The definitive guide to game writing inspiration

boolean · 2013-02-07T01:06:03

Over the last few months I have noticed that there seems to of been a number of posts asking for help on a similar theme: “Im a coder, not a writer. Please help me write a story” This is a pretty common occurrence. A programmer designs an engine, but has no world or plot to place upon it. Unfortunately, it is very unlikely that a post asking for a story that you could create will lead to anything substantial. This is because unless you design it yourself, you wont have a passion for the world you are creating, and invariably end up continually asking people for more and more help on what comes next (In a similar way, its like asking someone to write the first 10 pages of a book for you). So, to combat this problem, I have come up the list below. The following is what will (hopefully) be an ever-growing list of sites and guides that can help you get over that writing block. They are links to sites that may spark ideas and get you thinking of possible plot ideas. Some will be galleries with lots of different art, and some will be guides on how to get started when creating a story. ++ How to submit ++ UPDATE: This thread has been retired automatically, so to submit new content please just send me a PM I am hoping that this list will continue to grow as more and more people submit links. To submit your part to the guide, please follow the format below. Once I have verified that the site fits this guide I will add it to the list below. I will put your username with your link as well so you get sufficient credit. Site name: Type the name of the site or page title that the link is connecting to. Site Address: Don’t worry about it being a clicky or not if you don’t want to. It will be formatted correctly when I add it to the list. Description: A quick description of what the site contains. Best way to use(optional): A small guide on how you use the site for inspiration (not needed if the site you are linking to is a tutorial/guide) You can copy and past this if you find it quicker: Site name: Site Address: Description: Best way to use: ++ THE LIST ++ ++ Websites ++ Elwood Science fiction and fantasy art A collection of user submitted art containing both Sci-fi and Fantasy Best way to use: Just go through random pages looking at the art. Find one picture you like and try to imagine that as being part of a story. You will be surprised the plots you come up with Concept art A small collection of user submitted art containing people from both Sci-fi and Fantasy Best way to use: Just go through random pages looking at the art. Find one picture you like and try to imagine the character as part of a story. The big list of RPG plots A huge list of plot starters that can be used to move to bigger story lines. It is designed for Pen&Paper games, but its still useful. Best way to use: Read some of the plot starters and try to think of them being a level in a game. You may find that the setting and characters come naturally after this. Dictionary of Inspiration Credit: orionx103 A dictionary of stuff that inspired me Best way to use: Base your own characters or items off those presented here FanFiction.net Credit: orionx103 A collection of fan-submitted fanfics Best way to use: Shows you how characters can be taken in directions you might not've thought about Vladimir Propp's "Elements of the Folktale" Credit: sunandshadow Propp breaks down plot/folktale elements into 31 basic forms. Very interesting reading Chris Crawford's library of articles Credit: sunandshadow A library of articles about mimetics, the structure and function of fiction, and the design of the Erazmatron and some games made for it. The TV Tropes Wiki Credit: sunandshadow A lighthearted but intelligent wiki exploring common cliches and tropes in not just TV, but also anime, games, movies, and novels. Lots of stuff about heroes, villains, types of love interests, types of plots, and much more. ++ Books ++ Please Understand Me II: Temperament, Character, Intelligence Credit: Sunandshadow Author: David Keirsey. Received 4.5/5 on Amazon.com The Writer's Guide to Character Traits Credit: Sunandshadow Author: Linda N. Edelstein Ph.D. 45 Master Characters: Mythic Models for Creating Original Characters Credit: Sunandshadow Author: Victoria Schmidt. Received 4/5 on Amazon.com The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes and Heroines Credit: Sunandshadow Author: Tami D. owden. Received 4.5/5 on Amazon.com Characters Make Your Story Credit: Sunandshadow Author: Maren Elwood. Received 5/5 on Amazon.com! Fiction Is Folks Credit: Sunandshadow Author: Robert Newton Peck. Received 5/5 on Amazon.com! Interactive Storytelling: Techniques for 21st Century Fiction Credit: Sunandshadow Author: Andrew Glassner A list of his books including The "Masks of God" series, as well as "The Hero With A Thousand Faces". Credit: stimarco A study on mythologies and how to use them when writing a story Author: Joseph Campbell. Received 5/5 on Amazon.com (average from 3 books) ++ Forum Links ++ The Creative Process Credit: CoffeeMug A post by CoffeeMug Works to get inspiration from? Credit: various Excellent post started by Origin2052, continued on by many others. Writing – Reply by adventuredesign Credit: adventuredesign (includes other various members) The post originally asked for help with writing, and adventuredesign went on to post a gigantic tutorial like post ++ Gamedev.net links ++ More Than You Ever Wanted To Know About Worldbuilding sunandshadows developer journal An in depth look into worldbuilding. Touches on aspects such as Physics, Geography, Ecology and Culture. Designing Characters sunandshadows developer journal A guide on creating believable and in-depth characters. Plot Part I sunandshadows developer journal Breaks down the key points of a plot and analysis its progression from start to end. Plot Part II sunandshadows developer journal Fleshes out some of the milestons discussed in 'Plot Part I'. Naming sunandshadows developer journal A look at 5 different varieties of names, and discusses how to use them to name your characters. ++ Other useful tools ++ Universalis Credit: onyxflame A collaborative storytelling game, with mechanics to resolve disagreements between players, as well as the ability to semi-randomly resolve story conflicts so even the players can be surprised by what happens. Roget's Thesaurus online, free and searchable! Credit: Sunandshadow Storybase Software for Writers Credit: diceymatters Storybase is the world's only dictionary of essential human situations. The situations in Storybase make no reference to culture or gender specific conventions, so in a sense they are 'archetypal' and can be applied to any type of story. The software enables the writer to insert the names of their characters into the situtuations in Storybase. It is a great resourse for game developers who are having trouble with a specific story or who need to generate a lot of story threads in a short amount of time. Storybase does not write the story for you, however, it offers suggestions that spark the imagination. Storybase is a PC based software program that costs $99 (but it can be found on eBay for as little as $69.95). [Edited by - sunandshadow on August 27, 2008 3:33:51 PM]

