Video Game Writerrr*

* to be sung to the tune of "Paperback Writer"

J.T. Petty isn't a name you're probably familiar with, but if you've played Prince of Persia: Sands of Time or the first couple of Splinter Cells ... his work probably is ... he was the writer. MTV.com has write-up:

Like Petty, many game writers come from — or still primarily work in — other fields. They say the process of writing games differs markedly from their other work. "In motion pictures, you would hire a writer, and he'd go off in a dark room someplace for a few months and turn in a script," said Dooma Wendschuh, 28, who, along with writing partner Corey May, also 28, has written two video games and is contracted to pen six more for Ubisoft. The two dub their duo SekretAgent Productions and are working on several feature films, including the Guillermo Del Toro-directed "The Wind in the Willows."

Video game writing is a much more team-based effort, requiring active involvement with game developers. "The games are so nuanced and complex," said May. "I can say: 'He walks into a room and something explodes,' but the designer might say, 'You can't do that.' " The level layout crafted by the designers might not allow it. Or the programmers might not be able to allocate processing power to create a big enough explosion.

-- Know 25 Ways To Say 'Ow, My Eye'? Put That On Your Résumé

I know someone who got a couple brief gigs writing for games and it's not a bad deal as industry jobs go. Should I ever get bored of figuring out cross-platform cross-browser frameworks, XML transports, and the exciting and daring mechanics of three-tiered architectures ... I'd consider trying to give it a whirl. Had the World Wide Web not spun around town, I'd probably still be fighting for a English professorship somewhere.