Looking for direction as a writer

[darp]

I'm new to the forums, and I want some general direction as to who to talk to if I want to collaborate and help write a story for a classic JRPG/RPG. Any help would be great.

Thanks

[Locke]

I am always interested in working on mechanics and balancing for a system.  Let me know more about the project and what you expect.

thanks
Jeff

[Eero Tuovinen]

Hmm, I suppose some things should be explained and clarified:

• The Forge is a site dedicated to tabletop roleplaying. Although certain types of computer adventure games are often called "roleplaying games", they're really a completely different animal. Different people, different companies, different distribution and so on. For this reason the Forge is unlikely to be of much help for anybody seeking to break into computer game writing.
• As I understand him, Darp is looking for help in finding an existing game project that needs an entry-level writer. He doesn't have a game project in mind himself, he's just looking to work on one. As the Forge tends to be concerned with the vagaries of independent design and publishing, this is somewhat secondary to most of our interests here.

That being said, Darp: if I understood your correctly there, then I suggest that you might achieve the best results by familiarizing yourself with the indie computer game scene. Learn about the communities, publishing venues and the people involved in creating small-budget games with small teams. While doing this, work on a writing portfolio for yourself: even without a team you can still improve your skills and create relevant material to prove your talents. In artistic fields like game-writing the only thing that matters is skill, and skill can be best demonstrated by a good portfolio; the first thing a project leader will want to see is something that proves that you're literate and well-versed in the culture. Consider creating your portfolio as a website so as to give any prospective colleague a simple way of checking out your talents. Write game scripting for an imaginary game, short stories, poetry - whatever best expresses your talents.

The two suggestions I give above (look for small indie projects and have a good portfolio) are based on my own experiences in culture industry: the easiest way for a new creator to get in and develop their experience and contacts is in small projects that need enthusiasm and raw talent more than experience and reliability. The independent game studio will value the contributions of a conscientious participant, and a successful project will carry much weight in furthering your career in all ways; it might even make significant profits nowadays, provided the platform is chosen intelligently and the game is good. Of course, the indie field is a jungle, nine in ten project teams are a joke in terms of serious commitment and talent; this is why you need that portfolio, to prove that you deserve a spot in a serious project with other highly talented people. It's easy to find people who'll say that they will happily work with you on a game, but the actual work of making even an utterly mediocre game is such a commitment that most independent projects never finish; this is why you want to associate with as talented and ambitious a team as will have you.

While I feel that the above two points are basic, what you should do first thing would be to continue familiarizing yourself with the scene - I'm sure that independent computer game development has communities and forums just as useful as the Forge is for tabletop gaming, and that's where you should ask these questions. I mean, I just wrote two paragraphs and that basically taps out what I have to say on the topic of getting your foot into the door in computer game development. This is simply not our area of expertise here.