Writing in Video Games

So just yesterday, I beat the game Quantum Break. It’s a Remedy Entertainment video game that does great justice to the company. Playing through the game, I realized how important writing can be for a video game. I mean, I’ve always know that for a fact (especially as a writer myself), but Remedy does storytelling so well that it really opened my eyes.

I’ve always been a sucker for lore and story in video games. I’m the kind of gamer that will read the quest dialogue in World of Warcraft, and even read the physical books based on the game. WoW is one of my favorite video games to have lore in it. I am completely enTHRALLed with the backstory of the races and the characters. It’s one of the reasons I would love to be an intern writer at Blizzard Entertainment (the company that made WoW). Fingers crossed that may actually happen one day.

Anyways, back to Quantum Break. This game has a great story. Remedy has always been great at making story-driven games that also are fun to play, like Alan Wake or Max Payne. Story-driven games are games that are usually highly dependent on the story they tell. Well, I wouldn’t say highly dependent exactly. More like the game is more centered around the story. Games like these are always catching my interest. As a writer and author, I want a compelling story. I want to be inspired. I want to feel what the characters feel.

Speaking of characters, Quantum Break nails them. There were characters that were (for the sake of giving spoilers) seemingly bad at the beginning, but then actually had redeeming qualities. There were characters I was rooting for, aside from the main character Jack Joyce, that faced just as many challenges.

One great thing about Quantum Break is that it entwines the video game aspect with TV show-like episodes at the end of each act. These episodes can change based on your decisions in the game. I wholeheartedly believe that these episodes really helped the gamer/watcher see the “behind the scenes.” From episode one, I was rooting for a character I thought was bad. At the end of episode four, I was nearly crying because of the connection the game gave me to the characters. Character development and connection are great aspects in a game.

I might be just a simple novelist and gamer, but I can always tell when the story in video games is done really well. If I feel the same thing characters feel emotionally, if I am at the edge of my seat wondering what will happen next, and if I still have a residual feeling after the game, the story and game were brilliant.

That residual feeling is something that makes me want to tell everyone to play the game for themselves. It’s something that needs to be experienced. Games like Quantum Break, or another favorite of mine, Life is Strange, should be played. So I highly recommend Quantum Break. Brilliant story, awesome characters, and the feels.

(Poem) Shadows and Damn Regret

They say the closer you are to light,
The longer shadow you cast.
In my pilgrimage, the saying is correct.
Each step towards the light, I’d fall.

Past remains the past, nothing can change.
I must live with the consequences.
The light stays in sight, hoping for salvation,
from the terrors of the world.

Regret is a word that floods the air.
The light shines through the darkness of each letter.
Waking up in such a nightmare,
Following the light is all I can do.

I’m actually using my second Tumblr! (AKA links, links everywhere)

I have two tumblr blogs set up. One is my popular DisneyTronBlog with almost 700 followers! (I don’t know if that really is a lot or not)

The other is a blog I made when I converted the first one to a Tron-based blog. It’s where I’ll post more personal stuff, like my poems, Alan Wake stuff, writing related pictures/posts. and non-tron things. Doctor Who pictures/gifs and other BBC shows will be shared on to there as well. It’s easy to find too. It’s just BrandanChapman. I’ll post my blog and journal updates on there as well.

If you’re a fan of Tumblr, this would be an easier means as to follow me, if you lack a Facebook, DeviantArt, Twitter, or even Google+. You can follow me just about anywhere online! If you like games, I like to stream on Twitch. I’ll post any of my decent streams on Youtube. I want to also start making vlogs. More to come on that. I may even read my book prologues for videos.

You can also get my books here, for the readers out there.

(Short Story) Ace in Night Springs Part 1 (Alan Wake/Shattered Soul Crossover Fan Fiction)

Ace Venx, another Warrior of Light, travelled the difficult path of one who uses Light as his weapon. His darkness usually involved that of a family known by the Lokar, but recently, Ace finds himself in much different surroundings.

Night Springs, a town with strange occurrences. Ace awoke on a road outside of the town. Trees were all around. The dark forests loomed over him. His purple pupils gleamed in the moonlight as he scanned the forests.

“Where am I?” He asked out loud, his English accent breaking the cold air.

Ace decided to walk down the road. Each step brought a subtle cracking of tiny bits of the road. He ran his hand through his white spiky hair. He was only 22, but his white hair came with his burden of being a warrior of light.

After about half an hour, Ace saw a sign in the distance. It didn’t take long to see what it said.

“Night Springs…” Ace read aloud.

Just then he heard a crunch of twigs to his right. Immediately, Ace looked towards the noise. He readied himself with a surprise that his Element was working. His expression changed.

“What the?”

A bright light shined onto him. He assumed it was Benediction.

“You must keep moving, warrior of light. The Taken are not far behind.”

