Or, as Orkin, whose experiences have ranged from fleshing out and expanding preexisting characters and stories (Dragonshard, Call of Juarez) to simply putting words in mouths (Kingdom Hearts), says, "[The] process is a lot easier and less stressful if the person you're collaborating with isn't too rigid or defensive.
"The most important thing is for the IP owner to be clear about what they want. Sometimes they say you have lots of freedom, but in reality they've got a clear vision already, and they're just not sure how to articulate it. That turns into a 'Guess what the client is thinking' situation and that's no fun at all."
Which would make it sound a lot nicer to go back to that blank page, light some candles and wait for the ideas to come, but that's not exactly how writing for games works.
"Sometimes it's nice to play in a world you only make up yourself," says Despain, "but anyone who wants to do that should go write a novel. Everything else requires a group effort."
"As a writer I'll always be working alongside a designer," says Orkin, who describes the relationship between a writer and a game designer as similar to that between a screenwriter and a director. "As a screenwriter you come up with an idea for a movie, write and sell a spec movie script. Games don't work that way for writers. The driving person behind a game is the designer."
Despain calls game development "a team sport." "Game writers are usually trying to work within and flesh out the game designer's vision," she says, "even if it's a unique concept. If a writer wants total control, they need to learn how to be a game designer as well."
Yet even the designer, the all-powerful force behind a game concept, is not a god, but a part of a larger machine - they have to play well with others, too.
"Games don't spring full-blown from the designer's brow," says Forbeck, stealing my intro. "They require larger and larger staffs, and the communication challenges grow with those numbers. You have to spend a lot of time communicating with other members of the team to make sure you're all working toward the same goals."
With franchised games in particular, he adds, the potential hurdles multiply like rabbits in spring: "With big licenses, the licensee has to sign off on every aspect of the game. It can be frustrating to put weeks of efforts into a product only to be told that it's wasted time, as it doesn't match the approval person's vision."
But in spite of the hassles, the writers all agree that it's worth it just to continue working in the industry and remain in a creative field. Besides, franchise writing is often the best, most reliable door into the industry. Mainly because getting your own idea off the ground is a near impossibility in today's industry - unless you're indie.
"It's almost unheard of these days for an untested talent to create a mainstream game of his or her own from full cloth without getting experience elsewhere first," says Forbeck. "Indie game developers, of course, break that mold. Mainstream games usually require huge budgets, and investors only want to back proven talent. They'll rarely risk millions of dollars on you just because you claim you can write. You have to prove it first."
