Good Games Writing

"Don't be a dick." That simple notion is the first of Victor Lucas' 3D rules. The others? Don't dick around and don't hang out with dicks. Some would lead you to believe the games press is filled with dicks. It's not. With this in mind, I seek out the best games writing - from news to interviews to reviews and beyond - and highlight it here.

[goodgameswriting-blog]

#PitchJam reminder

Howdy all!

You're invited to #PitchJam & #CritJam -- our week-long celebration of games writing -- starting July 16th.

To date, more than 150 writers have signed on to be a part of our celebration and that number exceeds the total of our last event. With less than a week to go, we expect that number to continue to climb. Will you join our celebration dedicated to improving your writing skills, your pitching acumen, and help you network?

Oh, and you have to RSVP if you want to participate.

Pitch Jam

Pitch Jam is your chance to have a pitch -- for a written piece, comic, or video series -- critiqued by the pros. The pros, currently, are (in no particular order):

Greg Tito - The Escapist

Carli Velocci - freelance

Russ Pitts - the Indiana Jones of games writing

Steve Watts - Shacknews

Richard Moss - freelance

Alan Williamson - Five Out of Ten

Susan Arendt - Joystiq

Pitch Jam will take place over the course of three days, and every pitch we receive will get feedback assuming the following three conditions are met:

a) You've RSVP'd. Do that here.

b) The pitch is approved by our frontline staff member. That is to say...you're showing respect and pitching in a professional manner.

c) Your pitch has been received within the 72 hour period starting the 16th and going through the 18th. Pitches WILL NOT be accepted after the cutoff.

NOTE: You retain all ownership of your pitches. Pitches received through this event are not solicitations of our expert panel, and our panel cannot solicit you through this event. However, please be advised that your ideas, while original, may have been pitched before and similar ideas may or may not be published by others on paid outlets after the conclusion of this event.

Crit Jam

Immediately following Pitch Jam will be Crit Jam.

Crit Jam consists of two aspects. The first will be a chance to show off any piece of criticism you've published within the last three calendar months to our expert panel OR an unpublished piece. You'll receive detailed feedback on your criticism providing it is received during the weekend.

The second dimension of Crit Jam is the writing contest. We'll provide the broad strokes -- a theme if you will -- and challenge you to write some type of criticism during the Jam. The point is to just write. We'll also, y'know, have prizes and such too, so look out for it.

Currently, folks such as Daniel Starkey, Nick Capozzoli, Eric Swain, and Scott Nichols have confirmed their participation focusing on your criticism. This list, like the above list of panelists, will continue to grow.

Did we mention you need to RSVP?

Other

Supplementary materials will be provided during the event as well.

We'll have chats with our expert panels, writing resources, and so forth. We hope you'll find enjoyment in the materials we provide. However, you're welcome to request things (ie. pitching etiquette) by tweeting us @GoodWritingVG through this weekend.

You can back-channel with us by using the #PitchJam and #CritJam hashtags on Twitter. We'll respond. Last time we received more than 1000 tweets about our event.

We're still looking to add to our panel as we face increasing numbers of participants during our week-long celebration. If you've relevant experience in criticism or pitching please consider serving as a panelist. You'll be loved by us forever. You can find out what that entails by tweeting us @goodwritingvg.

Finally, this is super important, you MUST RSVP. No RSVP, no expert help. That simple. We'll say it each and every day leading up until the event.

RSVPing closes at 23:59:59 MTN on July 15, 2014.

RSVP here, and do it ASAP.

[goodgameswriting-blog]

#PitchJam 2

Howdy all, I'm pleased to announce we've booked July 16, 17, and 18th for Pitch Jam 2.0! Yes, it's exciting times indeed. #PitchJam is an event where freelance writers looking to test the waters with their pitching skills submit a pitch to our panel of experts (editors, freelancers, etc.) who will critique it for them. It's a guaranteed response, assuming you get your pitch in on time. Last #PitchJam, we critiqued 123 pitches and we expect to receive even more pitches next time around. Because of that, you MUST RSVP to this #PitchJam in advance so we have an idea of numbers. Remember, as long as you submit your pitch any time within the 72 hour window of the event you'll receive feedback on it. Sweet deal, yeah? We'll also be bringing in a number of other things to help you through #PitchJam, We'll have writing guides (think overused words, how-tos, and so on), interviews, chats, and more. This is one big celebration of games writing, and it won't stop there, either. We've left the weekend wide open to turn our Mega Writing Jam into #CritJam, too. We're booking a separate set of critics and reviewers to help you hone your skills as a critic, whatever form that takes.  The #CritJam will be broken into two parts: the first part is a critique of a review/work of criticism you've done in advance of the event; the second, more interesting part, will be a writing challenge in the vein of Ludum Dare, but with writing. And yes, there'll be prizes and more to make it an event you can't miss. ### RSVP form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1HUZ3y3Q4m5wqb6sSBokdfQga4VXIvhSa_CLuNaNBSYE/viewform?usp=send_form

[goodgameswriting-blog]

The Goodies 2014 Part 2

We're rolling on with the second part of The Goodies.

