Game Story Writer

A cartoon woman with big blue eyes, Badalia Madison is the heroine of the video game "Fashion Tale."
Heroine Badalia Madison, who Megan sent to Paris in the iPad game “Fashion Tale.”

Though mostly known as an award-winning writer of theater and opera, Megan Cohen has a secret life as a writer for games and interactive media.


As part of that secret life, Megan has written:

* Interactive text and photo adventures including a family-friendly spy thriller and a Ryan Gosling dating simulator for the launch of the mobile storytelling app Sequel. One time for real in REAL LIFE Ryan Gosling bought out all the cookies at a Girl Scout stand. Then gave them to passing strangers as gifts. Did you know that? Well, you know that now.

* Weekly quest stories for the mobile game Westbound!, a pioneer-themed adventure with over 100,000 5-star user reviews. Stepping into this game’s IP midstream while staying true to the long-running characters was a great workout in voice and personality.

* Narrative design, character creation, story bible, and cutscene dialogue as the sole writer for “Fashion Tale,” an iPad HOG (Hidden Object Game) produced by 50Cubes as a spinoff of their wildly successful social games Fashion Designer and Mall World. It featured their heroine Badalia Madison in a series of global adventures (80+ challenges) with all-new characters as she searched for fashion inspiration and found true love.

* Chatbot dialogue chock full of unique character personality. (Ghostwritten under an NDA, so we can’t talk about for whoooo.)

* Visual stories about art, news, dad jokes, sloths, and other burning topics as a member of the launch content team for Thred, a photo-centric mobile storytelling tool created by Will Wright (The Sims.)

I played casual games (like the Dash series and Cakemania) for years before getting to be part of making them.

The best part of writing for games is taking great narrative care of players just like me.

Game story writer Megan Cohen, a pale white woman with a dark brown bob haircut, looks at the camera while biting a pencil.

I’ve also been lucky to do interactive work built on emerging platforms and with new tech.

I love to experiment and innovate while bringing humanity, connection, and engagement.

Email Megan to request a games/interactive portfolio or chat about hiring opportunities.

Or, read an article that quotes her about game writing in the SF Chronicle.


want to write more?

Megan Cohen, a pale white woman with a dark pompadour haircut, smiles at the camera.

tell the truth.
don’t give up.
have fun.

I coach writers with respect. In a sliding scale private Zoom session, we can talk frankly about your writing goals, challenges, and strengths.

If you’d rather hire me to write for you, shoot me an email.


Julie (Stacy Ross) in "Free For All," flanked by house puppeteers Miyaka P. Cochrane and Charlie Gray. (Photo: Ben Krantz, 2019.)

More than one hundred scripts by Megan have been performed live onstage, from Midtown Manhattan to small-town Montana to…

Go on…
Poster for an opera festival featuring a wide open mouth in bright colors against a minimalist background.

Megan doesn’t speak Italian so she writes opera libretti in English, and it’s how she met Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the legendary rodeo champ…

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The menu screen for the iPad game Fashion Tale, featuring the title in whimsical white letters against a blue sky.

Games

While writing and ghostwriting for games and interactive/digital media, Megan learns the weirdest stuff. Did you know that Ryan Gosling…

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Playwright Megan Cohen, a pale white woman with a dark pompadour haircut, sits at a writing desk surrounded by balloons and glowing lamps.

Megan loves to support and create community through writing. When she held a 24-hour Writing Marathon..

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“In the sui generis mind of theater artist Megan Cohen, silliness intermingles with oh-no-she-didn’t moxie; searing smarts blend seamlessly with surreal reverie and a bottomless capacity for feeling.” San Francisco Chronicle

Megan Cohen, a pale white woman with a dark bob haircut, looks directly at the camera. She smiles with a closed mouth.

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Thank you for coming to my website! I made it myself, but put most of it in third-person to sound more “professional” since that is industry standard. Do you think it should be industry standard? I have mixed feelings about the idea of “professionalism.” I like that “professionalism” shows respect, but dislike that it creates distance.


Done with the site? Listen now to my short story about money, magic, and a weedwhacker.