Closing Thoughts on the BioWare Writing Contest

By Kevin Barrett

Jay asked me to write down a few thoughts about the writing contest modules I've played through.

First of all, I want to congratulate so many community members for putting together such a spectacular array of work, particularly given the very tight creative restrictions that the contest put in place. It's quite remarkable how densely packed a 4x4 NWN area can be! The winners of this contest, as selected by their peers in the community, can be quite proud of their efforts.

Of course, there was another aspect of this contest; that being BioWare's desire to find new potential writers for our studio here in Edmonton (and now in Austin as well). As it turned out, only a precious few entrants were able to grasp the qualities we were looking for in potential BioWare storytellers. Make no mistake, there were plenty of great stories to be found in the contest entries. However, the earmark of a good BioWare writer is the ability to empower and excite the player to delve into what ultimately becomes his own story.

If I may make a few observations, I hope that I can assist aspiring BioWare writers in future iterations of this contest (I'm sure we'll hold it again...).

Far and away, the contest guideline that was overlooked more often than not was the suggestion that the player should feel like he is in control of the conversation, and by extension, the story. This has to do with a player's desire to direct the unfolding of an adventure. It was often the case that a contestant would create a very interesting story, but then put the player in the position to peripherally explore or "observe" the unfolding of that story without actually "living" it or caring about it. Such stories were often characterized by several consecutive single-option exchanges between the player and NPC. This stymies ownership of the story by the player and rarely feels heroic.

Many stories simply relied on the player's curiosity, or fictionalized sense of loyalty, to drive him through to the plot's resolution. Few were able to give the player a compelling reason to succeed. Stories that were otherwise good had the player working for the interest of a 3rd party, rather than for the player's immediate interest. Nothing galvanizes a jaded player into action like personal emotional attachment...and it takes a really good writer to create this attachment with just a few lines of dialogue or a three-sentence journal entry at the beginning of a module.

Related to the contest guideline mentioned above, was the suggestion that players should feel that they are talking to an NPC, not being talked at. We were looking for conversations that felt natural, and the best were ones where the player had the illusion he was driving the story forward in his own way and at his own pace. Being able to create the illusion of total player control is perhaps one of the toughest skills a writer here can acquire.

Ultimately, the best entries from my point of view were the ones that created and sustained a strong mood, while challenging me to give a damn about completing them. It's a fine line to walk, but these best modules made the story flow from the player's actions, rather than made the player investigate a story that existed for the sake of the player to discover.

Once again, congratulations to the hundreds of entrants. My critiques notwithstanding, you all really did some stunning work, and I hope you'll participate the next time we run this contest.

Best,
Kevin Barrett
Director of Design
BioWare

Related Links

• BioWare Writing Contest Winners
• Apply for a job
• Read about the writing contest
• Writing contest module submissions