Marianne Krawczyk: Game Writer, God of War
Author of this post: Beth A. Dillon | About Blog Authors »
The depth behind the main character Kratos from the God of War series is immense. One story of many tells of how Kratos’ skin is gray because he is covered in the ashes of his family. Although this has not explicitly appeared in game content thus far, the layers of stories add to a rich background that fans gather together. And who is responsible for this level of detail? Game writer Marianne Krawczyk, who took the time to talk about her experience working on the God of War games, which are undoubtedly continuing with the currently in-development God of War 3.
Q: Before this becomes all about Kratos (he’s such a stage stealer), can you tell us a bit about how you became a game writer and what your responsibilities have been?
A: Interestingly, I became a game writer on God of War. I’m a writer of more traditionally linear media, and when I heard through a friend that GOW was looking for someone, I was thrilled to take the meeting. Needless to say, it was a good choice for a first game. For the most part, my responsibilities have been primarily story first, then dialog.
Q: In Game Development Essentials: Game Story & Character Development, which you co-wrote with Jeannie Novak, you mention the importance of backstory for game characters. It’s not a surprise then that you put this to rich practice in the creation of Kratos in the God of War series. Let’s talk a bit about your experience…
First, what inspired the character?
A: For me, Kratos was born out of some basic writing exercises, but I’m never sure how to answer this question, partly because Kratos was a collaborative effort and partly because I find that I don’t base my characters on anyone – or rather find inspiration outside of who they already are. My strongest characters tend to find me and just start talking. I have no idea how it works, but they just come through. In the case of Kratos, I started noticing things about him, including other characters he reminded me of, but there was no one thing I could pin his personality on – no one inspiration.
Q: Interesting–does this tie into how writing adds to believable characters?
A: I think writing is just a way to let characters come through. The more the writer can tap into that part of themselves, the more believable the character will be. This is not to say that you shouldn’t do diligence on your characters. In my book I lay out a lot of different ways a writer can start to find the character. So I definitely recommend that as a starting point. But at the end of the day, if they are good characters, if they are able to live and breathe, they should start talking to you. When that happens you know you’re on the right path to a believable character.
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Q: Do you feel players can have emotional ties to game characters?
A: Absolutely. Probably even more than characters of traditional storytelling. Which is why it’s important to spend time with writers in the development process to flesh out not only who the characters are, but, also, who they are in relation to the player. What emotions will the player feel as their relationship to both the character they are playing and the characters (NPCs) around them develops.
Q: Now to the practical side of development–what were your perimeters when you entered the project? Or in other words, how much influence did you have on the game as a writer?
A: I was given a character model, a setting and some questions. After that I had to figure out the rest.
I always liken the plot to gameplay and the story to the emotional experience. So, while I had little to do with actual gameplay moments, the experience of the game was driven from the story.
Q: Is this a fairly typical experience?
A: I’ve found in games, there are no typical experiences. Each place I work does things a little differently.
Q: For the content that didn’t make it into the game, are there avenues for sharing the stories with fans? Is that something players seem to be driven to?
A: We’re always looking for ways to exploit that in the franchise, so yes. I believe there are stories that can still be told about Kratos and probably will be told about Kratos.
Q: Tasks for game writers jump from AI barks to localization to quest dialogue to cutscene scripts. What’s your day-to-day routine like as a game writer? What are you usually up to?
A: As for the actual work, I’ve done most of what you’ve described above, but more often than not, I’m brought in to help with story then, eventually, write the script.
But as a writer, in general, my day-to-day includes a lot of ambling about the house and mumbling to myself.
Q: Are there any tools—okay other than Word—that you’ve found helpful as a game writer?
A: I write in a screenwriting software that everyone seems quite open to. Sometimes I’m given a spreadsheet to fill in or work from.
Q: Where do you see yourself headed? Any new projects we should keep an eye out for?
A: Well, I hope I can keep writing stories. That’s what I like to do. Whether they are for games or otherwise doesn’t matter to me. I just like to tell them. And yes, I am working on a couple of other projects. One is GOW 3, and no I can’t tell you anything about it. The other is on the other side of the creative pool – an online casual MMO. And, as always, original ideas I have passion for but no one seems to want to pay for yet.
