We've said some ... unkind things about the Writer's Guild of America's video game awards over the years, previous nominees for which include Wet, X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Clash of the Titans. Of course, there's always been a widespread belief that the pool was thinned by WGA requirements that nominees have to be members of the organization.
That's not exactly true, according to WGA spokesperson Micah Wright, who wrote a guest column on the topic for GamesIndustry.biz. Nominees, as it turns out, actually only have to be a member of the Videogame Writers Caucus (for the princely yearly sum of $60) rather than the full union.
So what's been keeping some of the best games of the past four years from being nominated? Some developers -- like BioWare -- simply haven't submitted scripts, but with others it's a question of not knowing who to nominate. "The first year, several games which people believed should have won our award were not eligible because the Developer didn't bother to credit the people who wrote those games," Wright wrote. "That's an insult, and as a guild of professional writers, we're not about to give an award to either a mystery person, or to a company which can't be bothered to honor the workers who made their game."
Wright also quipped, "We're not giving an award for 'Best Videogame of the Year!' - if you want that, go watch the Spike Game Awards." We hope the WGA has the wisdom to nominate that for "Unintentionally Funniest Line of the Year."
Reader Comments (52)
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 9:34AM JnRx said
HEll YEAH~!
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 9:37AM Aerothorn said
That's actually a pretty fair explanation, though for full cred they'd honor people outside the "caucus."
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 12:21PM onan said
@Ellimem They're kind of putting the cart before the horse here by charging people to be included in their list of nominees if previous recipients of their awards have been games like Wet or Clash of the Titans. Most people refused to spend $60 to play those games, let alone want to spend that much to be associated with them.
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Posted: Feb 6th 2011 9:50AM RedViv said
Unintentionally funniest line, indeed. I nearly spilled my tea right now.
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 10:24AM deceiver said
"The first year, several games which people believed should have won our award were not eligible because the Developer didn't bother to credit the people who wrote those games,"
That's BS. They don't know what game credits are? Writers are CLEARLY labeled. They're too professional to look at them I guess.
That's BS. They don't know what game credits are? Writers are CLEARLY labeled. They're too professional to look at them I guess.
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 12:14PM M4L said
Actually, you have to be pretty naive to thing that every single creative is given acknowledgment during the credits, particularly in the video game industry.
Video Game companies have a history of not officially allowing game or designer credits to be included in the game, prompting teams of often having to sneak credits into finished products.
In a recent GT Bonus Round, Michael Pachter mentioned that the video game industry is the only big entertainment provider (compared to the film and music industry) that tries to keep their talent anonymous, so that the talent can be paid less and easily shuffled between projects.
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Video Game companies have a history of not officially allowing game or designer credits to be included in the game, prompting teams of often having to sneak credits into finished products.
In a recent GT Bonus Round, Michael Pachter mentioned that the video game industry is the only big entertainment provider (compared to the film and music industry) that tries to keep their talent anonymous, so that the talent can be paid less and easily shuffled between projects.
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 1:00PM Leperous said
@M4L Excellently put. One of our nominees this year was only credited with a "story by" credit despite having served as the game's Creative Director... but because he left to start a new job before the game was published, the Developer chose to punish the person who built their best-selling game of the year by downgrading his credit. This type of behavior is unfortunately VERY common in the videogame world, and it's all about controlling and punishing employees. Our credits ARE our resumes, and by punitively manipulating them, certain employers are able to control their employees' future careers.
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Posted: Feb 6th 2011 10:27AM ND92 said
After clicking the tag, it looks like two of the last winners were Uncharted 2 and Force Unleashed.
Sounds fair, these guys are writers.
Sounds fair, these guys are writers.
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 10:28AM Ospov said
I know you have to pay to be in these kinds of things and $60 is nothing to giant video game developers, but at the same time it seems like those $60 could be put to better use. What's the benefits for being in the caucus anyway? You can win some writers award? Whoop-de-doo.
