Why pre-screen video game writers before the writing test
Game writing rewards a specific discipline that general writing does not. Lines have to work when the player triggers them out of order, barks have to bear repetition, and half of what is written gets cut for scope. Writers from prose or screen backgrounds often write beautifully and fight the constraints, and that becomes apparent late and expensively. A short screen surfaces whether someone has worked inside a production's limits.
What actually matters when screening Video Game Writer candidates
- 01
Body of work
Ask for shipped titles with their exact narrative credit: quests written, barks logged, cinematics scripted, word counts, and whether the work survived to release or was cut.
- 02
Craft and technique
Probe how they build branching content: Ink, Twine, articy:draft, Yarn Spinner, conditional flags, barks systems, and writing to strict VO character limits and lipsync constraints.
- 03
Reliability and process
Check their pipeline habits: lore bibles, narrative design docs, Perforce or Jira workflows, VO recording deadlines, and how they handled scope cuts or a rewrite after a vertical slice.
- 04
Presence with an audience
Look for how they pitch and defend narrative in a room of designers: table reads, VO direction sessions, writers' room feedback, and handling creative director notes.
Pre-screening questions to ask Video Game Writer candidates
12 questions grouped by what they test. Ask the same set in every screen and score answers on a consistent scale, or send them as an async video screen and compare answers side by side.
Games that shipped
3 questions01What types of games have you written for in the past?
Listen forTitles that shipped with the genres named, and a clear statement of which characters or scenes were theirs.
Credits listed with no personal scope, or projects that never reached release presented as shipped work.
02Have you ever worked on a multiplatform game project?
Listen forAwareness of how platform and localisation constraints affect writing, including character limits and reading time.
No awareness of localisation or text length constraints, or writing produced with no technical limits in mind.
03Describe your experience writing for different age groups or audiences.
Listen forA real shift in register between projects, with what changed beyond vocabulary such as pacing and content limits.
Audience differences described only as simpler words, or no experience outside one register.
Dialogue in play
4 questions04What is your approach to writing conversation dialogue for characters?
Listen forDialogue written to be heard rather than read, with branching and repetition handled deliberately.
Dialogue written as prose scenes, or no thought about how a line lands the fifth time a player hears it.
05How do you balance character development and plot progression in your writing?
Listen forCharacter revealed through what players choose to pursue, with optional content carrying weight rather than filler.
Character development confined to cutscenes, or optional content treated as unimportant.
06Can you share an example of conveying a complex idea or plotline clearly and concisely?
Listen forExposition delivered through action or environment rather than a monologue, with a specific example.
Complex setup delivered as a long speech, or reliance on text the player is expected to read voluntarily.
07Can you describe how you adapt your writing style to different types of game narrative?
Listen forLinear and branching structures handled differently, with an honest view on which they are stronger at.
One approach applied to every structure, or no experience with branching consequence.
Writing to a bible
3 questions08How comfortable are you following existing game lore or style guidelines?
Listen forA voice they matched successfully, described as the job rather than as a constraint they worked around.
Style guides described as limiting, or lore contradicted because their idea was better.
09How familiar are you with game design principles and processes?
Listen forWorking knowledge of how writing sits inside production, including how lines get implemented and recorded.
Writing handed over with no understanding of implementation, or no contact with designers during a project.
10How would you handle disagreements about the direction of a game's storyline?
Listen forA position argued on what serves the player experience, with a case where they conceded and it was the right call.
Creative differences described as others not understanding, or every disagreement resolved in their favour.
Handling cuts
2 questions11Have you ever had to make major changes to your work based on feedback?
Listen forA significant cut or rewrite absorbed without losing the thread, with what they did to make the shorter version work.
Feedback described as damaging the work, or no experience of losing material to scope.
12How do you handle deadlines and work under pressure?
Listen forRealistic output rates with a milestone they met, including what they flagged early when scope was unachievable.
Deadlines met by working through the night, or scope problems raised only once the date was missed.
How to score responses
Score every candidate on the same four criteria immediately after the screen. At this stage you are shortlisting for panel interviews, not making the final call.
Body of work
35%5Names shipped titles, owned questlines or characters, approximate word counts, and can point to specific lines players quote back.
Craft and technique
25%5Discusses state tracking, reactivity, and branch collapse fluently; writes to engine and localisation constraints without losing voice.
Reliability and process
25%5Hits VO lock dates, keeps continuity documents current, and rewrites fast when level design or scope shifts underneath them.
Presence with an audience
15%5Pitches beats vividly, takes contradictory notes without ego, and directs actors or peers toward the intended read.
Lines have to work out of order, barks have to bear repetition, and half the words get cut. A one-way video screen asks what they wrote and what got cut.
Try it on HirevireScreening FAQ
Process basics
How long should a pre-screening round for a game writer take?
Fifteen minutes across eight to ten questions, answered async, with a writing sample. Enough to establish what shipped and what they wrote in it, hear their dialogue approach, and check how they take cuts.
What should I ask for alongside the screen?
A short sample of in-game dialogue rather than prose, and the credit list for shipped titles. Game writing credits are often shared across a large team, so ask which characters or scenes were theirs.
Evaluating answers
What is the strongest signal when screening a game writer?
How they talk about cuts. Writers who have shipped describe losing a favourite scene to scope and rewriting around it. Anyone who describes their work as delivered intact has not been through a real production.
How do I judge whether they can write to a brief?
Ask about working inside an established style guide. Strong candidates treat it as the job and can point to a voice they matched. Writers who describe guidelines as limiting will be expensive to work with.
Go deeper on this role
Sanat has been hiring since 2012 and watching the recruitment industry change up close ever since, and turned that screening process into Hirevire's video screening platform. LinkedIn
