Writing for All Audiences - Professional Techniques for Video Game Writing - page 90

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Writing for All Audiences
Beth A. Dillon
As the game industry grows, the new line is “games are for everyone.� This doesn't
just refer to housewives playing casual games on the Web. The 2007 poll data from
AOL Games and The Associated Press revealed that 80% of kids between the ages
of 4 and 17 play video games, 38% of adults play video games of some form, and
42% of self-described “hardcore� gamers are female. Well, so much for the 18-25
male target audience in North America. Of course this audience still dominates
the market, but there are many opportunities to work on games for other types of
players.
As a writer, you should consider a multifaceted audience. Although the kind
of players you're writing for will likely depend on the genre of game, you have a
role in pushing a game beyond its typical genre limitations. Often, you'll enter a
project after design decisions have been made, but there are still steps you can take.
If you're fortunate enough to be a full-time team member who gets design input or
even if you're brought on later in the project, you'll get mileage out of audience-based
research.
For insight on meeting player expectations and how an audience generally evalu-
ates a game, read Rhianna Pratchett's “The Needs of the Audience� chapter of Game
Writing: Narrative Skills for Videogames . For specifics on writing for localization,
which has its own challenges considering the very differences behind cultural con-
cepts of play and transferability of language, see Tim Langdell's “Beware of the Lo-
calization� chapter in the same topic.
In the meantime, there are several points of advice to take from game writers
who have been there and done that. Above all, research, research, and research some
more. Whether you're writing a tutorial or dialog for a character, take the time
to know who you're writing for and about. If you have the resources, hold mini
focus groups with your audience or people who can inspire your writing content
and style.