Writing in a Team - Professional Techniques for Video Game Writing - page 73

8.6 Getting Feedback on Game Writing
You've mastered giving feedback, but did you know that getting feedback is another
skill? While restraining yourself from throttling the person criticizing you may seem
like a great skill, the subtle art of getting feedback leaves both parties better off and
without the need for a sedative. First and foremost, remember that everyone giving
notes on your writing has the best interest of the game at heart. They're not out to
get you, and it's not personal. Try these four tips when getting feedback on writing.

• Ask questions. While many who give you feedback will give reasons for the

note, their reason may not always be the right one. For example, a developer
may say, “I don't like the word this character uses.� You may dutifully change
the word, but the real issue at hand may involve a misconception about the
character or the style required for the world. Better to find this out earlier
rather than later. This idea leads into. . .

• Take the note, not the suggestion. Often, feedback will come in the form

of a suggestion: “Have this character yell at the player here.� If you delve a
little bit deeper, you may realize that the concern is not the yelling per se but
the lack of drama in the scene. You may then change the scene to add more
drama without any yelling. As long as you address the note underneath the
suggestion, everyone should be happy.

• Prioritize the notes. For a number of reasons, you may not be able to incorpo-

rate all the notes you are given. You may be getting feedback from a number
of people, or you may be pressed for time, even more likely in game devel-
opment. Identify your priorities through speaking with your colleagues or
leadership, then take care of the key issues first. Ideally, you shouldn't bother
with typos, for example, when your story needs a major overhaul. However,
for production reasons, you may indeed need to fix those typos for a demo or
testing before getting to story issues.

• Don't take every note. Even if you have the time and ability to fix everything

that was red-flagged, you may decide not to execute every suggestion. This sce-
nario requires caution, a lot of diplomacy, and an honest evaluation of where
you stand. Taking the wrong note may harm your work, and as the person
hired for your expertise, you are responsible for keeping the story or writing
on course. By the same token, you may not be in the position to make such
decisions. Tread carefully.

• Cool off. If you find yourself feeling defensive, take time to cool off and ap-

preciate the feedback for what it is—an honest effort to improve the game.
Never forget that you work in a collaborative medium, and feedback is one of
its joys.