Interview with Jess Lebow, Content Director at Flying Lab Software

March 29, 2007

This week we continue our series of interviews with the Online Game Development Conference's high-caliber speakers. Who better, then, to pick up where we left off than Jess Lebow, Content Director at Flying Lab Software and a successful published novelist? In his session at OGDC, he'll be discussing why he feels writers are the "red-headed step-children" in game development and how to rectify that. Read on to find out what his thoughts are on this thought-provoking subject.

EDWARD VAN DUERING: Jess, start off by introducing yourself and your role at Flying Lab Software, and what road you took that brought you into your current role at the company.

JESS LEBOW: My name is Jess Lebow. I'm the Content Director at Flying Lab Software. I started out in the game industry editing novels for the book publishing team at Wizards of the Coast. After directing the story for the Magic: The Gathering line for several years, I started writing my own books. It was these books that got me noticed by the founders of ArenaNet, and led me to take a job as the World Designer for Guild Wars and Guild Wars Factions, which then in turn led to me to Flying Lab to work on the upcoming MMO Pirates of the Burning Sea.

What aspects are complimentary and conflicting between your work-related writing and your other writing projects?

At Flying Lab, I primarily write pirate fiction--swashbuckling tales of adventure and larceny on the high seas. My other writing is in a completely different genre—-primarily fantasy (dragons, sorcerers and the like). There are advantages and disadvantages to both, but it's nice to be able to split my work across different genres. It's easier for me to be more creative, since I'm not dealing with the same subject matter for multiple projects. Of course, there are some basics of fiction writing that apply to both. Characters and conflict are still the primary drivers in any story, no matter where it's set.

In your Online Game Development Conference session, you allude to game writers being "red-headed stepchildren" of the game industry. Why do you feel that is the case? Have you experienced that personally?

Well, I think it's only recently that video game companies have started to realize the value of having a professional writer on staff. For years the stories for games were written by programmers or designers who had a little extra time on their hands. The story was (and in some cases still is) a necessary evil — something that can be added later, or that doesn't require as much planning or thought as the design or code.

From my point of view, that's just not true. The story provides the direction for the design, and should be tied very closely to the mechanics. A good marriage between systems and story can create a truly great game. Unfortunately, I don't think this way of thinking has become universally adopted. It's becoming more prevalent, but I think design and code still get preferential treatment at many game companies.

In truth, the skills that make someone a good coder or systems designer aren't the same skills that makes someone a good writer. They require different parts of the brain, and ideally, different people are responsible for those different parts of a game.

In a high-tech environment, everyone writes emails. But just because you can put words on a page doesn't make you a good writer. So yes, I have experienced situations where other people in a company felt they could do my job and that I wasn't necessary. At the end of the day though, good storytellers are a valuable commodity, and we provide more than just the in-game text.

Do you feel the online game industry is more or less prone to minimizing the role of game writers? After all, MMOGs, for example, require new content such as storylines and quests on a regular basis.

I think, slowly, professional writers are being seen as more valuable in the game industry. I know I'm biased, but I feel that we have a lot to offer a game and the industry as a whole. At the very least, we're a good source for ongoing content. And hey, we're entertaining. You might as well keep us around to tell stories over the water cooler. ;)

Based on your experience, do you feel writers have a greater affinity toward marketing or development when it comes to the overall game design and production process? If one or the other, should they change?

Well, as any full-time writer will tell you, we're not picky. Ask any working writer, and you'll likely find out that we've written everything and anything we could get our hands on. Personally, I've done everything from ad copy to comic book scripts. That's kind of my point with this talk at OGDC. Writers can add value to a game company in many different ways, and we shouldn't limit ourselves.

That having been said, the writers I know all lean toward the design end. We're creative creatures, and though there is a creative aspect to marketing, it's more limited than game design. Just don't ask us to crunch numbers.

In general, what steps do you feel need to be taken to elevate game writers to a more respected position in the industry?

I think the process is underway now. The stories in games have gotten better and better. We just need to continue to push ourselves, and tell solid stories, and eventually it will happen. If the fans expect good storytelling, then the game industry is going to have to give it to them.

What do you hope people will take away from your session at OGDC?

I was really looking for an unusual angle. I figured the worst thing I could do was get up in front of a room full of working game writers and try to tell them how to break into the game industry, or reiterate the importance of strong characters and conflict in a story. If they're at OGDC, they don't need me telling them that.

But a talk on unique ways that a writer can make a difference in their company—outside of just writing in-game text—might be more useful. So, I guess my hope is that people will leave the session with new ideas about how to apply their talents and expand their roles in their respective companies. (Which, of course, will eventually lead to writers' world domination. But, one step at a time.)

Lastly, what writing projects (outside of work, that is!) are you working on currently?

I've got another novel due in June, so that dominates most of my time away from work. I've also got a short story in the works, and I've been toying with the idea of starting to write restaurant reviews again. I don't really sleep much.

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