SJ Longthorne

HMU on that teams game giiiirl :')

I studied Japanese at uni and started doing video game translation. Translation and writing share a lot of skills, and after working on Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and being really moved by the story, I realised I wanted to do more of that.

I moved to the UK and started freelancing, with a view to adding more and more writing and narrative design gigs until that was my main job. I'm at about 60/40 in favour of translation so far, less than a year in (mostly thanks to you!).

Always wanted to write game without knowing how—even if it existed. Studied cinema. Then screenwriting. Got really disappointed in the TV industry and sent a LOT of blind emails to game writers using their names in credits. One answered. Was looking for a rather specific profile.

Hence I started to work for him, did a bunch of tests and worked for free a while before they hired me. Then, a year later I read the words NARRATIVE DESIGN and I was like "YES IT IS WHAT I DO". Then, from there: hard work, networking, luck, hard work again.

It's very simple. I was a literature student because I figured it would help me writing. I wanted to draw too but since my parents were artists I didn't want.them to judge my work. I hated it.

I was a huge player at that time, but we were relatively poor so I always had the same games. Warcraft, Starcraft, Age of Empires. So I modded them. A lot.

Wanted to write for games really badly. Made a long questline mod for Fallout: New Vegas. Players loved it. The mod got just enough press coverage for me to have the experience and legitimacy to apply for the job. Took me a bit more than 4 years.

Last, was lucky enough to find a really cool studio (@MidgarStudio) that would give me a chance to do the job. Been struggling with impostor's syndrome and deep feelings of gratitude ever since.