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 1:06PM Leperous said
@Ospov There are a lot of benefits of membership, not least of them is the chance to interface with and learn from other professional writers and to improve ones own skills. On the more tangible side, a couple hundred dollars worth of free movie-going every year. Oh, and healthcare you can take from employer to employer without pre-existing conditions clauses or being forced to switch doctors every time you switch jobs. I invite you to click around on the website and survey what we offer to our writer-members.
http://www.wga.org/
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http://www.wga.org/
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 10:31AM Ospov said
Oh and how would BioWare even submit a script to them? The conversations can all go different ways depending on what the player tells the character to do. Maybe instead of BioWare submitting a script they should just *gasp* play the game!
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 11:05AM zerosuitsammich said
@Ospov
There is still a script. Every game with significant amounts of dialogue (either spoken or written) has a script. It's very different in format than a movie script because of the branching possibilities but every word has to be written down somewhere in order to be recorded/typed into the game.
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There is still a script. Every game with significant amounts of dialogue (either spoken or written) has a script. It's very different in format than a movie script because of the branching possibilities but every word has to be written down somewhere in order to be recorded/typed into the game.
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 1:13PM Leperous said
@Ospov http://www.wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx?id=2946#video
"Scripts must be submitted in a reasonable approximation of a standard film or TV script format, and must clearly demonstrate the progression of the story. The submission must represent a linear play-through of the game; it should only contain scenes and dialogue that are critical to telling the story, and must not include multiple beginnings, middles or endings. In the case of multiple story pathways, it is acceptable to choose a single path."
Last year's nominee, Jesse Stern didn't have a final formatted script for Modern Warfare 2... so he had an intern sit down, play the game and write down all the dialog. Then he wrote a few action descriptions. He found it worthy use of his time, and was quite proud of his nomination.
Our judges are all professional videogame developers... it's not like we haven't played these games... we just don't want to have to sit and play them for two weeks to find out how the story ends. Hence the requirement for a script. Also, removing the writing from the gameplay aids drastically in the evaluation of the writing... plot, character, dialog, etc... these are what we're honoring, after all.
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"Scripts must be submitted in a reasonable approximation of a standard film or TV script format, and must clearly demonstrate the progression of the story. The submission must represent a linear play-through of the game; it should only contain scenes and dialogue that are critical to telling the story, and must not include multiple beginnings, middles or endings. In the case of multiple story pathways, it is acceptable to choose a single path."
Last year's nominee, Jesse Stern didn't have a final formatted script for Modern Warfare 2... so he had an intern sit down, play the game and write down all the dialog. Then he wrote a few action descriptions. He found it worthy use of his time, and was quite proud of his nomination.
Our judges are all professional videogame developers... it's not like we haven't played these games... we just don't want to have to sit and play them for two weeks to find out how the story ends. Hence the requirement for a script. Also, removing the writing from the gameplay aids drastically in the evaluation of the writing... plot, character, dialog, etc... these are what we're honoring, after all.
Posted: Feb 7th 2011 2:41AM Xoonaka said
@Leperous
As Game Writing awards, I wish you would take things like the various branches of a story into consideration. Being able to write an excellent, high quality interactive piece has to be worth something... Kind of like "technical merit" points.
Plus, I'm sure a lot of stories on paper end up way better then how they're presented in the game. Not always on the writer's plate, obviously, but if he wrote something that doesn't come across well due to the format, that should count against him.
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As Game Writing awards, I wish you would take things like the various branches of a story into consideration. Being able to write an excellent, high quality interactive piece has to be worth something... Kind of like "technical merit" points.
Plus, I'm sure a lot of stories on paper end up way better then how they're presented in the game. Not always on the writer's plate, obviously, but if he wrote something that doesn't come across well due to the format, that should count against him.
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 10:42AM Hong Dong said
I love how Joystiq put Crash of the Titans on there. My thoughts exactly.
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 10:51AM Shadowbender said
I don't see why it's so hard to grasp: Video games are a very serious medium that should be respected on the same equal ground as film, music, and other art forms.
Why am I stating the obvious that video games, are indeed art?
Why am I stating the obvious that video games, are indeed art?
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 12:37PM M4L said
Video games are seen as a serious medium on equal grounds as film and music. The difference is that the film and music industry promote their talent, they heavily advertise the names behind the music and film projects. While as the video game industry goes out of their way to keep their talent hidden and interchangeable (cough)Activision(cough).
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Posted: Feb 6th 2011 4:14PM (Unverified) said
@Shadowbender
No, they don't. Games CAN be an art, but that doesn't mean that the all ARE.
