Cue the groaning: Writers Guild announces video game nominations

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jan 13th 2009 at 2:24PM }

The Writers Guild of America has announced five nominees for best video game writing in 2008. This will be the Guild's second year giving out the award, with last year's nod going to Dead Head Fred. Hmm, well, this year's nominees are certainly an interesting group and are sure to generate some conversation about what constitutes good writing in a game ... provided said game was written by an eligible WGA member, that is.

Although most of those titles are instantly recognizable, Dangerous High School Girls is an indie title that's (clearly) gaining some recognition. Are you betting on the dark horse? The winner will be announced Feb. 7.

[Via Big Download]

Tags: command-and-conquer-red-alert-3, dangerous-high-school-girls-in-trouble, fallout-3, force-unleashed, red-alert-3, star-wars-the-force-unleashed, the-force-unleashed, tome-raider-underworld, writers-guild-of-america

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Rhinosaur @ Jan 13th 2009 2:32PM

Good writing usually leads to good movies...same can't be said for video games, however. Fallout being the exception on this list.

P.S. The Force Unleashed sucked.

Doreo @ Jan 13th 2009 2:40PM

Whoa Whoa Whoa, The Force Unleashed book was really good and it's basically what the videogame is... Just with some details left out. But I beg to differ on Fallout having a great story, I mean Typical bethesda bs. Ah save the world! Pave your own story! Nothing I couldn't do with a dungeon and dragons book...

Don't get me wrong, I love the game but the writing didn't wow me.

Know what else, out of all the games released in 2008, only five are worthy enough of nomination?

Deck @ Jan 13th 2009 2:44PM

Alright, I will agree that the overall story isn't that great. But I would say that it isn't because of the writing but more so because plot. No its not.. "THAT" original. The actual writing wasn't bad. And what about all the writing in the many side quests? Those stories? The writing was great. Maybe not the plot, but that's different when it actually comes to the quality of the written word.

Strike Man @ Jan 13th 2009 2:45PM

"Know what else, out of all the games released in 2008, only five are worthy enough of nomination?"

FTFA: "The nominees and the winners are picked by panels from the WGA's Videogame Writers Caucus (which has 200 members), as well as other winners active in the field. The nominees are picked from games that submit their scripts to the guild. I have no idea yet how many scripts were submitted and for what games, but I've asked and will hopefully have an answer soon."

Deck @ Jan 13th 2009 2:41PM

Dead Head Fred won over Mass Effect last year? What? Oh well, whatever.

Anyway... I'd say Fallout 3 here on this list for sure. But as Rhinosaur said, good writing doesn't normally make a good game. Though it can help, especially if the game is presented in a good way. Then it is crucial.

t_m @ Jan 14th 2009 3:23AM

mass effect wasn't nominated/eligible

Dash @ Jan 13th 2009 2:55PM

Too bad they didn't have such prizes back in the day of Planescape: Torment, Fallout 1/2 and the Ogre tatics/battle games. From far away some of the best scripts in gaming history (also better then most movies)

I Like Corn @ Jan 13th 2009 2:55PM

I definitely have to say that The Force Unleashed had the best writing, though the "Evil" ending was more of a novelty than an actual ending(it left open things that got tied up very neatly and in a very Star Wars fashion in the "Good" ending).

Force Unleashed was buggy as all hell, but it had the best writing. Fallout 3 is a great game, and a great WORLD, but unlike Morrowind it has rather unimpressive linear storytelling results. Star Wars was perfect for me in terms of film-like storytelling in video games.

Hashbrown Hunter @ Jan 13th 2009 3:03PM

Force Unleashed had a fantastic story, and they probably could've made it into a full theatrical movie if they wanted to.

D dogg @ Jan 13th 2009 2:58PM

I personally loved Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Maybe those that didn't like it didn't finish it, I don't know, but I thought it was very good.

I also like Dead Space, even if it was cliched all to hell.

I'm VERY glad that Gears of War 2 didn't make the list. The story sucked sucked SUCKED in my opinion for GoW2.

Snowblind @ Jan 13th 2009 4:27PM

The story was great, but the ending ruined it. The actual gameplay was awful though, it was just painful to play through. The biggest problem is that all the enemies become imune to your force powers by the second level, and when those powers were supposed to be the whole purpose of the game...

It definitely deserves to be nominated for the writting though, besides the cop out ending it was fantastic.

Pimliconite @ Jan 13th 2009 3:04PM

Dangerously High School Girls in Trouble

Crowd Control Methods @ Jan 13th 2009 3:58PM

Just wanted to say awesome pic and hooray Fat Possum Records

Pimliconite @ Jan 13th 2009 5:56PM

You better run

Ghaleon @ Jan 13th 2009 3:27PM

Category should be retitled: Best Videogame "Writing"

HippoHero @ Jan 13th 2009 3:38PM

Agreed.

Why is it that videogames can't tell a decent story? Even Fallout 3, which has a good videogame story, has a really crappy story by literary standards.

I remember playing Jeanne D'arc for the PSP and thinking to myself "Self, this game has a great plot.", but when you think about it for a second, it actually doesn't.
It hits every cliche in the fantasy genre and has no character development at all. If it were a book, I'd have thrown it against the wall.

I guess awarding attempts at good writing might help videogames out of their slump.

I really want Zelda to have a better story-line, in particular.

Haggard @ Jan 13th 2009 5:02PM

But what about GTA4!

It has a stereotypical Eastern European guy going around shooting people with very little justification!

slycooper_rocker [patapon defence force] @ Jan 13th 2009 8:58PM

but...i liked jeanne...

*realizes you're right and goes off to cry in the closet*

and regarding the article itself, how did mgs4 not make it but force unleashed did? and fallout 3's central story wasn't the best but the overall world bethesda created was pure genius.

mister_d @ Jan 13th 2009 3:33PM

I'm guessing these are the only 5 games written by WGA members this year then.

"BEWARE!! A demon stalks this school!" She points at Emma. "YOU there, tremble, for its name is Sabotage!"

Edge of your seat stuff right there.

Sir Buzz Killington( The Artist formerly known as Jakka) @ Jan 13th 2009 3:49PM

Fallout 3...

Sir Buzz Killington( The Artist formerly known as Jakka) @ Jan 13th 2009 3:58PM

Okay, I can't hold it anymore:

NO FUCKING WAY!

A BRAINLESS CHIMP COULD WRITE A BETTER STORY.

A FIVE YEAR OLD COULD Q/A AND PATCH LESSER PLOTHOLES.

UWE BOLL COULD MAKE A BETTER FALLOUT-BASED MOVIE, LEGACY AND VERISIMILITUDE WISE.

BWAHHAHAHAHA!

/endrant

Glad, I got this out of the way.

Now for the rest of titles, the only one I really can't understand is Tomb Raider Underworld.TFU deserves a nomination for being an official Lucas Canon between prequels and original trilogy and RA3's cutscenes are cheesy but full of awesome.I'm surprised that MGS4 didn't make it because while quantity =/= quality, you can't honestly tell me that Fallout 3 was better written than Kojima's magnum opus.