Susan O'Connor

That moment when feedback says "explore different directions" and you realize they mean "start over," but they're just beating around the bush. 😅
Game writing is 50% actual writing, 50% learning to decode what people actually mean when they're trying to be diplomatic.

We've acquired the historic game magazine Computer Entertainer.

As in, we got the rights. We own the magazine. And we're putting it into the Creative Commons for anyone to use for free.

Learn more: gamehistory.org/computerente...

Washington Post: “Is fascism bad? The answer may surprise you”

Teen Vogue: “Here are three fun tips you can use this summer to disable an armored personnel carrier”

Reunited with my girl Salka for a beach ride!

Alex on twitter writes: "Someone on Twitter writes: "You’re a menswear writer. You don’t know anything about manufacturing in America, or steel mills, or metallurgy, or CNC machining, or how anything is produced from raw material into a finished product in this country or anywhere. Stick to writing about “men’s fashion."" I reply: "i actually had a career in knifemaking before this. the reason why you can't avoid tariffs in knifemaking is because everyone relies on Gobelin machinery. are you aware of this?" Alex replies: "Gobelin machinery? What exactly are you referring to?" I reply: "you Gobelin DEEZ NUTS!"

"stick to menswear"

#BookSky

2K, call me (again)

“How to tell if someone in your network may be taking advantage: 1) Always an ask. Is the person reaching out a “taker”? We all have people in our network who only reach out when they want something, ranging from intros to blurbs to time-consuming, last-minute favors.” Boooo

Whenever it rains you should be allowed to call out of work and just go to the bookstore for a while

Pony is real

The more adventures I write the more I realize that’s truly my favorite part of game/narrative design. If any RPG company, digital or analog, needs an award-nominated scenario/quest designer…

Studios want "industry-ready" writers but don't provide the professional training that creates them. Writers enter the field understanding storytelling but not collaboration, feedback, or production constraints. Then wonder why their portfolios get ignored. 🤷

My platform.

WU-TANG FOREVER 👐🏽

I don't like to speak badly of people. I have grown up thinking and being told that if you cannot say something nice about someone, you should not say anything at all. But I must break that rule in this case because I hate Hulk Hogan very much. He is a big ugly goon and I want to squash his face. -Andre the Giant

#1 portfolio tip: show your process. It's like the difference between saying "I made dinner" versus "I made a 3-course meal for 6 people with dietary restrictions using only what was in the pantry." One shows you can cook, the other shows you can problem-solve.

Progress on my #doom mod, which features my cat. When he hears the sounds of the Dreamies' tub being shaken, he will wake and run as fast as possible towards you.

Cats do love them some Dreamies

#gamedev #gzdoom #cats

Why does this look like a live Looney Toons cartoon?? 👀😅🤣

TOTALLY

If your game writing portfolio keeps getting ignored, it's not because your writing sucks.
Studios spend 30 seconds scanning portfolios looking for one thing: evidence you won't be a nightmare to collaborate with.
They can teach you tools. They can't teach you how to deal with other people.

lol. I thought it was baby birds waiting to be fed

A popular genre of writing post goes “Imagine Chekhov giving craft notes! Imagine Virginia Woolf getting revision advice!!” followed by a claim real writers don't to think about craft. But... we don't need to imagine? It happened. You can literally go read their letters and essays discussing craft!

A very large roly-poly light brown bunny rabbit wearing a tiny SF Giants ballcap is cuddled by a man wearing a Giants jersey.

please meet Alex the Great, a therapy bunny who works at the San Fran airport and now Giants games to help people who are overwhelmed

LOOK AT HIS TINY BALLCAP. LOOK AT IT.

I’m Starting To Worry This Industry Has No Respect For The People Who Work In It Once your stock options were fully vested, did you sell off all the shares in your humanity?

I wrote this column and I'll just say that the original headline was much meaner. The piece itself, though, is still very angry and very mean, I assure you.

This is too cute. And this description!! “An orange kitten stand next to a disheveled man lying in a bed. The kitten is focused and determined, her front legs a blur of motion from vigorous kneading of the fluffy blanket covering the man.”

From Portfolio to Paycheck: Why Great Samples Alone Aren’t Enough How to get hired as a game writer? Strong samples help — but they’re not enough. Here’s what studios really look for, and how to stand out.

Hot tip for aspiring game writers:
📌 Add a “developer note” to one of your samples.
Explain how it fits the player experience.
That’s the kind of thinking studios look for.
More tips →

Oh my god Ash 🫂

From Portfolio to Paycheck: Why Great Samples Alone Aren’t Enough How to get hired as a game writer? Strong samples help — but they’re not enough. Here’s what studios really look for, and how to stand out.

If you’ve built your portfolio and still aren’t getting hired:
💡 It’s not you.
💡 It’s the system.
Most jobs go to people with access — not perfect writing.
Want to break in anyway? Here’s a way forward:

Remember, Sam Gamgee believes there is still some good in this world.

Here's proof. :)

When Canadians Attack