It wasn’t Benediction. It was a new voice. It was younger sounding, with a bit of an echo. While Ace was in thought, he didn’t even noticed a man running at him from behind. The light faded from the sky.

“You will die now!” The man yelled, sounding distorted.

Ace’s eyes widened as he quickly ducked out of the way of the oncoming swing from the man’s axe. “Oi, mate! What are you doing?!” Ace yelled.

The man continued to swing his axe towards Ace. Ace decided to run towards the town. He looked to the sky, hoping for that light to reappear. It gave him comfort.

“Why are you trying to attack me?” Ace shouted back to the man chasing him.

The man didn’t reply. Ace noticed that he had a shadowy aura about him, almost similar to a Lokar, the last family of Dark Elementalists. Ace didn’t want to ask. Without his Element, he wouldn’t stand a chance against a Lokar. They were ruthless when it came to Light Elementalists.

Ace was much faster than the man. He had managed to lose him as he reached the town. He wasn’t sure how to take in what was going on. The town was primitive compared to his home. The buildings were only two or three stories tall, and the street was wide.

The first street light he came to started to brighten. Ace was used to bright light. His eyes didn’t wince or struggle looking at it.

“Standing in the light will help you. It will give you the power you need to defend yourself from the Taken.”

“Who are you? What are the Taken?”

“They were once people. They are now just puppets of the Dark Presence.”

Ace stepped under the street light. The light warmed him from the cold air. He felt his fingers tingle as he knew his Element was back. His hands lit up with the power of Light.

“The light will ward them off and break the power of darkness. It will make them vulnerable.”

Ace felt weight around his neck again. It was his pendant from his father. It was called Penance. It was his weapon of choice. Ripping it from his neck, it quickly transformed into his blade. He had to defend himself until he knew how to get back home.

“The Dark Presence is coming. You must be ready.”

Ace looked behind him to see a storm of darkness approaching from the road he entered from. The street light flickered and busted. Ace looked up and then looked back to the storm. His left hand lit up with his Element and his tightened his grip on Penance.

“I’m always willing to fight the darkness,” He said with a smirk.

Steam and Twitch

I’m a writer that loves playing video games. Loads of fantasy and science fiction inspiration can come from playing video games.

I’ve streamed a bit on Twitch, but I hope to stream just about everything I play. I play a lot of single player games and some multiplayer ones. Some games include: Borderlands series, Garry’s Mod, Alan Wake, Don’t Starve Together, The Forest, and more.

Feel free to add me on Steam to follow what I’m playing and check out my library, or follow my Twitch to see when I’m streaming.

Shattered Soul sequel novel now available, including no spoilers to the first novel: Amazon and CreateSpace

Get the first one, Shattered Soul: Elements of Lightning, here: Amazon and CreateSpace

You can find me on Facebook and Twitter too.

Know The Author: Video Games

Never hear about authors and video games unless it is about their books becoming one or something. So I decided to share my experience with video games for anyone who wants to know.
With the Steam Summer Sale among us, I have been gaming quite a bit. I’ve been a gamer since I can remember and it does a lot to inspire me. If I can find a great adventure/action/role-playing game that is highly fantasy based or science fiction based, I’m bound to love it. Notable titles would be Skyrim and Mass Effect. Pretty much any Bethesda or Bioware game.
I’ve always been a huge fan of stealth in games too. One of my all time favourite games is Thief: Deadly Shadows. It had a slight open world feel to it with the best stealth mechanics I’ve seen so far in most games. If I get a chance to stealth in a game, I will. Even in a shooter game like Payday 2.
I also like Real Time Strategy games like Civilization V. One of my first RTS games was Red Alert 2. Still is one of my favourites to this day.
One game that I was honestly surprised I enjoyed is Alan Wake. Alan Wake’s concept intrigued me greatly. Playing as an author and fighting with light and guns sounded amazing. When I started playing it, I was scared I was going to hate it because it had the same feel as Silent Hill, which I was terrible at. Turns out it is quite different in its own aspects. Alan Wake and Alan Wake’s American Nightmare are now on my top favourite games.
Massive Multiplayer Online games were my first PC games. Runescape and World of Warcraft. MMOs will always have a place in my heart, but it may be awhile before I get back into one. They take up a lot of time. Trying to read and write and play a MMO is tough.
I decided to reach out to gamers who may enjoy my book, or just the games I play, so I have started streaming on Twitch. Anyone interested in watching an another play video games, with hilarious commentary by me and a few friends, would love the stream. You can follow me on Twitch. My account name is Ragnosk. You can also follow me on Twitter (@Author_Brandan) or like my Facebook page to see when I start streaming, or just to keep up with my books or see writing and SciFi posts.
You can find me on Steam as Ragnosk and if you wanted to join in any multiplayer shenanigans, I use the Veritas teamspeak (http://www.veritasrp.net/). Thanks for reading!