About this Professional Certificate
Acquire the globally in-demand skills necessary to succeed as a writer in the fast-growing world of video games.
As the gaming industry matures, excellence in writing and game narrative has become increasingly important to the success of both major studio titles and independent games. Through this interactive medium, writers and game developers are telling stories in new and exciting ways. To meet this need, studios are hiring increasing numbers of writers and narrative designers.
In this Professional Certificate Program, you’ll learn the tools and techniques of writing for video games in a comprehensive program designed by successful, working game writers and teachers. From story and character development to worldbuilding and interactive narrative, this Certificate will help you excel in a business that requires creative, flexible team players.
If you choose the verified track, you will gain additional access to interviews with game industry experts as well as targeted writing assignments that will help you build a portfolio of work suitable for applying to a wide variety of industry positions, or assist you in moving into a writing role in an existing video game company. In our final course, Working as a Game Writer, verified learners will receive direct feedback from our faculty on their final portfolios.
UBC’s School of Creative Writing has been a global leader in writing education for more than 50 years. We are innovative pioneers of multi-genre writing instruction, both in-class and online, and have been offering courses in video game writing since 2017.
What you'll learn
- The crucial differences between traditional storytelling and writing for video games.
- The writer and narrative designer’s role in the game development process.
- How to develop characters and write scenes that serve both the narrative and the production of a game.
- How to work with art directors, programmers and level designers to create interactive narratives.
- How to develop an application portfolio and excel at industry-standard writing tests.
| From | University of British Columbia via edX |
|---|---|
| Hours | 180 |
| Instructors | Peter Boychuk, Andrew Gray, Kim Sparks |
| Language | English |
| Subjects | Personal Development |
Similar Courses
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Careers
An overview of related careers and their average salaries in the US. Bars indicate income percentile (33rd - 99th).
Game Advisor 2 $46k
Buyer, Video Game Software $58k
Instructor, Video Game Art and Animation $58k
Game Management $59k
Staff In-Game Video Operator $59k
Game Coordinator $61k
Video Game Design Instructor $66k
Video Game Design Instructor Lead $68k
Video Game Sales Specialist $88k
Game Developer 1 $92k
Game Engineer 2 $97k
Athletics Game Day Video Producer $110k
Courses in this Professional Certificate
Listed in the order in which they should be taken
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On Demand |
Writing for video games is truly a new frontier, a place where writers and game designers are still learning, innovating and pioneering bold approaches to telling stories. This... edX | University of British Columbia |
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You might spend two hours with a character in a movie, but you can spend hundreds of hours interacting with the player character, antagonists and all the non-player characters... edX | University of British Columbia |
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Writing Video Game Scenes and Dialogue Increasingly, game designers are realizing that cutscenes, cinematics and character interactions through dialogue are not just breaks from gameplay, or ways of providing... edX | University of British Columbia |
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A game’s setting is second in importance only to the game’s player character - and some say it’s more important. Game designers must create a compelling new world that players... edX | University of British Columbia |
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The primary difference between video games and other art forms is interactivity. Players embody the characters in a game; instead of watching the protagonist make choices, they... edX | University of British Columbia |
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What is it like to work as a video game writer? How do you even apply for game writing jobs? Is it true that you might have to take a writing test? This capstone course puts... edX | University of British Columbia |
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| From | University of British Columbia via edX |
|---|---|
| Hours | 180 |
| Instructors | Peter Boychuk, Andrew Gray, Kim Sparks |
| Language | English |
| Subjects | Personal Development |
Careers
An overview of related careers and their average salaries in the US. Bars indicate income percentile (33rd - 99th).
Game Advisor 2 $46k
Buyer, Video Game Software $58k
Instructor, Video Game Art and Animation $58k
Game Management $59k
Staff In-Game Video Operator $59k
Game Coordinator $61k
Video Game Design Instructor $66k
Video Game Design Instructor Lead $68k
Video Game Sales Specialist $88k
Game Developer 1 $92k
Game Engineer 2 $97k
Athletics Game Day Video Producer $110k
Similar Courses
Sorted by relevance
