Emma Kidwell, a passionate video game writer, discovered her love for storytelling through Twilight fanfiction. Her “self-insert” tales, often labeled as “bad,” found their niche on DeviantArt, a vibrant online community where fan art and original creations flourished. “The ease of access made it very inviting,” Kidwell remarks.
Her journey evolved from writing into role-playing across various forums, leading from her Twilight passion to an appreciation for video games like Mass Effect. Today, Kidwell is a narrative designer at Firaxis Games, rapidly gaining recognition in the realm of game storytelling. Her portfolio boasts titles like Hindsight, Borderlands 4, Life Is Strange 2, and Sid Meier’s Civilization VII; she’s also earned spots on Forbes 30 Under 30 and The Game Awards’ Future Class of 2023.
This week, she will preside over the Independent Games Festival (IGF) awards at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. This event coincides with her discussion on how her fandom writing experiences as a child influenced her work on DLC for Marvel’s Midnight Suns.
Interestingly, the act of writing fanfiction closely mirrors the process of creating content for licensed characters. “When I’m writing for Marvel IP at Firaxis, I’m essentially role-playing,” Kidwell explains. “Fanfiction provided me with the groundwork I needed to build upon.”
Fanfiction often faces scrutiny as a lesser form of writing, deemed self-indulgent or excessively risqué, typically relegated to a private pastime. Within the expanse of internet culture, few fanfic authors have gained renown, and those who have often do so for the provocative nature of their writings. “My Immortal,” a notorious Harry Potter fanfic, continues to be cited in interviews even today. However, writers like E.L. James, who brought forth the Fifty Shades series (originally birthed from Twilight fanfiction), have transformed their work into commercial successes.
Others, such as Kidwell, have paved their way into professional careers through fanfiction. “Due to fanfiction’s ties to marginalized communities, it hasn’t always been regarded as a legitimate form of writing,” she notes. Clearly, that perception is flawed. The gaming community and fanfiction world complement each other beautifully. The narrative-driven focus of most games offers ample inspiration for fans yearning for fresh stories, while writers on platforms like Archive of Our Own can—and will—create unique narratives from just about anything, even Tetris.
“Fanfiction serves as your creative playground,” Kidwell states. “You have the freedom to experiment. There are no constraints. You can explore and manipulate characters that aren’t yours, creating whatever you wish with them.”
For Midnight Suns, Kidwell was tasked with selecting four characters, including Deadpool and Storm. Her writing was grounded in the comic book renditions of these characters, as opposed to their film adaptations. While delving into the characters’ backgrounds, she experienced an epiphany: “It felt remarkably similar to what I would contemplate while crafting an original character in a role-playing environment. How would this character interact with others that are already established?”
Even those in Kidwell’s role must adhere to the franchise’s guidelines, including its narrative canon. However, this has not hindered her from crafting the stories she envisions. “A common misconception about writing for IPs is that it’s incredibly restrictive,” she observes. “In reality, there’s a lot of creative leeway within certain parameters, as you can infuse a bit of your own essence into these characters. It’s very much like solving a puzzle: finding a way to authentically weave your ideas into a coherent narrative for the game.”
In her downtime, Kidwell still engages in role-playing. Currently, she is actively involved in the Dragon Age community. “I view IP writing as a middle ground,” she shares, drawing a connection between fanfiction and original fiction. It’s a seamless progression from role-playing: “I’m just doing it in a professional context now.”
