Writers Strike Plan B: From Picket Lines to Code Lines

Not only is the world of webisodes and sitdotcoms benefitting from the dearth of prime time TV content, the Writers Guild of America strike is also helping the gaming world. Reflected obviously in record sales of games and consoles this holiday season, the strike is also driving TV and movie writers to seek employment in the gaming realm.

According to MSNBC:

Because game publishers rely almost completely on nonunion talent to create video games, the Writers Guild of America walkout, now in its eighth week, hasn't been an issue for the gaming industry. Only a handful of game writers are represented by the WGA, and they fall outside of the jurisdiction of the current strike.

"Anytime we have the ability to work with writers, it improves the quality of the game," says Dan Connors, CEO of Telltale Games. "They're a great body of talent that generates a ton of creative work."

Apparently a growing number of writers would rather be writing story lines and dialogue for games than actually playing games with Hollywood honchos. You know what they say: once you go hack you never go back.