Game Writing at a Distance (aka Game Writing under Contract) - Professional Techniques for Video Game Writing - page 59

Multiply Your Network of Contacts
As contractors know, you spend 60% of your time actually working and 40% of
your time marketing your skills. Working for multiple employers, assuming that
they all love you and your work, increases your network of referrals and contacts that
make landing your next job all the easier. But there is actually a multiplicative effect
because of the game industry's gypsy nature. Doing good work for one company
always spreads your positive reputation over multiple companies because by the time
a year or two have passed, some members of that original developer are now working
at other companies, and you can leverage those contacts into companies you've never
worked for.
Work on Different Genres
This advantage falls into the category of “stretching your muscles.� The kind of
writing you might do for an RPG is fundamentally different from a first-person
shooter. Developers certainly look for writers with experience in the genre they are
building, but more importantly, they look for quality and dependability. You'll be
able to experience different story problems and different styles, and it will be rare
indeed that you find yourself working on the same genre of game two projects in a
row.
Freedom to Work on Your Own Projects
You're a freelance writer, after all, and to some degree you are controlling your sched-
ule. You want to write a novel? Go for it. You want to write a screenplay? Nothing
stopping you. In fact, working on your own projects will make you a better writer.
Whileitistruethatthiskindofoutsideworkisoftenallowedwhenyouareonstaff
(but staffers should carefully read their employment contract's non-compete clauses),
working on staff is like a real job, and your own projects fall into the category of
“when you get the energy and time.�
Freedom to Work in Other Industries
This is a corollary to the previous advantage. Modern media is becoming a big soup
(games become TV shows, which become films, which have derivative novels pub-
lished about them), and as the writer, you may be the only member of the extended
development team who has any experience in other media. The more you keep your
chops in other forms of writing polished, the more you can become the bridge to
those other media forms. In fact, if you keep active in other industries, you may
become the instigator of business opportunities that raise your profile and could be
very lucrative.
Sometimes a Little Distance Gives You Perspective
Most contract writers work off-site. Not always, but most of the time. Develop-
ment environments can be emotional and political, and not always in good ways.