Best Tabletop Article:  “6 Board Games that Ruined It For Everybody,” Luke McKinney

We know what you’re thinking: Why is there an article about prominent, schlocky board games even being considered in these awards? Trust us, McKinney’s answer is well-considered and cathartic.

Runner-up: “It Never Snows: Review,” Matt Thrower

Thrower writes one of the funniest reviews in 2013, with the help and complete participation of one of his fellow Shut Up and Sit Down editors, of course.

Special Award for Videogame Inspired Fiction: Ghosts in the Machine

Compiled by Lana Polansky and Brendan Keogh, Ghosts in the Machine is an approach to games writing unlike any we've seen in the past year: Fictional tales told by some of the best critics out there. The stories come in a number of forms, with the authors never blending into one another; Maddy Myers tells a different yarn than Alan Williamson, who is different yet from Dylan Sabin. Yet all the stories are tied together by an overarching theme of game quirks; the changes in authorship, of perspective, manifest themselves far more naturally than any videogame bug we've encountered.

Get it: ghostsinthemachinebook.com

Best GameDev Article:  “The Complete Xbox One Interview,” Richard Leadbetter

In a console year, everyone wants to know the full story behind the thinking and design of the big players. Such information is rare, but Richard Leadbetter of Digital Foundry secured an interview with the Xbox One’s chief architects, and our judges were happy to reward this rare, and technically dense, tell-all with the Best GameDev Article of 2013.

Runner-up: “Oregon Trail Director’s Cut Lessons from Sales and Revenue, One Year On,” Ryan Wiemeyer

Wiemeyer broke down the metrics of his game since it released and provided a great set of analytics and practical advice for developers.

Honorable Mention: “Making Art for a Living,” Adam Saltsman

A wonderful breakdown of life and development.

Spirit of Luigi -- OUT THERE AWARD: "A Night in the Mines", Nate Andrews.

"It's almost hypnotic," our director muttered after reading what will go down as Nate Andrews best work from 2013, at least according to us. In coming up with awards recognizing Luigi, in this, The Year of Luigi, we knew we needed to honour something a little off the beaten path. Little did we know that we'd find an article about going off the beaten path, and into some interesting territory. Andrews masterfully tells this story, and it's about much more than Salty Bet: It's an anthropological work about where our heads were this past year.

Rising Star: David Chandler

Chandler impressed us throughout 2013 as he demonstrated his ability to weave academics into meaningful pop-culture criticism. Whether it’s appreciating the obvious in game design or not appreciating not-satire, Chandler also inspires us to think about the games we’re playing. From just those two articles, you may have a sense that our Rising Star likes connecting your experiences from one game to your experiences to countless others: It’s a skill we appreciate more and more as he continues to refine his work.

David is the second of our three Rising Star recipients.

Best Indie Publication: Unwinnable

Puns and elbows-in-the-ribs aside, Unwinnable simply killed it this year. Not just for writing talent, which they have in spades, but they were also pioneers in audience-funded content, creating great games and pop-culture discussion of quality that defies the traditional ad-funded model. Sally forth, ye Horvath and sundry!

Runner-up: Five out of Ten Magazine

One of GGW’s favorite rising publications this year, FooT, as it’s come to be known, established the kind of respect for incisive critique and reflection on games in six issues that takes most publications years to establish. So impressive was FooT’s inaugural debut that we were compelled to recognize its editor-in-chief, Alan Williamson, with a writer of the year nomination.

Honorable Mention: Memory Insufficient

A pioneer in the e-zine medium, Memory Insufficient impressed our judges with its commitment to examining videogames through their own history with the important social issues of our time. This is one to watch in 2014.

The Goodies resume ASAP.

[goodgameswriting-blog]

The Goodies 2014 Part 1

We're kicking off our awards with a bang -- that is, one of our biggest awards, Best Criticism is launching this shin dig. Adding to the awesome are our awards for Best Soundtrack, Best List Article, Best Series, our first Rising Star award, and the 8CN.tv Best Adaptation Into A Videogame. Here. We. Go.

Best Soundtrack:  Kentucky Route Zero

When’s the last time a game was stylish enough to fill its soundscape with progressive electronica AND bluegrass? Our judges couldn’t remember, and KR0 took Best Soundtrack in a landslide.

Runner-up: The Last of Us

Gustavo Santaolalla’s unconventional composition and sparse sensibilities built a somber and unique score for Naughty Dog’s opus that was instantly identifiable to anyone who played it.

Honorable Mention: BioShock Infinite

Because God Only Knows why Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and whence came all these Shiny Happy People and whether they’ll ever find Tainted Love.

Best List Article: “Get This Man Up To Speed,” Jim Rossignol

Whereas last year’s batch of judges opted for “Best List” to be a fun experience -- tasting Pokemon won out in a monumental way for those wanting to try eating a Charizard -- this year’s judges opted for more serious takes on the list article, in the vein of Tom Bissell’s awesome “13 ways of looking at a shooter”, or, indeed, Rossignol’s examination of the last fifteen years of PC gaming. Rossignol blends the seriousness of a piece like Bissell’s and the lightheartedness generally associated with lists -- complete with tongue-in-cheek jabs at Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the out-of-nowhere success of League of Legends, and sports games still iterating like nobody’s business. It’s a very Rock, Paper, Shotgun take on the last fifteen years...and that’s exactly what we wanted.