99% of game writing is garbage. Giving awards to what we have now diminishes the value of truly superlative achievement. This is no place to be resting upon laurels.
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No, they don't. Games CAN be an art, but that doesn't mean that the all ARE.
99% of game writing is garbage. Giving awards to what we have now diminishes the value of truly superlative achievement. This is no place to be resting upon laurels.
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 6:23PM This Little Man Says His Name Is said
@(Unverified)
That's never stopped the music or movie industries.
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That's never stopped the music or movie industries.
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 11:05AM eat it said
does anyone really care what these people think. this industry has been thriving without them trying to cash in on it.
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 11:08AM Ezio Auditore da Firenze said
That seems like a pretty reasonable explanation.
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 11:20AM Shadowbender said
@Ezio Auditore da Firenze
Except for the part about the credits.
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Except for the part about the credits.
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 11:12AM GTThaAceman said
WET! What a very underrated game.
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 12:57PM KungFuChaosNinja said
@GTThaAceman
I agree. It was super enjoyable. But the writing wasn't good at all.
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I agree. It was super enjoyable. But the writing wasn't good at all.
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 11:14AM Poor Tom said
If the WGA wants to contribute to the video game world, they should start lending out members to write for some games. IMO the biggest issue right now is poor story writing for games.
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 11:34AM Shadowbender said
@Poor Tom
To be honest, I think if a game is having trouble establishing an engaging story, it means the developer is focusing all its energy on gameplay, presentation, controls, level design and level design that affects gameplay, etc. All what I just listed, and plenty more, is absolutely essential to a game's focus, but I remember an interview with Cliff Bleszinski, where he was quoted as saying something like " You can have a cool story, but what it all comes down to is the gameplay".
But here's my opinion: You HAVE to have a good balance of story and everything else. Look at film, for example: You can have a cruddy, garbage story, but if it's well-directed, then that's a significant success.
So I guess my point is, sometimes it's not about what it has, it's about execution.
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To be honest, I think if a game is having trouble establishing an engaging story, it means the developer is focusing all its energy on gameplay, presentation, controls, level design and level design that affects gameplay, etc. All what I just listed, and plenty more, is absolutely essential to a game's focus, but I remember an interview with Cliff Bleszinski, where he was quoted as saying something like " You can have a cool story, but what it all comes down to is the gameplay".
But here's my opinion: You HAVE to have a good balance of story and everything else. Look at film, for example: You can have a cruddy, garbage story, but if it's well-directed, then that's a significant success.
So I guess my point is, sometimes it's not about what it has, it's about execution.
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 1:22PM Leperous said
@Shadowbender I couldn't agree more. I love to stare at Michael Bay movies, but two hours later I can never remember what they were about or any of the characters' names. Spectacle is a fading thrill, and the lowest of Aristotle's poetics (plot, character, theme, dialog, melody, and then as the least important element, spectacle). The best graphics and most fun gameplay in the world can't leave the player feeling anything other than mere kinesis... for deeper meaning or resonance, a game needs a story.
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Posted: Feb 6th 2011 11:29AM When I die bury me a nerd said
@GTThaAceman
Totally agree.
Totally agree.
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 11:35AM Colin said
The can defend themselves all they want, but they still nominated Force Unleashed 2. All credibility? Lost.
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 11:45AM Unreal Armos said
If I pay the $60, will you guys nominate me for my Joystiq posts?
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 12:56PM KungFuChaosNinja said
They can defend it all they want, but it doesn't help their case at all.
New Vegas is the only one that deserved to be there. Fact.
New Vegas is the only one that deserved to be there. Fact.
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 1:21PM Jack Kevorkian said
@KungFuChaosNinja They aren't inertested in who gets the award they are interested in fee generation.
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Posted: Feb 6th 2011 1:20PM Jack Kevorkian said
It's just a sham award setup to make money. Why would anyone care to be a part of every award system designed to give people easy careers.
Joystiq you guys shouldn't believe everything you read or take every response seriously. You guys are kind of journalists in a way.
Joystiq you guys shouldn't believe everything you read or take every response seriously. You guys are kind of journalists in a way.
