Former Dragon Age Narrative Lead Says Writers Became 'Quietly Resented' at BioWare

ign.com:

David Gaider, who was a narrative lead for Dragon Age before leaving BioWare in 2016, said in a recent Twitter thread that writers at the developer became "quietly resented" and were seen as an "albatross."

Gaider posted the tweets just as film and television writers went on strike yesterday, demanding better pay structures and improved working conditions from Hollywood studios. Talking about writing broadly, Gaider said it's a discipline that's "constantly undervalued," and it's an attitude that's seen among those trying to get into the video game industry as well.

"Even BioWare, which built its success on a reputation for good stories and characters, slowly turned from a company that vocally valued its writers to one where we were... quietly resented, with a reliance on expensive narrative seen as the 'albatross' holding the company back," he wrote.

"Maybe that sounds like a heavy charge, but it's what I distinctly felt up until I left in 2016," he went on. "Suddenly all anyone in charge was asking was 'how do we have LESS writing?' A good story would simply happen, via magic wand, rather than be something that needed support and priority."

Maybe that sounds like a heavy charge, but it's what I distinctly felt up until I left in 2016. Suddenly all anyone in charge was asking was "how do we have LESS writing?" A good story would simply happen, via magic wand, rather than be something that needed support and priority.

Gaider was with BioWare for 17 years before he left, and his narrative footprint on the company is an undeniably large one. He served as lead writer for Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age II, and Dragon Age: Inquisition, and is credited with the creation of the world in which the game series take place, Thedas.

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