Key Responsibilities

• Creates story concepts
• Working within the framework of the critical path, create compelling and intriguing plots, subplots and characters
• Responsible for all dialogue, journal entries and rewrites
• Responsible for solid understanding of IP and overall story/critical path of project
• Maintains materials and completes writing assignments according to set standards regarding order, clarity, conciseness, style and terminology
• Reviews documentation and recommends revisions or change in scope, format, or content

Experience and Qualifications

• BS/BA degree or equivalent professional experience; and demonstrated writing skills via portfolio
• 2-5 years professional writing experience
• Proven examples of professional writing, editing and document formatting skills
• Must have thorough understanding of the needs of the end-user as to write from that perspective
• Must self-educate through documents and product use
• Must differentiate between elementary and ancillary information
• Must be able to recognize potential problems in plots, characters, and areas, while propose/brainstorm appropriate solutions with the lead writer/lead designer
• Willingness and ability to meet aggressive deadlines and extraordinary attention to details
• Strong research, analytical and problem solving skills
• Strong oral communication and interpersonal skills (cross-functional team environments)
• The ability to work within the framework of the overall story to create interesting plots and subplots for an area
• Be aware and sensitive to what resources (art, programming) are available, and the ability to work within these limits when devising plots and characters
• High level of flexibility with regard to change in direction or/and rewrites

Familiarity with the fantasy genre and role-playing games is a must. Should have some experience with the NWN editor. Examples of work must be provided (see below).

Required Submission

An example of writing via the Neverwinter Nights toolset should be provided. If not in NWN, then please use the alternative submission described later.

Here are the guidelines for the module:

• Make the module short. It should be a short, interesting story that can be played within 15 to 30 minutes.
• Start the story off with a bang! If it doesn't catch our interest with the first character, your submission will likely be discarded.
• There should be at least 3000 words of dialogue within the module.
• We will be judging your ability to write dialogue that is interesting and has personality. The characters you are writing have to be engaging in a manner that immediately draws in the reader.
• The dialogue must be fun and easy to read, not overly verbose.
• We will also be judging the structure of your dialogue. Does the dialogue flow logically? Does the player feel in control of the conversation?
• Avoid creating an entire adventure module with combat, puzzles, and so on. Focus your efforts on dialogue.
• Remember, this module is not being judged on scripting. A simple set of characters with dialogue that can be played in-game is something anyone with basic computer skills can figure out how to set up in under an hour.
• Examples of the style of game dialogue that we are looking for: Mass Effect and Knights of the Old Republic.

Alternative Submission

• Download the following Word document – BioWare Dialogue Exercise (Microsoft Word 175 KB).
• Using the format shown in the example conversation, create your own conversation tree for the start of a quest. Use all of the same rules as shown from above.
• Send in your Word document for review.

Common writing submission mistakes:

• Overly verbose dialogue. Dialogue should be succinct and easy to read.
• Dialogue where the player has very little interaction. The player should feel that he is talking to an NPC, not being talked at.
• Modern sounding dialogue. Do not use modern anachronisms or slang. Fantasy characters shouldn't sound like they come from the 21st century.
• Boring first character. The first character the player talks to sets the tone for the entire module.

How to Apply

Note: Resume submissions not including an example dialogue will not be considered.

Along with your submission, you MUST include a signed product submission agreement. You can fax it to: 780-439-6374

Please quote the following competition number in the subject line of your electronic application, or include in the cover letter of your mailed application:

07-WRITER-BWA-23

To apply by e-mail, send your resume and online portfolio to:

WriterJobsAustin@bioware.com

Resources to help you apply:

• Product Submission Agreement (PSA)

Due to the volume of applications we receive for our job postings, we are unable to respond personally to telephone inquiries regarding the status of an application. Only candidates being considered for interview will be contacted at this time.