From game designer to writer
Hi all! I’m once again publishing a free text transcript of our podcast “I want to join gamedev” on Habré. You will find links to the full audio version at the end of the article. The guest of the new issue is Anton Karelin – science fiction writer and game designer rolled into one. He talks about his transition from the gaming industry to writing, shares how his game design skills helped him in writing, discusses the challenges he faced along the way, and shares more metrics on his books. And, of course, advice for those who are just starting their creative journey.
The path from game design to writing
It is worth noting that the games and literature industries are closely related, a game scriptwriter and a narrative designer use similar fundamental skills and knowledge, and many tools and techniques are similar. However, representatives of the gaming industry do not become famous writers in large numbers; the cases can be literally counted on one hand. Anton Karelin is one of these people, write in the comments who else you know. And also, if the topic is close to you, then I invite you to our new telegram channel about the synergy of the gaming and literary spheres “From producer to writer“
Anton, by the way, began his career with writing, while simultaneously developing an interest in role-playing games – board and polygon. This experience eventually led him from writing to the games industry, where he worked his way up from narrative designer to producer, creating turnkey games. In the process, Anton gained unique experience in developing game worlds, creating characters and plotting, which became an excellent basis for him to transition back to literature.
The skills of narrative and game world development fit perfectly into the concept of building literary worlds. This primarily concerns improvisation and creating interesting characters. In the process of working on role-playing games, he learned to quickly come up with characters, give them vivid traits and introduce them into difficult situations.
However, the transition from game design to writing is not the easiest. Relying too heavily on game mechanics sometimes made the plot too structured, which was not always interesting to the reader. In books, it is important to leave room for surprises, surprises and flights of fancy, which is sometimes lacking in game design, where everything is thought out in advance.
Using game design experience in books
Anton notes that his experience as a game creator helped him bring unique elements to literature. For example, his experience working on game scenarios and worlds greatly influenced the creation of the settings of his books. Many of the ideas found in D&D role-playing campaigns are reflected in his literature.
His experience working with players in role-playing games helped him better understand his audience. In D&D, the GM must constantly consider the players' reactions and adapt the scenario to their actions. In books, this skill helps to feel the rhythm of the narrative and understand what will be interesting to the reader at one time or another.
Book metrics
As in game development, in the field of selling your books on samizdat platforms there are many numerical characteristics that can be used to assess the success of your creativity, analysis and decision-making. Let's talk about them using the example of figures for Anton's books on one of the most popular platforms for digital self-publishing of their books – Author.Today.
One of the main metrics is the number adding books to readers' personal libraries. For example, his Tower of the Gods series was added to libraries more than 16 thousand times in the first three months after publication. It’s like wishlists on Steam, only the conversion from adding to purchase is much higher.
The next important metric (and indeed the most important) is book sales. In the case of “Tower of the Gods,” about 6 thousand copies of the first book were sold in three months at a base price of 179 rubles, which is a good result for a book in the RealRPG genre. Especially considering that the share of the site in this case is much lower than the share of games on Steam, and is only 15% for exclusive placement. So in the modern world, with the right approach, you can earn a very good living by writing.
Further metrics worth tracking percentage of transition from the first chapter to the second. This indicator can serve as a distant analogue of the Retention metric from the gaming industry. Good conversion rate from the first chapter to the second – 40+%which indicates a high interest in history. But, as in the gaming industry, not all literary works can achieve this.
Reading hours – another significant metric for books. In the first days after the release of a new chapter of a book, the number of reading hours for popular works can reach 400–600+ hours per day. This helps the book get included in the “hot new” and “popular” widgets on the platform, which provides an additional influx of readers. Proper use of advertising and interaction with the community allows you to maintain stable interest in the book throughout the entire period of publication.
In conclusion, there are topics about numbers, which you can listen to in detail and additional examples in the full audio version of the podcast, Anton notes.
As a writer, it is important to have a genuine interest in the topic you are writing about. As with game creation, writing should be driven by an inner passion, a desire to dig deeper and explore a chosen topic. Books that stay with us for a long time are born not from a desire to make money, but from the author’s desire to express something meaningful for himself and for others.
Advice for aspiring writers
Anton highlighted two key pieces of advice for those starting out in the field of writing.
Leverage Community Experience. A huge amount of knowledge and experience has already been accumulated in the world of literature. It is important to study other people's mistakes so as not to repeat them. The community is ready to share this knowledge, and the writer needs to receive it, learn and grow.
Be true to yourself. Literature is first and foremost a creative path. If you want to achieve something, you need to clearly understand what exactly you want to convey with your work and why you are creating it. True success comes when you follow your inner voice and express what truly matters to you. Don't be afraid to go against the grain if you feel your story deserves to be told the way you see it.
Links to the podcast and links from the podcast
You can listen to the podcast on the platform convenient for you:
Youtube, VK, Yandex.Music, Apple Podcasts and a ton of others.
Links from the podcast:
Thank you for being with us! Gamedev and literature are two close worlds that can enrich each other in many ways. Let's hope that there will be more and more beautiful and creatively mature intersections between the gaming and writing industries every year!
