Thread by @VictorOjuel

There we go!

@gregbuchanan sharing his story and advice on going from writing indie games to AAA developments at the Oxford & London Interactive Fiction Meetup at London Southbank Uni.

The beginnings: starting with gamejams and the making of Paper Brexit (covered by Kotaku), and Paper Drumpf.

Some portfolio, mate.

The strategy: the burden of proof of why should a studio hire you is (surprise!) on you.

Typically when applying to a studio you will be asked to provide a CV, your portfolio (to prove your experience; try to submit something that fits the tone and particularities of the job) and a writing test. However bear in mind the person hiring you might not be a writer.

The need to self-promote.

(Sorry Twitter is eating some of my tweets ;( )

Greg talks about showing you know how to compromise and be economic with the way you work. Not pictured, he's role-playing Helen of Troy*

(More on that later)

The importance of compromising when working with other people (and for other people!). You must be able to "bend with the wind like a tree" but not be spineless. Know when to fight and when not to fight (your client or team).

Advice time!

(This, people, *this*. Can't stress it enough! Listen to Greg, kids.)

1. Not just to do stuff for your portfolio but also put you in touch with other aspirant devs.

2. Layout to you, "show me yours and I'll show you mine".

3. You don't wanna be too picky, you're not gonna ruin your career by being involved in a "bad game".

4. The freelance thing: you're gonna have very busy periods and periods with nothing at all, so try to line up more things for later on. Companies are not your friends. Get a contact. Protect yourself.

Oh look, more unrealistic expectations for writers! ;P

No, srsly, you *can* make a living writing games, you don't have to be permanently poor. (So say we all!)

Your ability to get work depends on your ability to proof you can produce good work, in time and well.

MONEY TALKS!

Very rare slide with actual figures for game writing and recommended prices.

The intricacies of haggling with clients, thanks goodness someone is finally wanting to discuss this publicly!

An idea for gauging potential output: go to a jam, see how much you can produce and never actually quote for that much, since that's exceptional. Use that as an absolute maximum.

(And unsurprisingly the Money Thing was contentious!)

Every project should teach you something and further your goals... but not all projects will present you with the same experiences.

Insist on being in the credits. Insist on your right to say publicly that you worked on a project and discuss details in a non-difamatory manner.

This last f*****g slide cuts to the bloody, beating heart of my personal experience.

And here is a Žižek quote that reminds me of the Jungian Shadow, partly because he makes a very similar point about art in general (and partially because I'm a bit of a one trick pony with Jung ;P).

Some truly excellent advice here, which might sound obvious but You'd Be Surprised, Reader.

The value of having a personal project on the side, to relax and express yourself beyond your client work.

Aaaand that's a wrap.

This is honestly the most candid and meaty talk on the actual minutiae of working as a game writer I've ever attended, from somebody who is actually there doing the work. My doubts and problems and experiences were all there. Thanks @gregbuchanan!

I've read whole books which were less informing than these 1.5 hours. If you only read one thread on the day to day reality of making a living writing for games, let it be this one.

(Also argh goddammit I had to run out of the pub to catch my train, sorry everyone I'd really wanted to chat with you lovelies :( )

Lovely to catch up with @thing_stuff and @teapoweredteam, sorry I didn't catch you before @CashDecuir and @fireisnormal, great to meet you in the flesh @iRNY, plus Cool Belgians.

And last but not least, thanks to @emshort for organising the event and bringing us such a great speaker.