Runner-up: “Twenty Developers You Don’t Know But Should,” Joystiq Staff.

The Joystiq staff came together to provide a meaningful overview of developers you might not be following but should be, featuring the folks that make games like Wizorb, Year Walk, Papo and Yo, and other darlings. Sure, they’re probably not creating the next juggernaut franchise -- but who’s to say that they aren’t?

8CN Best Adaptation Into A Videogame: Lego Marvel Super Heroes

We turned the floor over to our friends at 8CN.tv -- a great place for all things geek -- to chat about the best bit of geekdom turned videogame geekdom. This is what they came up with.

Lego has a long history of fantastic licensed games (everything from Star Wars to Batman to Harry Potter and beyond), but their 2013 installment really raised the bar on video game adaptations.

Lego Marvel Super Heroes managed to take Marvel's rich, 75 year history and distill it into an experience that was both accessible and endearing to fans and non-fans alike.

The game featured nearly 150 characters ranging from the Avengers to the X-Men, and even the Guardians of the Galaxy; bringing them together for an adventure that's full of both fan-service (Clark Gregg voices Agent Coulson! Lego Asgard! Stan Lee cameo!) and surprises alike.

More important than the volume of content though was the attention to detail. Despite the blocky Lego visuals, Marvel Super Heroes still felt true to its source material. The characters felt polished and accurate, the gameplay was light and fun, and the entire experience radiated the wit and excitement that has grabbed readers for generations.

Marvel Super Heroes is likely Lego's best yet, and undoubtedly one of the finest comic book-inspired games of all time. Plus, it has Troy Baker shouting, "I am Groot!" You're not going to find that anywhere else.

Best Series: “Tropes vs. Women,” Anita Sarkeesian

Though Good Games Writing’s primary focus is on the written word, both our judges and our staff decided that video ruled the roost in the Best Series category this year, and we agreed that no video series was more important and more influential than “Tropes vs. Women.” Beginning with the firm acknowledgment that games are something we can all enjoy as well as criticize, “Tropes vs. Women” proceeded to dissect gaming traditions and compel its audience to examine the different ways games depict women.

Runner-up: “Extra Credits,” James Portnow, Daniel Floyd, Allison Theus, Elisa Scaldafferi, Scoot DeWitt

Beloved by GGW’s readers and judges alike, Extra Credits continues to be one of the best educational series about game development and gaming traditions available to us.

Honorable Mention: “The Jimquisition,” Jim Sterling

One of our 2012 nominees for writer of the year marched through 2013 with his typically unflappable swagger, gaining armies of new followers along the way, and expertly transitioning from Destructoid to The Escapist without his flagship video column missing a beat.

Rising Star: Laura Dale

Laura Dale is on a mission to highlight quality indie games...and make them. While her venture into game development is certainly one worth watching, it was her decision to found Indie Haven and ability to anchor the publication that has gained our attention. With a regular column highlighting indies, a series of short, thoughtful reviews, and running the always fascinating developer roundtables, we regularly drop by Indie Haven for our indie fix. However, Laura’s most important article, as we see it, didn’t appear on Indie Haven, nor did it talk indie games at all; instead, Laura proposed we talk about Birdo and the implications the character has for transgender people in the gaming space.

Laura is the first of our three Rising Star recipients.

Best Criticism:  “True-ish Grit,” Tom Bissell

It’s a testament to Tom Bissell’s contributions to games writing that a search for his recent declaration that he won’t be writing about games anymore yields nothing but links to some of his best writing about games. “True-ish Grit” is Bissell’s take on The Last of Us, an effacing contrast between the current hang-ups of AAA games and their latent literary and cultural power. Nothing else came close in this category.

Runner-up: “More, More, More, How Do You Like It?” John Teti

The announcement of the PS4 was cause for celebration for many people, but Teti was there to eloquently keep opinions in orbit, and enumerate the shortcomings of Sony’s next-gen philosophy.

Honorable Mention: “Football: The Kotaku Review,” Tim Rogers

This is our own Adam Condra’s single-favorite piece of games writing from 2013. No, he’s not upset that it didn’t go higher amongst our judges, he’s just happy that it was nominated.

[goodgameswriting-blog]

Good Games Writer of the Year 2013 Nominees

Adam and I had the unenviable task of coming up with a shortlist of the games writers we wanted to recognize as the best of the best from the past year. We thought it would be an easy task, but some thousand odd articles later and several conversations with editors, writers, community members, and so on, we realized just how hard it would be to come up with a shortlist.

Our Top 7 (this could be a GamesRadar feature -- Mr Cooper, phone us!) is a list that is far from comprehensive. In striking a balance between those that report, those that critique, and those that fall somewhere in between, we had to lose something. There are many great voices in our industry, and we encourage you to seek them out. Whether it's Mattie Brice creating poignant, pointed criticism, or past winner Colin Campbell still standing as one of the best reporters around, there's no shortage of potential snubs on this list.

