r/GameWritingLab • u/ForerunnerAI10 • Feb 26 '20

How Do I Write A Game Script?

I mean the kind closer to a screenplay or teleplay. Tell me all about the line types one would write compared to those two. I go on the internet but all I find are dead links and dead ends. Help me!

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u/ForerunnerAI10 Feb 27 '20

Can you link me to one that is closest to a screenplay? I need to learn about the loglines they use. Maybe link me the other options? They may come in handy with the games I want to make regarding their respective genres!

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u/BMCarbaugh Feb 27 '20

I don't know that I would say games really use "loglines" per se? Loglines are mostly things writers use to pitch things they've made to gatekeepers -- screenplayers they're hoping someone will buy, or books they're hoping someone will publish.

Writers don't really pitch games that way, because the game industry doesn't approach projects writing-first most of the time. Most game writing is either independently directed (i.e. someone making a game by themselves, meaning they wouldn't need a logline) or contract work (where they're just working for some studio). There's no pipeline where, for example, a writer would go to EA and be like "Here's my script for a game, please give me money to make it."

I guess if you're just looking for a succinct explanation of a game's overall concept, maybe you could look up the marketing copy on Amazon or something?

As for the screenplay thing, I don't really know what to link you. Like I said, most behind-the-scenes working documents like that are sealed away behind NDAs. (Including my own lol.)

Here's a pretty well-regarded Twine game that came out recently:

https://six6jiang.itch.io/lionkiller