Games suffer from a lack of poor writing almost universally. