Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have advice for getting a job writing games?

Writing for games is a funny field with people bringing their experience from all over. When I was at Telltale our writing team included novelists, playwrights, TV writers, indie filmmakers… It sounds like cliched advice, but honestly the best thing you can do to get a job writing for games is to start making games of your own using some of the many amazing free tools out there like Twine, Unity, Adventure Game Studio, and Game Maker. Once you've made games, share them with people, collaborate.... there are tons of game jams and communities out there that you can join - a few of those under your belt and you'll suddenly have a portfolio!

I think I'd be a great video game writer. I have lots of ideas.

Well, first of all that's not a question, second of all... "Having ideas" isn't really what being a video game writer is all about. Everyone "has ideas." Being a video game writer is... well, maybe you should just read veteran game writer David Gaider's article on being a game writer.

What do you write besides video games?

Outside of video games, I also write cartoons, feature films and comics to varying degrees of success.

What college should I attend to become a writer?

When I was in high school I actually sent a letter to Brad Bird (the screenwriter and director of The Incredibles, Iron Giant, Ratatouille) asking him the same exact question. My dream was to be a writer for animated movies and it was so hard to figure out how to achieve that goal, where to go to college, what to study... He gave me some great advice: Write as much as you can, and go to whatever school will teach you to be a better storyteller. I ended up going to the University of Southern California (USC) to study animation and screenwriting, I have friends who are wonderful writers who went to Emerson, NYU, Brown... There are lots of great film schools all over the country, but almost every liberal arts college or university these days is going to have classes on writing and/or film which, if you work hard, can give you the education you need to start becoming a great writer.

Do you have recommendations for books about screenwriting?

Here are a few of the books I recommend to beginning writers:

  • Screenplay by Syd Fields - An older book, but still a classic. Fantastic book about scene construction, formatting, dialogue, etc.
  • Story by Robert McKee - This one is pretty thick, but all the lessons are gold. Really great book on story, character, etc. in a way that's not specific to screenwriting but just writing in general.
  • On Writing by Stephen King - A great book about being a writer, finding inspiration, etc. I revisit this one frequently and feel inspired every time. The audiobook is great.

Do you think having a writing degree is important for being a writer?

Unlike some jobs that like to ask about your degree and where you went to college, when you're trying to get work as a writer, people don't necessarily care where you went to school, what your degree is in... they care that you're good at writing and that you're a hard worker. I think the most valuable things college can teach you are the value of hard work, how to be organized, and how to be a professional, kind person. Wherever you end up going to school, whatever you end up studying, you should use it as an opportunity to learn as much as you can about everything and develop the skills you need to be hard-working and dedicated to your craft.

What is your favorite video game?

I'm going to cheat and list off some of my favorites in no particular order: The Monkey Island series, Death Stranding, Psychonauts, the Half-Life/Portal series, Grim Fandango, Beyond Good & Evil, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Kirby's Dreamland, Super Smash Bros. (N64).

What software do you use to write?

For my own work, I use Final Draft (for screenplays) and Apple Pages (for everything else). For my work writing video games I use whatever the tools the rest of the team uses; often times that means just writing right into a spreadsheet like Excel or Google Sheets.

But honestly what I use to write the most are my notebooks and pens. I like the feeling of actually scratching away at paper.

Can you bring back Minecraft: Story Mode?

I really have no power there. I was fortunate to be a writer for that game from 2014-2017 but have zero ownership or stake in it. You’ll have to ask Microsoft/Mojang about that one.

Will you read my script/play my game/give me feedback and advice?

Send me an email at eric.stirpe(at)gmail.com. I can't promise I'll respond right away, but I'll do my best.