You’ve done the work.

You’ve written some strong samples. Maybe a branching dialogue scene, a VO bark sheet, or even a Twine prototype. Your portfolio is live. You’ve applied to a few jobs — or maybe a few dozen.

And yet… nothing.

No callbacks. No interviews. Not even a rejection email.

You start to wonder if you’re just not good enough.

But here’s what most early-career writers don’t realize:

👉 Studios aren’t hiring the “best portfolio.” They’re hiring the right collaborator.

And that changes everything about how to get hired as a game writer.

The Problem: Game Writing Isn’t a Meritocracy

It would be comforting if this industry ran like a clean contest:

• Best writing wins.
• Clear rules.
• Top marks.

But that’s not how it works.

In reality:

• Many jobs are never posted publicly at all
• Studios often hire through referrals, relationships, and communities
• “Portfolio-ready” writing isn’t always studio-ready writing

Most writers think, If I just write something amazing, someone will notice.

But in practice, getting hired is less about being the best, and more about being a good fit — on a team, in a pipeline, under constraints.

That’s why people with less polished writing often land jobs faster.

They’re easier to work with. They’re coachable. They show their thinking.

The Root Cause: Studios Are Hiring More Than Skill

When a studio hires a writer, they’re not just hiring your samples.

They’re hiring:

• Someone who can adapt to feedback
• Someone who can collaborate with designers, audio leads, and producers
• Someone who understands pacing, player experience, and production cycles

They’re hiring someone they trust to carry a chunk of their story — and deliver it in alignment with the team’s vision.

Your samples might be great.

But if they don’t show how you work, you’re missing the real signal.

The Solution: Realistic, Collaborative Practice

Most early-career game writers build portfolios in a vacuum — writing solo pieces, polishing them endlessly, and hoping they’re “enough.”

But studios want proof that you can:

• Think systemically
• Take feedback
• Write with structure and purpose

That’s why community, critique, and context are so powerful. When you write alongside others — in a class, a jam, or even a critique group — you start to develop studio readiness.

You stop just being “a good writer,” and start becoming “a writer who works well on a game team.”

How to Start Building That Skill Now

You don’t need a job to start writing like a game writer.

You just need to approach your work differently.

Here are a few ideas:

✅ Revisit one of your portfolio pieces.

Add a short paragraph — a “developer’s note” — explaining the narrative goals, player choices, and design context behind it. This is a skill every narrative designer needs.

✅ Get into feedback loops.

Trade notes with another writer. Ask a more experienced peer to review one of your scenes. Join (or form!) a small critique pod. Every pro writer works with notes.

✅ Look for jam-style projects.

You don’t need a full dev team — just a few people willing to make something messy and small. These help you practice teamwork and scope management.

✅ Start showing up where narrative folks hang out.

Discord servers, LinkedIn, community spaces. Don’t just follow — participate. Most jobs come through relationships. (Not Twitter. F that guy.)

You Don’t Just Need Great Writing. You Need Game-Ready Thinking.

It’s easy to think: If I just write better, I’ll get hired.

But better isn’t always the answer.

Studios want to know:

• Can you solve problems creatively?
• Can you meet deadlines and work within systems?
• Can you collaborate with kindness and clarity?

Those aren’t things you can show in a PDF.

But they are things you can build — and we can help.

Want a Clearer Path?

Ready to move beyond great samples? Get the free roadmap that shows you the 5 levels every game writer travels through — and how to level up strategically, not just creatively.

Start thinking like a game writer. Start working like one.˙

Susan’s first job as a game writer was for “a slumber party game - for girls!” She has gone on to work on over 25 projects, including award-winning titles in the BioShock, Far Cry, and Tomb Raider franchises. Titles in her portfolio have sold over 30 million copies and generated more than $500 million in revenue. She founded the Game Narrative Summit at GDC. Now, she partners with studios, publishers, and writers to help teams ship great games with great stories. She is dedicated to supporting creatives in the games industry so that they can do their best work.