How does writing a game script differ from writing a novel?A novel can describe characters’ feelings and settings in detail, as if time has stopped. A game script presents the story through visuals, so it should focus on clear settings and directions — characters’ expressions, actions, scenes, time and place, and dialogue — leaving abstract description to the art and staging.

Translated from Utsudo’s original Chinese column.

Novels and game scripts are very different

      Before I ventured beyond novels, I thought novels and scripts were pretty much the same. But once I actually got into it, I found they’re very different.

The narrative nature of novels

      A novel can elaborate on a scene, a character’s mood, even their next guesses and actions, as if time itself slows down and everything exists to carve out that moment of the story. Even when a character is thinking, it’s as if the whole universe stops in its tracks for it…

      But when you switch to the next section, it naturally feels like time starts flowing again — quite remarkable.

      You’ve probably experienced this too: when reading a book,even if several passages are the protagonist’s thoughts, or descriptions and commentary on something, as long as it’s not overdone, returning to the action basically doesn’t feel jarring。

      If returning feels jarring, it means the author didn’t polish the draft well,or it’s a skill issue…ahem!

      By the way, I remember long ago my editor told me: the monster has already appeared, and you’re still running character drama, leaving the monster hanging — how is the monster supposed to feel? (I could almost hear it sobbing

      I said, dear editor, are you just too sensitive, or is that monster too fragile?

　  As a monster, it should have the unshakable will to stand tall and destroy the world — how can being ignored make it feel embarrassed!

Okay, sorry, I just didn’t polish the draft well。

Scripts should be clear and concise

      In the case of scripts, it’s more similar toscreenplays.

      Because we usevisualsto present the story, we can’t habitually use novel techniques — like writing what a character is thinking, describing their inner state in detail, or putting tons of effort into depicting the scene — because those are the jobs of professionals like actors, directors and artists.

Too much abstraction just leaves people unsure what to do。

      Imagine someone giving you this direction: “Gaze out the window, pining for that person far away, yet also recalling the gloom that tonight’s dinner isn’t steak, and the melancholy tinged with wistfulness of having to go back for overtime tonight — in your feelings and expression —”

      Don’t you just want to strangle this person!!!!

      Just say “melancholy,” right XD

       Of course, necessary things still need to be pointed out, butyou don’t need to say too much about abstract things — just write what clearly affects the plot— for example,a letter sent from afar, a gun the protagonist picks up in a crisis, or a T. rex about to go on a rampage as it passes byand so on (?

　　In a script, what we should focus onis clear settings and directions, such as the character’s expression and actions at the time, as well asthe scene, time and place of events, and the characters’ dialogue and reactionsand so on. The presentation should also be simple and clear, to make things easier for teammates.

      But I’m still learning everything, and I learn a little more with every round of coordination.

      Game scripts also have to deal with multiple endings and branching plots — more on that next time XD

FAQ

Further reading (in Chinese)

• Previous: #52 (in Chinese)
• Next: #54 (in Chinese)
• Start from the beginning: #01 — Utsudo’s debut
• Column introduction
• Utsudo’s books

About the author

Utsudo is a Taiwanese light novelist and novelist VTuber with more than ten years in the industry and 40 commercially published print books. Her novel 《遺失的情書》 received a 2022 Ministry of Culture youth creative award. The 《嘿！聽說妳在鬼島當作家》 series records her experiences as a novelist in Taiwan.

📚 More on this topic: Author Branding, Income & Promotion: Ghost Island Column Guide