This past spring 2016 semester, while teaching Game Studies at Taylor University, I had the opportunity to guest lecture in an Editing course for the Professional Writing Department on the topic of editing and proofreading in the game industry. After the lecture, I spent over an hour continuing the conversation with some of those students. I then met additional times with some of those students who had further questions about the game industry. Those students had such an interest and passion in the topic, they have been inquiring of the department to expand upon that guest lecture. As a result, I have been asked to teach a two hour seminar course in the Spring 2017 semester entitled “PWR 480 Writing & Editing for Gaming.”

We have a lot of details yet to work out, but it is happening this spring. Students are already registering for the course. I am working with the department chair to finalize the syllabus, then I will reach out to potential guest speakers I would like for the course. As the course solidifies, I will post again with more details. For now, here are drafts of sections from the syllabus. These will likely alter slightly as we finalize the course, but they will give you a feel of my design process for those course.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Provide understanding of the world of tabletop game publishing and how the various aspects of writing and editing fit. Students will learn about content editing, copyediting, proofreading, and writing for card games, board games, and roleplaying games.

COURSE GOALS: At the end of this course, students will know the unique elements and skills required for writing and editing in the tabletop game industry.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

  • To understand the intersection of writing and games.
  • To study the history of writing and editing in games.
  • To understand the roles of writers and editors in the game industry.
  • To understand the interaction of faith and gaming.
  • To learn from game industry professionals.
  • To give students practical knowledge that will help them garner the attention of game publishers.

Planned topics of discussion currently include

  • Role of the writer & editor in gaming
  • Text compared to Mechanics
  • Publisher Expectations, Style Guides, and Standards
  • Intellectual Property
  • RPG writing & editing
  • Board game writing & editing
  • Intersection of Writing and Games
  • Theme, Story, and Worlds
  • Diversity and Inclusivity in Games
  • Faith and Gaming
  • The Game Industry
  • Looking to the future of interactive fiction and gaming

This gives you an overview as I design this course for the spring semester. I am excited just thinking about the conversations we will have in the class as we engage the topic of writing and editing for gaming. If you have any suggestions or insights for this course, please let me know.

 

Writing & Editing for Gaming Course: An Introduction

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9 thoughts on “Writing & Editing for Gaming Course: An Introduction

    1. I am a bit nervous to teach this course, but exited to encourage highly creative and talented students to follow their passion for gaming. I am curious, what about this course interest you the most?

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