” throughout the game: if player chose NICE, then show NICE responses; if player chose MEAN, show MEAN responses. And so on. https://twitter.com/BridgetLaMonica/status/1357721837531254789?s=20
This is why writers need to be, like, real nice/appreciative to core, gameplay, design, anim, and... well basically ALL of the teams. Because for our stories to work, evvvverybody's gonna have to get involved :)
We look for people with excellent writing samples, interest in interactivity, and a collaborative mindset (because there are 100s of people baking this pie). Work on projects that show off your writing, put em in your portfolio, and apply! https://twitter.com/Gannon46/status/1357727312398213120?s=20
Oh yes. Usually I do it by character. Gimme them moody beats for them moody folks, and away I go :) https://twitter.com/MomSpidey/status/1357725127463604228?s=20
When I’m sketching story beats, I usually write em down on a legal pad - including big choices/branches! Building to and paying off choices are in that outline. I write scenes in Final Draft or Excel with lots of action lines that read IF THIS, THEN THIS https://twitter.com/MiriBaker/status/1357722011032838146?s=20
It’s important not to think of them as separate things: mechanics + story = game. Ex: GOW 2018 gave you a button-press for Atreus's arrows & took it away when he was gone, capturing the feeling of missing him.

I prefer branching, but I like em both :) https://twitter.com/BlytheKala93/status/1357723132602118144?s=20
Make sure to give the character traits *other* than those caused by the trauma. What are some low-rent details you can add (favorite food, color, time of day, etc), or even bigger outlooks on life, that they retained pre- and post-trauma event? https://twitter.com/huntera62/status/1357727245943644166?s=20
Do what works best for you (though US college prices should factor into your decision). I didn’t get very far trying to teach myself, so I went to grad school while contract writing on my first game. Other people do perfectly well teaching themselves. https://twitter.com/armdav32/status/1357726332361261056?s=20
Include scenes from different genres, moods, tones. (Action? Thriller? Romance? Hell yeah). Screenplay format is great. Make sure your action lines and scene ins/outs talk about gameplay. Twine or another hypertext format is also really great to link to! https://twitter.com/florencesn/status/1357724210173476879?s=20
Unfortunately I don’t have any firsthand experience on this, however I’d say you don’t need a team to make a game. If you write a Twine game with beautiful dialogue/choices/scene work, I’d still want to hire you.
 https://twitter.com/LowBudgetJlo/status/1357729671186677767?s=20
Themes align your team & tell everyone what the game is about. The way an env. artist expresses it will be different than how dialogue does.

BUT, be open to shifting your theme as you build the game. This is how you avoid a story that feels formulaic. https://twitter.com/_GilesArmstrong/status/1357721727112015875?s=20
As far as emotional takeaways - character character character. Those are usually found in the script and not before, because characters are awesome (and players love them! Or love to hate em! Whatever!)
Pt 1: Screenplay format, but make sure your action lines and scene ins/outs talk about gameplay & interactivity. https://twitter.com/Notoriously_BIG/status/1357722959654354944?s=20
Pt 2: Look at an existing level in a game and actions the player could take. Practice writing reactive lines (barks), like:
-if player falls off cliff, 6 enemy reaction lines
-if player nearly falls but doesn't, 6 enemy reaction lines
... and so on https://twitter.com/Notoriously_BIG/status/1357722959654354944?s=20
Thinking interactively! It's one thing to write a scene that a reader/viewer will passively absorb; it's another to think of a level/scene holistically. What are they doing? How is the story expressed through, and responding to, player action? https://twitter.com/Sarah_J_Jack/status/1357809601622769664?s=20
That's all the questions I've gotten so far, so I'm just chillin' until someone asks me something else. Then I'll probably stop adding to this thread after... oh, I dunno, today... lest I get trapped in a Twitter loop forever
And voila!
I'd say: design and writing should work together on beats/pacing/progression in their levels. Both should be worried about the other's discipline & try to help one another, & respect one another's expertise while tackling problems. https://twitter.com/BlaiseGamedev/status/1357823102516944898?s=20
Barks need to respond to player input but be vague enough that you can hear them multiple times, from multiple characters, and not think it's weird. Ex:

"He's shooting, get down!" = good
versus
"Oh my God! Brian, my son, get down!" = bad https://twitter.com/Mike_at_Arms/status/1357814151817486338?s=20
Yes! I linked them here. :) Also recommend "On Writing" by Stephen King and Aristotle's Poetics

https://twitter.com/StoryEverPod/status/1357826527942033412?s=20

https://www.marykgames.com/breaking-in 
Pt 1: That's okay! :) The parts of the story where you don't have to explain *what* is happening are when you get to explore *why it matters to your characters.*

The best "night before the battle"-esque scenes get into juicy character/reflection beats :) https://twitter.com/Liv__58/status/1357833719894130690?s=20
Pt 2: Take this scene, for example. It reminds us of stakes/plot, but that's not what it's really about. It's about the two characters & their relationship (bad), shared history (bad), and differences (compassionate v. vindictive)

https://twitter.com/Liv__58/status/1357833719894130690?s=20

That's okay! Questions fuelllll meee (and my threads)

I'd say: write it down, try it out! Once you've got a draft, shove it in a drawer for a bit. Then be *brutal* with your self-edits. If the multiple tenses don't work, make your POV changes. https://twitter.com/Liv__58/status/1357836458934083586?s=20
It depends where you're applying. For a game with a lot of text, having prose in your portfolio is perfect. If you want to work on a AAA action game, dialogue > prose.
If you have both in your portfolio (in bite-size samples, 3-5 pgs apiece), you're gold https://twitter.com/sophilestweets/status/1357837274621366272?s=20
You can follow @maryknews.
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