Our list was compiled to represent what we view as a very strong year in games writing; it is a list that recognizes not just writing ability but a certain spirit of games writing. There were no easy decisions to be made, and the job of the judges is certainly bound to be no easier. We feel, however, that our list is a good one, and it is presented below:

In Alphabetical Order:

1. Leigh Alexander

There might not be anyone more synonymous with the practice of games writing than Leigh Alexander. One of two returning nominations from last year’s Goodie awards, Leigh never rested her keyboard in 2013, writing news, criticism, opinion pieces, and addressing games from almost every conceivable angle. Her talent for navigating big-picture analysis and cogent personal reflection, sometimes in the same piece, paired with an active interest in every way that games are discussed has made her a preeminent voice in games writing that everyone should follow.

GGW Suggests: 1. “Now Is The Best Time: A Critique of BioShock Infinite” 2. “This Is What Videogames Are: A Dispatch From a Crowded Gaming Expo”

3. “Why I Cried at GDC”

2. Chris Kohler

As Wired’s Game|Life editor, Kohler claimed the region of industry analysis as his personal fiefdom. Few writers were more trusted and more incisive in 2013 on the subject of corporate examination. In particular, Kohler was the voice of reason in a turbulent year for Nintendo, blending sharp criticism with expert knowledge of the company’s historical practices to produce insights into what the Big N’s future will look like.

GGW Suggests:

1. “What the Hell Is Wrong With Nintendo?”

2. “Final Fantasy Isn’t Dying. It’s Already Dead”

3. “PlayStation 4: The Last of the Game Consoles”

3. Simon Parkin

Parkin secured a Goodie nomination in the same deft fashion that nominated him last year. As one of the best investigative journalists going, he combines natural prose with unimpeachable research, taking readers deep into the impact that games have on our culture. Though seen at prominent game outlets like Eurogamer and Polygon, Parkin continues to help build the bridge between games writing and mainstream news sources, appearing regularly in The Guardian and The New Yorker, among others.

GGW Suggests:

1. “Shooters: How Videogames Fund Arms Manufacturers”     

2. “How Evil Should a Videogame Allow You to Be?”

3. “The Videogame Invasion of Iraq”

4. Russ Pitts

Russ Pitts is the Indiana Jones of games writers: a professor and a doer. Under his leadership, the features wing of Polygon was unstoppable in 2013. Between overseeing the regularly excellent output of his fellow Polygon staff, he continued to travel across the map, embedding himself in development studios, profiling the people behind the games we play, and never ceasing his efforts to uncover and share “the human element” in videogames.

GGW Suggests:

1. “How Games Are Made: Defense Grid 2”

2. “Launching Operation Supply Drop”

3. “Cloned at Birth: The Story of Ridiculous Fishing”

5. Robert Rath

Good games writers are often known for their journalistic skills, or their talent for criticism, but few know how to tie those elements together into something just as important: history. Rath does this better than anyone, because his prime instinct is to write about games relative to our history, not just the history of games. His column for The Escapist, “Critical Intel,” gave 2013 a weekly marriage of games criticism and historical analysis that showed readers how to contextualize the games we play in the social, political, and martial legacies that preceded them. He took a novel idea and turned it into vital, appointment-games-reading.

GGW Suggests:

1. “Corvo Is Not an Honorable Man”

2. “As Usual, PETA Is Wrong About Whaling”

3. “A BioShock Infinite Primer, Part 1”

6. Jason Schreier

Schreier has the distinction of being the most nominated person among these candidates. His pieces received more Goodie nominations in more categories than anyone in GGW’s (admittedly brief) history, and with good reason: Schreier is consistently our go-to guy for great longreads. Whether he’s exposing the corporate play-making behind next-gen console launches, or diving into topics that have long been dogging at the minds of gamers, his work has been exemplary of thorough research and great composition.

GGW Suggests:

1. “How LucasArts Fell Apart”

2. “From Halo to Hot Sauce: What 25 Years of Violent Videogame Research Looks Like”

3. “Nintendo’s Secret Weapon”

7. Alan Williamson

Alan Williamson isn’t keen to put himself in the spotlight, but he is keen to shine it on games writing. As editor-in-chief of Five out of Ten magazine, Williamson worked tirelessly to prove that diverse, quality games writing didn’t need to go uncompensated, and didn’t need the capital afforded by big advertisers to flourish. The result is a digital palliative to the idea that games writing is all press-releases and “seven to ten” criticism. We commend Alan for starting a revolution (or rebirth?) of quality paid content.

GGW Suggests: www.fiveoutoftenmagazine.com  

 Congratulations to all our nominees. Winners announced soon, along with the rest of The Goodies winners!

[goodgameswriting-blog]

Adam Condra and GGW First

Hi, all.

You may have noticed that GGW has been quiet lately...at least on Tumblr. That's because we've been working away on a number of projects. We'll post details of those here very soon, I assure you.

But first of all, I'd like to announce that Adam Condra is now the curator of Good Games Writing, while I, Kyle, step on up to the broader role of Editorial Director.

What does this mean?

Adam is the boss man on here now...but I still boss him around. For you, this isn't much of a change, but it does mean more regular content on here (and not just on Twitter), as well as original features on games writing and gaming as a whole. Many more of the posts you see will be in Adam's voice, though mine will certainly be heard regularly too. Oh, and it won't just be us...we're using this platform to give voices to many, many more people than the two of us in the near future.