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 1:31PM gatotsu911 said
I fully agree that game writers are not given enough credit or credence, but does refusing to nominate games which don't credit their writers really a solution to the problem? Shouldn't the award go to the games that simply have the best writing? Won't asking the developers behind games with good writing for the names of their writers encourage them to give them more credit in the future?
Which is to say: are these awards for game writing, or game writers?
Which is to say: are these awards for game writing, or game writers?
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 2:06PM Alexisonfire said
@gatotsu911
I think that the name "Writer's Guild of America" may answer that question.
Writing is a product of a writer's talent. It is not a recognition of the end product, but the of the people who made the end product what it was.
The Academy Award for the Best Picture is not awarded to the film reel of the movie. Nor is it presented to 20th Century Fox or Universal Pictures. It goes to the people who made it happen.
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I think that the name "Writer's Guild of America" may answer that question.
Writing is a product of a writer's talent. It is not a recognition of the end product, but the of the people who made the end product what it was.
The Academy Award for the Best Picture is not awarded to the film reel of the movie. Nor is it presented to 20th Century Fox or Universal Pictures. It goes to the people who made it happen.
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 1:57PM Alexisonfire said
"...as a guild of professional writers, we're not about to give an award to either a mystery person, or to a company which can't be bothered to honor the workers who made their game"
I wholeheartedly agree. I know that some companies like to promote a game's success as a team based effort, that it was the entirety of the studio that made this fantastic, well-recieved game.
But the truth is that they are hiding behind the studio based praise and not giving individuals their due. Sure, if I'm working on AI on a massive, story based RPG I would like some credit for the whole experience. But if someone said to me that they loved the game for the characters and the story and the world, I would like to point and say "Who you really should thank is... they made the world and the story of the game that affected you so much. But you remember when in combat, enemies would do this? THAT was me."
Yes, it's true that everyone in the studio is responsible for the end product, but not everyone can do everything. If they could, everyone would just make their own games.
Give credit where credit is due.
I wholeheartedly agree. I know that some companies like to promote a game's success as a team based effort, that it was the entirety of the studio that made this fantastic, well-recieved game.
But the truth is that they are hiding behind the studio based praise and not giving individuals their due. Sure, if I'm working on AI on a massive, story based RPG I would like some credit for the whole experience. But if someone said to me that they loved the game for the characters and the story and the world, I would like to point and say "Who you really should thank is... they made the world and the story of the game that affected you so much. But you remember when in combat, enemies would do this? THAT was me."
Yes, it's true that everyone in the studio is responsible for the end product, but not everyone can do everything. If they could, everyone would just make their own games.
Give credit where credit is due.
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 3:15PM wcarnation said
It still makes me wonder why games which have terrible writing are popping up in there.
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 4:16PM (Unverified) said
@wcarnation
They have to fill out the 5 spaces for nominees somehow!
It's not like we're drowning in a sea of quality writing here.
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They have to fill out the 5 spaces for nominees somehow!
It's not like we're drowning in a sea of quality writing here.
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 3:31PM Voltron said
Well to be fair if Bioware did submit a script for any of its games be it Dragon Age or Mass Effect, it would essentially be a choose your own adventure novel
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 4:11PM (Unverified) said
Let's not kid ourselves; just because games CAN be an art doesn't mean that there are very many games earning that standard.
Awards for writing given amongst GAME awards are reasonable, but quite frankly, there really aren't many games genuinely deserving writing awards given by WRITERS. The craft simply hasn't achieved that kind of standard yet.
Awards for writing given amongst GAME awards are reasonable, but quite frankly, there really aren't many games genuinely deserving writing awards given by WRITERS. The craft simply hasn't achieved that kind of standard yet.
Posted: Feb 6th 2011 11:55PM mcnerven said
@(Unverified)
Perhaps by awarding those few that devote their writing talents this organization hopes to advance the quality of writing across the board. Just because it's not that common to find a rich, well-written story doesn't mean that a) it doesn't exist and b) we shouldn't commend those for accomplishing great things.
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Perhaps by awarding those few that devote their writing talents this organization hopes to advance the quality of writing across the board. Just because it's not that common to find a rich, well-written story doesn't mean that a) it doesn't exist and b) we shouldn't commend those for accomplishing great things.







