You no longer have to write a novel or film to join one of the longest-running collective of creative writers, because video games count now, too.
The nonprofit Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America organization revealed today that it will start accepting people who write the narratives and characters for video, role-playing, and table-top games beginning August 1. The SFWA membership voted to make this change, and anyone who meets a few requirements can submit an application to join. Video games alone are a $99.6 billion industry, and sci-fi and fantasy power a huge swatch of settings and plots in that market. Now, after years of toiling away in relative obscurity, the SFWA wants to start recognizing the creative forces behind this industry.
The SFWA is best known for its Nebula Awards that recognizes excellence in sci-fi and fantasy writing. The group awards the Nebulas annually to novels, short stories, and young-adult fiction. We’ve asked if the organization plans to expand its awards to feature game categories in the future, and we’ll update this story with any new information.
“I’m proud to be leading an organization acknowledging the wide range of forms genre writing can take,” SFWA president Cat Rambo said. “I’m also looking forward to the expertise and experience such writers can bring to the organization.”
Rambo and her team plan to accept games of any form as a source material. Authors will have to show that they made a certain amount of money to qualify. For video game writers, you’ll have to show that you were paid at least $3,000 for one full-length video game. No more than two writers can show up on the work. Other requirements are that the game must feature a narrative element in English that lands in the sci-fi, fantasy, horror, or other related genres.