Bioware desperately seeking writers

[Leferd]

Spotted this on penny-arcade.

 

I got an interesting mail this morning from Daniel Erickson the principal lead writer over at Bioware Austin. He says they have an opening in their writing staff and he's having a hard time filling it. Daniel wanted to know if he could put the word out here on Penny Arcade and I'm more than happy to help. So do you want to write for the new Bioware MMO?

 

----------------------------

 

Hey Guys,

 

So here's the situation we're in. BioWare games require a great deal of

writing. Storylines, world building, characters, journals - and about a

bazillion lines of dialogue. What makes my job harder is not only does

all of this writing have to be high quality - something not always

demanded in our industry - it can only be done by writers who understand

the complexities of interactive fiction. Take the average screenwriter

who doesn't play RPGs, place him in front of the writing tool from

Neverwinter Nights and you'll get a linear story with a complete lack of

Player agency and no interesting decisions. Just trying to explain the

concept behind writing without a protagonist to someone who has never

even been a dungeon master can be like showing card tricks to a dog.

 

Which brings me to the current problem. The BioWare MMO is the largest

thing we've ever done by leaps and bounds. We're talking a double digit

writing staff working for years (yes we've already been working for well

over a year). Now I've realized I need even more writers and I've got no

reliable way of predicting where they're going to come from. In the

history of the company, we've had published fantasy authors,

screenwriters and editors all wash out of BioWare's training program. On

the flip side, we've had fantastic kids right of college, an ex CNN

producer and a former gift wrapping clerk from Singapore all succeed in

the BioWare writer family. Previous job of lead writer for Baldur's Gate

2, the highest rated PC RPG in history? Travelodge manager.

 

So yes, we're shaking the usual trees and our HR folks are turning over

all the rocks they can think of but I had to go through over three

hundred qualified candidates to find the team I have now so a lot of

those trees have done already been shook. With that level of challenge

around finding writers, I want to throw out an open invitation for

anyone out there that thinks might be the strange combination of RPG

fiend and talented writer to grab a copy of Neverwinter Nights and start

putting together a writing sample. I don't care if you can script, just

put three guys in a field and attach conversations to them. Make the

plot compelling, write the NPCs as real people who could exist in a

believable world even if the PC wasn't there, give me an interesting

choice or two and you're done -- easily something can be done over a

weekend and there's a ton of great community support online if you're

really tech deficient.

 

Anyone out there want to write for the game company with three of the

top five rated RPGs of all time on their biggest project ever?

 

Head here: BioWare Jobs

 

 

Cheers,

 

Daniel Erickson

Principal Lead Writer

BioWare Austin

 

 

 

 

 

 

...

 

So apparently they are serious about trying to make their mmo less grindtastic. It's a mystery.

 

I gather that the former hotel manager is Dave Gaider, but I didn't know he was the lead writer on BG2.

Edited November 13, 2007 by Leferd

[Dark_Raven]

Don't they have the resources of the flunkies in EA?

[Leferd]

EA? Nope. Not yet anyway. Bio doesn't become EA Canada Jr. or EA Texas until a couple months from now... at the earliest.

[Pop]

I take the same view of grind-free MMOs as Yahtzee does: It's an oxymoron.

[Sand]

In any case, Bioware is owned by EA now and only an idiot would actualy want to work for EA.

[Dark_Raven]

O RLY?

[Sand]

You haven't heard the horror stories of how EA treats its employees?

[Guard Dog]

Gaider was a Travel Lodge manager?

[Tale]

If I was an accomplished or experienced writer I would definitely try out for it. I do live in Texas and would love the gaming industry. However, I write like a schizophrenic half the time. And I have severe trouble with dialog.

[Llyranor]

While it's true that Bioware could use some talented writers, they should save some for Bethesda too!

[Volourn]

"In any case, Bioware is owned by EA now and only an idiot would actualy want to work for EA."

 

1. EA is awesome.

 

2. BIO isn't owned by EA currently. It takes a while for a purchase like this to be finalized legally.

 

3. Only someone who wants to get paid to make VIDEO GAMES would actually want to work for EA.

 

 

R00fles!

[Sand]

EA is a sweatshop grindery. Working 60 to 80 hours a week without overtime/compensation pay? Why would anyone want to work in such conditions? I most certainly would not.

Edited November 13, 2007 by Sand

[Llyranor]

Oh man, you better not turn away from your values and start buying games from EA, Hades. Oppose the man!

[Sand]

I don't plan to.

 

Here's an interesting article that addresses this concern: http://ea-spouse.livejournal.com/274.html

 

I firmly believe in a fair wage for a fair day's work, and if I work more than 40 hours a week on a given job or project I expect to be compensated for that extra time. I am sure we all would.

Edited November 13, 2007 by Sand

[Volourn]

If the employees don't like it, they can quit. OMG! That's unthinkable! You need an IQ of 200 to figure this puzzle out!!!

 

And, if they don't get OT pay then sue.

 

P.S. I believe various employees have sued EA over this.

 

Perish the thought! Common sense wins out, and it should!!!

[Kor Qel Droma]

Working 60 to 80 hours a week without overtime/compensation pay?

 

It's called a salary.

[Sand]

Working 60 to 80 hours a week without overtime/compensation pay?

 

It's called a salary.

Even those on salary deserve compensation pay if the employee put in extra time beyond 40 hours in a week.

[Kelverin]

Even those on salary deserve compensation pay if the employee put in extra time beyond 40 hours in a week.

Not to familiar with how salary works are you?

[Sand]

I don't really care to be honest. I believe in fair pay for the time and work being done. If the work entails that one needs to go above 40 hours in a week then the employee deserves to be compensated for that time with extra pay.

Edited November 13, 2007 by Sand

[Zoma]

Ho ho. Obsidian better hope their George Ziets is well shackled, blackmailed or contracted without a flaw to serve the devil Feargus for another century or so.

[Meshugger]

Hah! If i had the skill of writing a good story, then i would send my CV within a heartbreak. While EA's practices are bad at best, it would give one the excellent opportunity to make a name for oneself in the industry. In the end, they (EA) will beg me to work for them

[Morgoth]

I doubt just being a good writer (who everyone claims today anyway) will justify a writer position at Bioware. There's obviously going on more under the hood.

Go build some Maps, learn Scripting, learn some basic art skills, create interactive plots and implement them... maybe then you, or no YOU, will become one day a true official Biowarian!

And you even get mountain dew and Bio-T-Shirts for free, if you're lucky.

[Pop]

I doubt just being a good writer (who everyone claims today anyway) will justify a writer position at Bioware. There's obviously going on more under the hood.

Go build some Maps, learn Scripting, learn some basic art skills, create interactive plots and implement them... maybe then you, or no YOU, will become one day a true official Biowarian!

And you even get mountain dew and Bio-T-Shirts for free, if you're lucky.

That seems to be the way it is throughout the industry, these days. Didn't MCA write something about how designers were expected to be competent in something other than straight design? Programming, etc.

[Morgoth]

Yeah, I think it can be found somewhere on his blog. But it should be obvious that constantly learning new skills (and abandoning old techniques) is an absolute must in any creative industry in order to communicate with people that have other disciplines.... or any industry where you create/design stuff. That includes engineering, too.

 

Nobody really wants to babysit a writer, after all.

[Gromnir]

am not much of a writer ourself, but all those secondary skills is what Gromnir would find daunting... coupled with a big pay cut and a move to kanada.

 

HA! Good Fun!