Hey heroes. Now that the playWRITE project phase is done, I thought I'd share my epiphanies over the past few months, with the hope they might help someone break into the video game industry. (If these don't exactly blow your mind, try re-reading them at 4:20 in the afternoon.)

Your character's backstory can be a rich place to mine for gameplay ideas.

With my concept, I Survived an Alien Game Show, the gameplay was initially like Tomb Raider. You could grab ledges, swing from ropes, blast enemies with a gun in each hand. I thought those elements fit with my main character, Lance Wielder, a has-been action star. But then I thought, I need to bring something new to the table. I looked over the backstory of my character and remembered he was a busy Hollywood stuntman before he got his big break in Annihilator. His special abilities became a collection of stunt moves, such as the ability to run a wall and then do a backflip, safely leap off moving vehicles by landing on his feet then immediately going into a roll. Like any self-respecting action star, Lance has a bunch of moves to fight multiple enemies at once, such as a 360-degree foot sweep and a splits kick, which allows him to simultaneously boot a enemy on his right and left. Ensure the player somehow learns about the backstory you've mined, and the whole thing should seem nice and organic.


When faced with a bunch of creative choices, ask yourself what would be the most fun for the player?

In ISAGS, the player needs to survive four episodes, then the setting switches to the head quarters of the  producer and finally earth. I decided the episodes should be loosely based on actual reality TV shows. I wrote down a long list and then tried to put myself in the player's shoes and think which ones would be the most fun to play. I chose Survivor, The Amazing Race, Cops and Temptation Island.


Forget Starbucks. Drink agua.

I recently learned that when people are tired, it's often because they're dehydrated. Now I try to drink water throughout the day. Not only have I been able to cut down on my Grande Mild expense, but I feel more awake and my head seems clearer.


Find people who are not afraid to tell you your work sucks.

Rob Baxter, my mentor, never came out and said that. But he did say some of my ideas didn't seem fun. People like Rob can save you from wasting a ton of time on an idea with fundamental problems. On the topic of feedback, it's best when you can pitch your ideas in-person. That way you can see if people scrunch up their faces in confusion or if their eyes light up with excitement.


Don't neglect your toe nail collection.

OK, I don't have a toe nail collection. My point is make sure you do other things while you're neck deep in a creative project, when the outcome isn't a sure thing. I dropped pretty much everything, when I applied to the playWRITE program. If I didn't get in, I'm sure I would have felt really bad about myself, because I had tied so much of my self-worth to that one thing. This time around, as we wait to hear who gets internships, I'm more chill. I've been working on a screenplay and an animation series. Plus, my jumpshot is looking better each day.