To accommodate this, sometime later this week we'll unveil GoodGamesWriting First -- a different take on what we're doing. First will be decidedly not on Tumblr, and will be the home to all your daily content needs. Here on the tumblr, we'll update twice weekly with the stories from GGW First, so if you subscribe to us or follow you won't miss out on any content. First is where the content goes, well, first.

Further building on this change is that the obnoxious orange stripes are being toned down a bit. No, we're not doing away with them completely, but we get that they are nauseating. We've listened to your critiques, though, and we're doing what we can to address that while still staying true to our (very MySpace) sensibilities.

One final note: we'll be rolling out a separate Twitter account to expedite this process. This twitter will be run by the GGW team and only chat about GGW things. It'll also obsessively use the #GGW hashtag because the old owners of that hashtag are evil and shameful and we hate them. Yes, hate.

The existing @goodwritingvg account will still be the place to go to actually TALK to us, and will maintain the personality it has possessed these wonderful two years.

tl;dr

Adam (@condrarian) is now a much bigger part of GGW.

GGW First launches later this week. It will be less orange and have a separate twitter.

Lovingly,

Kyle McIntosh (@evkmack)

Editorial Director

[goodgameswriting-blog]

Videogames and the struggle with satire

Satire is an escape rope games are all too willing to utilize to get out of tricky situations they themselves have created. And you thought dropping a deus ex machina was a cliche.

David Chandler argues that GTA V is not satire, and hey, while we're at it, neither is Bayonetta nor Far Cry 3. David, take it away:

GTA V’s gameplay lacks both an ironic punch and a didactic end. As often as the game seems to make judgments about a player’s operating in a morally bankrupt world, the gameplay only reinforces the virtues of morally bankrupt activity.  We steal cars and shoot people because that’s what people in San Andreas do. If the game were satire, there would be some type of mechanical, formal acknowledgment that the roles the player perform are repugnant and awful, but there’s no mechanical comeuppance for the sins of the player.

So, what games are satire then? Hotline Miami certainly counts.

Abrasive, pixelated visuals and repetitive music accompany hyperactive violence. Braining an unsuspecting guard with a crowbar or shooting up a room sends red and purple pixels across the floor and walls, but the walk back through the building after everyone has been killed slows the gameplay just long enough for you to take stock in your handiwork.

Chandler hedges his bets, noting that his choice of language--in breaking down "satire" -- may be "splitting hairs". We're using language, though. The words we use makes a difference. If a developer claims their work is satire, then it needs to be satire. Otherwise, they're making use of that escape rope.

Chandler, David. "Video games and the struggle with satire" (AWESOMEoutof10: September 30th, 2013) <http://www.awesomeoutof10.com/features/video-games-and-the-struggle-with-satire/>.

See also: GTA V's jokes are bad...and that's good by Connor White.

[goodgameswriting-blog]

Are the Pokemon games appealing as an adult with no nostalgic connection to the classic games? Well, Chad Sapieha investigates, using his daughter's interest in Pokemon X as a catalyst.

This article-cum-review is interesting because it contextualizes the review around the now-former children that grew up with the Pokemon zeitgeist of the 1990s, and how both Sapieha and his daughter are decidedly not 20-somethings looking to scratch an itch.

Both have fun. With some caveats.

[goodgameswriting-blog]

Nate Andrews delves into the mysterious world of Salty Bet (which is entirely similar to Fight Club, I think):

The person managing the Salty Bet system, which takes odds and handles payouts for the AI fights carried out in the freeware MUGEN program, is warmly referred to by the chat as Salty.

Salty has a clean and intuitive system in place that allows participants to do three things with minimal effort: bet, watch and respond.

Salty -- and salt -- is a pop-culture anthropologist's nightmare:

The next bout is Cell versus Ryu. Except it’s not Ryu.

This pugilist, called Uppercut, slides between forms with each movement—Scorpion, Dudley, Johnny Cage, even different versions of his base character.

Every whiplash-quick attack is an uppercut. Every uppercut it lands – and they all land – triggers a few seconds of Roger Daltrey’s throat-shredding scream from “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” peaking and distorted into ferocity. Clips from the CSI: Miami intro occasionally replace the venue background. In motion, it’s a Who-tinted fever dream of fists and figures.

 Andrews, Nate. "A Night in the Mines" (Unwinnable: October 7, 2013) <http://www.unwinnable.com/2013/10/07/salty-bet/#.Um9BKtJJOSp>.

[goodgameswriting-blog]

"Coupled with the empty streets, Arkham Origins' Gotham comes across as inert, a cardboard city that it's hard to care about protecting."

Phil Kollar, in his review of Batman: Arkham Origins on Polygon.

A very good review -- one of our favourites thus far on the game -- that notes the tenuous relationship between the game's solid core and its changes under a new team.

[goodgameswriting-blog]

#PitchJam Wrap-Up & More!

The Pitch: I will create an event that draws writers from various backgrounds together to hone their pitching skills. They will pitch to an Avengers-esque line-up of talented writers and editors and receive feedback based on their pitches. The twist? It'll all be done in a weekend.

