[News] Writer's Guild of America announces nominations for new "Best Video Game Story" award

Originally Posted by Rotorblade

The logic seems kind of twisted there to me, Nall. What games would make for great stories? Especially when we build setting and characters and what not around the games?

Well, I imagine a game like God of War or some other heavily character-based game could win. Alternatively, as someone mentioned above, a Phoenix Wright game would be equally good for the quality of it's dialog.

And I imagine the WGA is trying to unionize the video game writers so that they'll gain even more power in a steadily growing field of entertainment.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Rotor, do you think a game like Phoenix Wright is completely dependent upon the quality of its writing? Stop being such a whiny bitch about just story and think about all the ways writing can be important. I mean, the story of History of the World Part I is ridiculous, but it's the quality of the writing that makes it a classic movie.

Also, would your panties in as big of a bunch of there was some sort of award given by some ridiculous group of movie CG people for best graphics in a game?

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Originally Posted by Rotorblade

I think writing is a big part for visual novels, yes. Exception, not the rule.

How did we make the jump to comic books here?

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Conversely, how about you list all the ways writing could be important to games? Universally to all types of games. Because I can't really think of too many and that seems to be the issue at hand here, I don't have a problem with accolades, but it's already been pointed out that this all seems pretty opportunistic. I mean, great point about movies... but different medium, chief. I realize that "writing" and "story" can be separate, especially given how most people love the plot of Final Fantasy VI but I would also realize that it isn't exactly Shakespeare.

Writing isn't important to all types of games. In the same way that special effects aren't important to all kinds of movies. That doesn't mean it isn't an integral part of the industry or something people should write off as ancillary to the experience.

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But that's why I was wondering what the criteria was. Again, the award says "Best Video Game Story" by the Writer's Guild of America. How else am I suppose to infer it, especially when I've admitted I don't quite know everything about what they're going off of.

If you hit the actual WGA webpage you'd see it's titled "VIDEOGAME WRITING NOMINEES" under the category of "PROMOTION WRITING AND GRAPHIC ART NOMINEES."

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Well, considering the only one who seems upset here is, well, you... I don't think I really have any grounds to answer. I'm wondering how writing helps games universally, the awards themselves?

What do you mean by universally? As in, video games as a form of mass media competing against books, movies, and tv? Or is it meant as how does good writing help each individual game stand out against each other within the context of video gaming?

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You're telling me Skills didn't quite spell out to you what was fishy about this?

http://www.gamingforce.org/forums/vi...tml#post568401

Guess I must have missed it where I mentioned it two posts before him.

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If anything, the idea that "Game Writing" is special and different from any other kind of writing is pretty stupid to me. But... hey, whatever.

Well, it is different. Just as the way writing in every different medium is different. I mean, I wouldn't expect a poet to be a top notch sit-com writer, so why shouldn't game writers be seen as their own sub-niche category of authors? They need to be able to get their message across in far less space than they'd ever have in a novel, movie, or tv show. Sadly most of the writing in video games is on the level of poor fanfiction (and the inability of Japanese to use any sort of symbolism or subtlety) hurts the overall experience for a lot of games out there.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

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At the time the script is submitted, the credited writer(s) of the game must be, or apply to become, a member of the WGA's New Media Caucus.

Yeah, I imagine this was one of the larger issues for people as well.

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