Writing for the Gaming Industry

BY MELISSA K. BREWER

Several months ago, I worked on an interesting project for a client looking to break into writing music for the video game industry. As the project progressed, I found myself fascinated with the art of interactive entertainment, and began to take "side notes" on what it takes to write for the gaming industry. I made a host of wonderful contacts and learned a great deal about how tough and rewarding it can be to become a part of the development of some of the most mainstream and high-tech forms of entertainment today (one out of every three American households has a video game system and the fastest growing market for video games is in Europe) There are also many opportunities for freelancers to "break in" to the gaming industry through other publishing venues.

Honing Your Skills. What It Takes to Make It

A common misconception about working within the video game industry is that workers are usually young, immature, and inexperienced. While this may have been true in the early days of Nintendo, the technology, interactivity, and the average age of "gamers" (the people that play the games) have matured at an incredible rate. The Play Station 2 has a host of games that are rated "M" for mature; the target demographic for these games are men - and women - over the age of 17. As gamers age, the complexity of both the plot and the theatric elements tend to resemble short skits along the lines of Godfather, leaving the days of Super Mario Brothers long lost in the dust.

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