The Feedback: Immense.

Allow me to take a moment, on behalf of Team GGW, to thank everyone that submitted a pitch, tweeted about the event, or--bless your souls--critiqued pitches throughout an incredible weekend. We received a whopping 123 pitches and doled out 259 helpings of advice. Take that all in, breathe, and process that for a moment.

123 pitches. 259 pieces of advice.

These are pitches that may or may not have received an answer otherwise, and despite some delays, received them quickly. I will be forever grateful to Susan, Dan, Fran, Nathan, Richard, Ed, Alan, Steve, Patrick, Brian, Andrew, Jamie, Cassandra, Miguel, Rob, Neal, and Mitch for the feedback they provided and for believing in us to pull off such an event. I'd further like to thank Dylan and Adam for the organizational work that went into this, and Scott Nichols for participating in our PM Chat.

Speaking of chats, the ever resourceful Richard Moss logged the second chat, so feel free to read and enjoy that.

If you want to interview us about the event for your website, podcast, or whatever please get in touch!

If you enjoyed the event and think you got something out of it, please email your comments and I'll send it to our experts...I'm sure it'll brighten their days when they need it.

To answer the question of whether or not this event is happening again...heck yes it is! But let's get to the announcements.

The Better Games Writing Initiative:

Sometimes, good isn't good enough. In the case of games writing, we've seen the bar raised countless times this past year; as a result, we're raising the bar we must jump over too. If we want to see more good games writing, why aren't we helping more of it get created?

Through unique partnerships, we're going to do just that.

Three More Jams: We're trying out the writing jam concept in different ways.

We will do another Pitch Jam sometime, but when is up in the air. More than once a quarter would be insane, though.

We already announced that a Research Jam is coming. This will be akin to NaNoWriMo, where writers will be given a month to create, for their own blog or elsewhere, a full, polished feature where they utilize research in all its wonderful forms.

The #CritJam is our next event! It is tentatively scheduled for December 13-15, and will feature a panel of excellent critics and reviewers to help you hone your critical edge. Why are we telling you this now? Good criticism takes time.

Stopping the 404: Mark Filipowich notes that some great games writing is disappearing in this, the digital age, and wonders why more isn't being done to preserve it. We're wondering the same thing. I'm pleased to announce that Mark will be joining our team to aid us in exploring that question, and finding ways we can preserve the best writing out there.

More, more, more: We have a bevy of other resources coming. Ever wondered why a job board now charges for its use, when before it was free? Yeah, us too. We'll be collecting all the industry writing jobs we can find and collecting them for you. We've got interviews with writers and editors in the business that will shed light on best practices. And we'l be hosting regular chats with industry veterans, akin to our Jam chats, where you get to wade in and ask the questions. This all starts rolling out October 14.

Extra Life: Each year, GGW's parent site hosts a charity event benefiting Child's Play and other organization. Due to the sheer organizational force required for the jams, we've opted out this year. Instead, we will be participating in Extra Life on November 2nd. Want to join our team or make a pledge? We'd love for you to!

----

So, that's an incredibly long, detailed post that says a lot.

Here's the take-away:

1. #PitchJam was huge, and we can't thank YOU enough.

2. #PitchJam kicks off our new initiative, Better Games Writing, which will see games writing improve.

Thanks so much for being a part of our community!

Kyle McIntosh

Director - Good Games Writing

[goodgameswriting-blog]

Welcome to #PitchJam

Ahoy-hoy and welcome to the #PitchJam.

This is your shot to get two pitches looked at by some of the best writers and editors in games writing. Not only will you have their attention, you’ll also get guaranteed feedback. Yeah, we’re going there.

Here’s what you need: Just send us an email with the subject line being the title of your proposed pitch, and the pitch in the body of the email. We want the pitch itself, and not necessarily the trappings around it (we don’t need to hear that you read our publication/s - that’s assumed) unless you feel that’s crucial.

What email are you sending to? thepitchjam [at] gmail [dot] com, of course!

Make your pitch inspiring. Unless you’ve something earth shattering to say, you probably want to avoid sending pitches about, say, BioShock (the first...Infinite is still fresh). Get creative, and make us salivate thinking about how great the final product of that pitch will look.

Also, keep it short and snappy. That’s part of keeping us entertained and intrigued. Also, like with real pitches, we’re expecting a lot of them. Respect our time just as you would an editor’s.

TWO BIG HUGE LEGAL DISCLAIMERS:

1) This pitch is yours and you own the creative rights to it. But similar pitches are out there (through RSVPing we’ve seen what may be two near-identical pitches) so understand that you may not be alone. Your pitch, and the feedback we give it, belong to you.

2) Given the above, this is NOT A SOLICITATION OF PAID (OR ANY) WORK. We’re not implying that anywhere. If, after you’ve received feedback, you think your pitch is salable then you can pitch away. Have you seen the great publications we have on board for this? They’d probably love to receive a great pitch.

What else can you do to improve your pitch?

You can join in a big ol Twitter discussion with all of us by using #PitchJam. If you have a really rad question, we’ll even make sure it gets published, fully thought out responses that 140 characters just can’t provide. Use that tag to promote the event (please), cheer others on, and engage in a healthy discussion.

