Michael Leask

Why did I need to take this course in the first place? I wanted a well-rounded background in story writing and, eventually, to make my own video game. I enrolled in the Professional Certificate in Writing for Video Games in the last month of my Creative Writing Certificate. Simultaneously, I applied for a Master’s in Fine Arts in Fiction (MFA). Even though the reviewers were impressed with my world-building, my MFA application was rejected. They said I needed more courses in character development.

I understood character development was my weakness. Still, I thought I would learn more about it through the MFA, where I could turn it into a strength. It was a competition to get in. So if other applicants showed a better understanding, they’d be preferred.

It was Christmas, and I took some time off to decompress, going through the seven stages of grief. Finally, when I began the character development course, I was glad I waited. I found that the concepts of story writing were not different in video games than in novels. There are, of course, differences, the format presentation of the written word, for example, but the essence of what makes a story is the same.

A protagonist goes on a journey, and ‘the things’ that prevent the protagonist from completing their quest are the antagonism, which could be a person, faction, or life events. But to understand why the protagonist went on the journey in the first place and the choices they will make along the way, the writer must understand the character.

What impressed me about this course was the resources and examples they gave, which visually showed a character’s journey, and the questions the course asked the writer. There are forms, long answer assignments, and detailed questions that push the writer to go deeper into understanding their character, and to write a definitive character brief that finally defines them.

In interviews, established game writers/game designers like Kristina Wiik, Patrick Weekes, Báirbre Bent, and more (some are novelists) explain why it’s better to know more about your character than what you would show on your page. The nuances of the characters will show as you write them. They give examples of what works for them and tips to help them get in the mindset of crafting characters.

One piece of advice from Patrick Weekes was, what troupe is your character? He used Mordin Solus from the Mass Effect franchise as an example. It’s a game series I am very familiar with. He described Mordin as the Mad Scientist troupe but wasn’t kept that way. Mordin was defined using the troupe as a foundation to make Mordin endearing, brilliant, honourable, and caring.

It was a great tip. When I look at my stories and characters, I can start seeing the troupes, even when they were unintentional. In my book, Ryder on the Pass, Fiona is the chosen one, and Tim is the backstabber, for example. When I work on the second edition of Ryder on the Pass, this knowledge will help make the story better.

The character questionnaires I wrote after the course was vital for me. A tip for you, write the questions into forms on separate sheets—I have five in total. Writing them out is essential. It will reinforce the ideas you’ve learned and script your understanding of the craft for referencing and summarizing the importance of each form. Once you take this course, I guarantee that your knowledge of character development for novel writing, and video game design, will increase tenfold.

I hope this blog post gives some encouragement on where to go to get a tremendously valuable resource in character development. I still can’t believe how in such a short time, I now have a greater grasp of character development in novels and video games.

In the coming weeks, two more blogs will discuss this course with the Proust Questionnaire and antagonist/antagonism. I encourage you to return when you can and check out the links.

Professional Certificate in Writing for Video Games, by Peter Boychuk, Adjunct Professor, University of British Columbia, and Andrew Grey, Program Coordinator, University of British Columbia.