Writing for Games Game Design

Started by boolean August 16, 2004 07:18 AM

59 comments, last by GearTreeEntertaiment 11 years, 3 months ago

boolean

1,830

Author

September 12, 2004 09:40 AM

So that everyone knows, just because this post has been up for a while now doesn’t mean you cant submit your suggestions to be added to the list. I check this post every couple of days to see if there is anything to add, so it does still get updated.

Avatar God

1,072

September 30, 2004 09:21 AM

Way to go, boolean! It's great to see some great additions to this forum! If only I could still rate you higher...

I've got a couple of sites buried in my old IE log, I'll see if I can find them (and if they're still up, for that matter).

gsgraham.comSo, no, zebras are not causing hurricanes.

boolean

1,830

Author

September 30, 2004 09:44 AM

Welcome back to GDnet Avatar God!

Thanks for the feedback. And if you can find those sites, I will add them to the list post-haste.

Cheers!

frankskye

106

October 09, 2004 01:17 PM

Are there really programmers out there who are looking for story/character/worlds to build their programs around(or vice versa)?

I have the opposite problem. I constantly have themes, stories, music, movies, characters, magic, sci-fi, etc., all running around in my head. If there are folks looking for ideas, send them my way. I would love to build a portfolio of concepts that have been actually used in games.

sunandshadow

7,435

October 16, 2004 07:17 PM

Here are some itemized links to writing topics in my developer journal:

More Than You Ever Wanted To Know About Worldbuilding"

Designing Characters

Plot Part I

Plot Part II

Naming

I want to help design a "sandpark" MMO. Optional interactive story with quests and deeply characterized NPCs, plus sandbox elements like player-craftable housing and lots of other crafting. If you are starting a design of this type, please PM me. I also love pet-breeding games.

boolean

1,830

Author

October 16, 2004 09:31 PM

Thanks for those links SnS. I had a read through them and I can tell why everyone flocks to your journal [grin]

I have added an extra section to the guide called 'Gamedev.net links', so if you know of any great articles that exist on Gamedev, post the link and I will add them to that section.

onyxflame

203

October 17, 2004 10:40 PM

Oy, looks like sun's got some great stuff...now if only I can stop blabbering long enough to check out her journal. :P (You are a she, I hope? I seem to remember that from months ago lol.)

Oh and, do you have any info on that card game sun? Sounds like something my family would love playing, but it's doubtful I'd be able to find it in this crap town. Maybe I'll just hafta make my own version... :)

And boolean, as much of this stuff as you do all the time, why aren't you a moderator or something by now? :)

If a squirrel is chasing you, drop your nuts and run.

sunandshadow

7,435

October 18, 2004 06:01 AM

Quote:Original post by onyxflame
Oy, looks like sun's got some great stuff...now if only I can stop blabbering long enough to check out her journal. :P (You are a she, I hope? I seem to remember that from months ago lol.)

Oh and, do you have any info on that card game sun? Sounds like something my family would love playing, but it's doubtful I'd be able to find it in this crap town. Maybe I'll just hafta make my own version... :)

And boolean, as much of this stuff as you do all the time, why aren't you a moderator or something by now? :)

Lol. Thank you, and yes I'm a she. Card game...? Oh, you mean _Once Upon a Time_ by Atlas Games (There are now spanish and italian versions too, but this website doesn't sell the french version becauseit belongs to a different company, Halloween Games.)

stimarco

1,071

October 18, 2004 11:14 AM

This is probably one for the writer, but...

If you want to get away from the increasingly tired rehashes of Celtic/Scandinavian mythologies that have become so popularised by Tolkien's works, you could do a lot worse than read Joseph Campbell's books on the world's myths and legends.

Here's a list of his books from Amazon UK. The "Masks of God" series, as well as "The Hero With A Thousand Faces" are the key works.

His studies of the world's mythologies were made in the 1960s and he rounded them off with a book that uses Jungian principles in an analysis of common storytelling elements he discovered during his studies. This book has proven something of a seminal work on the subject: "The Hero With A Thousand Faces" and is the basis for all of Christopher Vogler's books ("The Writer's Journey", "The Hero's Journey", etc.) Many books have been written based on Campbell's original analysis, but few add anything really new and some actually miss the point.

I should add that Campbell wrote for an academic audience, so don't expect an easy read. Chris Vogler's books are probably better if you prefer some bedtime reading, but I warn you: you won't be able to watch "Star Wars: A New Hope" again in quite the same light.

--
Sean Timarco Baggaley

Sean Timarco Baggaley (Est. 1971.)Warning: May contain bollocks.

sunandshadow

7,435

October 18, 2004 01:02 PM

Personally, I can't stand Joseph Campbell. He was a transcendentalist/spiritualist of some sort and it shows very badly in the way he writes like someone blindly enamoured of 'ancient ritual' and 'noble savagery' rather than a sociologist or other objective scholar. >.< Unfortuately he was the most prolific writer about myth and now is one of the few who can be regularly found on bookstore shelves. I would recommend Emile Durkheim, John Fraser, Jared Diamond, etc. instead.

The definitive guide to game writing inspiration

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