There’s also two Google Hangouts scheduled for Saturday at 10 AM Pacific and 6 PM. Pacific. That’s your chance to get some facetime with the rad folks here, and they are rad.

We also have a bunch of blogs on the subject matter across our panel’s network, ranging from a writing prompt (here on GGW) to Pitch Etiquette on susanarendt.com. We’ll share and collate those articles all weekend. In the meantime, you’ve read Up Up Down Down Left Write: The freelance guide to becoming a video game journalist, right?

Finally, who will be fielding your pitches this weekend? Our CONFIRMED list includes:

Susan Arendt, Managing Editor of Joystiq

Dan "Shoe" Hsu, EiC of GamesBeat

Francesca Reyes, EiC of Official Xbox Magazine

Nathan Meunier, freelancer and author of UUDDLW

Richard Moss, freelancer and Content Editor of Archive.vg

Ed Smith, freelancer with The Escapist, Unwinnable, & more

Adam Condra, freelancer and Good Games Writing Asst Editor

Alan Williamson, editor of Five Out of Ten magazine

Steve Watts, East Coast Editor at Shacknews

Patrick Stafford, freelancer and host of "The Crafting Podcast"

Brian Shea, freelancer and EiC of Videogameswriters.com

Andrew Groen, Penny Arcade Report writer

Kyle McIntosh, freelancer and Editor of Good Games Writing

Jamie Donnelly, EiC of BeefJack

Cassandra Khaw, Content Editor at USGamer

Miguel Concepcion, freelance video producer with MTV Multiplayer, Rev3Games, Machinima, etc.

Rob Rath, freelancer and columnist at The Escapist

Neal Ronaghan, freelance and Director at Nintendo World Report

There's 18 reasons to join the #PitchJam right there!

Good luck and good pitching!

[goodgameswriting-blog]

A #PitchJam Writing Prompt

Our Pitch Jam is rapidly approaching -- we hope you're getting your pitches started by now. If you haven't yet, that's OK.

Start here: Ed Smith says Just Write and gets you started with idea generation

One of the most important parts of pitching is being concise. If you can't zoom-in and highlight the thesis of your topic--and do it error free, to boot!--then how can you be trusted to tackle a larger treatment?

The Rock Paper Scissors (or is that Shotgun?) Writing Prompt: Your challenge is to concisely describe the game rock, paper, scissors. It's a game we all know, but putting what we know into simple (and interesting) terms can be a challenge. Your pitch is similar, except instead of everyone knowing it, as they may well with the above game, only YOU know where you want to go. This is an exercise designed to get you writing tight, engaging pitches.

Let's highlight that again: Your challenge is to concisely describe the game rock, paper, scissors.

The great game journalist Ian Fleming does just this early on in his book You Only Live Twice. Under fair use, here are two parts of his description.

1. Simply descriptive: "The fist is the Stone, two outstretched fingers are the Scissors, and a flat hand is the Paper. The closed fist is hammered twice in the air simultaneously by the two opponents and, at the third downward stroke, the chosen emblem is revealed. The game consists of guessing which emblem the opponent will choose, and of you yourself choosing one that will defeat him. Best of three goes or more. It is a game of bluff."

Wow, not too shabby, eh? Fleming manages to describe the core mechanics, building to that powerful short sentence at the end. Is this necessarily how you want to present your pitch? No. But the descriptive aspect is what you need to get--just because you know the game or your pitch doesn't mean your audience, the editor, will.

Update: A quick note here...Fleming describes the hierarchy here just as aptly. In the interest of not having publishers yell at me I've left that out. Read the whole section--or the book--for a better view of the game as a whole.

2. Contextual: "Should Bond try and win at this baby game of bluff and double-bluff, or should he try to lose? But to try and lose involved the same cleverness at correctly guessing the other man's symbol in advance. It was just as difficult to lose on purpose as to win. And anyway did it really matter? Unfortunately, on the curious assignment in which James Bond was involved, he had a nasty feeling that even this idiotic little gambit had significance towards success or failure."

If your pitch must go on, it absolutely must connect back to the beginning--we want to see the theme explored here--and be written every bit as effectively as the first part. What you get from this excerpt are the stakes of Bond's gamble: Your pitch may be high stakes too.

If you take a go at this prompt, feel free to submit your attempt here on the blog or via whatever means. We'll highlight exceptional efforts.

**Adapted from Ian Fleming's You Only Live Twice, pp.4-5 (Thomas & Mercer: Las Vegas), 2012.

[goodgameswriting-blog]

More on the Pitch Jam

Hi, PitchJammers.

Read first: Introducing the GGW Pitch Jam

Hopefully you're gearing up for next weekend's event. Today we have a few more details to share about the event, including the anticipated reveal of more experts.

If you're not following along on Twitter @GoodwritingVG - and why aren't you? - you'll have missed the additions of Alan Williamson (Five Out of Ten) and Ed Smith (freelance for The Escapist, Unwinnable, etc.) to the lineup.

