The Examined Game #4

In this episode of The Examined Game I speak with Erik Wolpaw on writing for video games. 

Erik is best known for his work on Portal, Portal 2, the Half-Life 2: Episode One and Half-Life 2: Episode Two, as well as his time at Valve and Double Fine Productions
working on Psychonauts. We talk about environmental storytelling, just how difficult it is to make games funny, and how much of Portal’s world was built through suggestion rather than exposition. Erik breaks down how characters like GLaDOS and Wheatley evolved during development, and why constraints often lead to stronger creative decisions. The fact that Portal was way into development before he came on-board as a writer says a lot about just how strong the writing for Portal is, considering it is so well known for its characters and world building.

We talk about the realities of the writing process itself: procrastination, self-doubt, collaboration and playtesting. Erik talks candidly about the creative culture at Valve during the development of The Orange Box, the pressures of shipping games, and why most writers secretly hate writing. 

I got to talk with Erik about Half-Life 2, Left 4 Dead 2 and some of his favorite games including ICO, Slay the Spire and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

This was such a great deep dive into the power of writing in video games but above all else, you must remember: the cake is a lie.

The Examined Game

Each week, host Steven Lake asks the creators behind some of the world’s most influential video games about the meaning of life (in video games), leading to conversations about the personal and creative impact games have had on their lives.