The jam will officially start at 12:00 noon on Friday, September 20th and go through the weekend. Each jam participant will be allowed two pitches, however the second may not be submitted until the first has been critiqued. This may mean some strategy in terms of your pitch development...

Starting this Friday, Pitch Jam participants will be required to RSVP to the event (through one of a few avenues). This allows us to start gauging how many pitches will be submitted and streamline the process. This is for our sanity and your convenience during the event - it does not obligate you to pitch or set out anything further.

One final point for today, then: you must submit a polished pitch. This means that this is, without our feedback, the pitch you'd send to an editor for consideration. Is it viable? Is it spellchecked? These are the things you'll want to consider - stay tuned for posts related to improving your pitch. Or ask away on Twitter using #PitchJam. 

In other words, even though the Jam starts next week...start thinking about your pitch(es) before then!

See also: Rob Rath Welcomes You To The Pitch Jam

Well then, here's the news you're here for...the next five experts aiding the Pitch Jam. They are:

Jamie Donnelly, EIC of BeefJack

Cassandra Khaw, Content Editor at USGamer

Steve Watts, freelancer with Shacknews

Miguel Concepcion, freelance writing + video with Machinima

Patrick Stafford, host of The Crafting Podcast

And of course it wouldn't be us without having a bonus announcement that Gamesbeat's Dan "Shoe" Hsu will also be on our panel.

There's 13 reasons to join the pitch jam in our expert panel. On Friday, we'll give you five (other) reasons.

The Pitch Jam runs September 20th-22nd.

[goodgameswriting-blog]

After reading this deft criticism from Steve Heisler of Mario and Luigi: Dream Team, I've been dogged by the memory of Flannery O'Connor saying something to the effect of 'a brief insult is of infinitely more value than an elaborate one." I can't remember it now, despite what a fitting application it has in reference to Heisler's critique of Dream Team's broken premise in this, the Year of Luigi. Oh well. O'Connor was also famously critical of those who quote her in reference to anything, so this is all terribly appropriate.

Heisler wastes no time and spends no time exacting a poignant and brutal skewering of Nintendo's attempts to brand this year a celebration of our beloved green-doffed brother. He points out the intrinsic failure of Luigi's capabilities as a leading man by Nintendo's own hand, in a game that that arrives both prepared for and expectant of Luigi's dominance. Alas, if this is indeed intended to be the "Year of Luigi," it certainly won't be a result of his ability to take the lead on the path his portly sibling has already trod. Consult Heisler's capable takedown as to why.

[goodgameswriting-blog]

Journalism and video games come together as a new form of storytelling in Brazil

Games have been a refrain for common educational breakthroughs for some time now. "RPGs taught me how to read," "Rez helped me understand synesthesia," "Minecraft shores up complex spatial relation skills in youngsters," and so forth. The tangential educational benefits of games are well established now within our community, who is persistently vexed by gaming's embarrassing forays into mainstream consciousness, despite their near ubiquity within our present culture. Whence this dissonance between acceptance and influence? It might confuse us here in the U.S., but in Brazil, gamemakers have shot straight to the most logical vein to reach cultural import: the news.

Meet Fred di Giacomo, an independent Brazilian game developer, who served at the front of Brazil's growing "newsgame" form of news coverage. Initially basic and abutted of titillation, Giacomo lays out the swift rise of simple puzzlers, quizzes, and "buy or sell" games that helped Brazil's Editora Abril become a major generator of games that inform, and news that entertains. The discussion is a fascinating one that prompts questions of journalism's potential future, as well as an expanded utility for games that, I would wager, few in this area of the West have yet considered.  

[goodgameswriting-blog]

Introducing the GGW Pitch Jam

Are you tired of not getting responses to your pitches? Are you too nervous to reach out to people for help? Maybe you’re unsure of how to take your writing to the next level? We have your back. Good Games Writing presents its first ever Pitch Jam!

What is a Pitch Jam you ask? It’s your chance to submit a story pitch to our expert panel and get guaranteed feedback and constructive criticism. Act fast as this is only a 48 hour event. Just submit your polished pitch to us between September 20thand 22nd and wait…we’ll get back to you as quickly as we can with feedback tailored to you directly.

While you wait there will be plenty of resources available, including expert blog posts, a Google Hangout with members of our panel and invited guests, and an ongoing discussion on Twitter using #PitchJam.

So, who makes up our expert panel? We are glad you asked:

● Susan Arendt, Joystiq Managing Editor

● Brian Shea, freelance writer and EIC ofVideogamewriters.com

● Robert Rath, freelance writer and columnist at The Escapist

● Richard Moss, freelance writer and Archive.vg Content Editor

● Andrew Groen, Penny Arcade Report writer

This is just our first wave of expert advisors to be announced.

Stay tuned to GoodGamesWriting.com and @GoodWritingVG on Twitter for more details as the Pitch Jam draws nearer. And during the event, you’ll find out about our Research Jam, which will see you create fantastic original content.

Join us September 20th to 22nd for our first ever Pitch Jam, and don’t miss your opportunity to get feedback on your work from some of the brightest minds in our industry.

Contact: Dylan Cole (@DMGCole), [email protected] for inquiries, offers of assistance, and promotional details

Good Games. Good Writing. Good Games Writing.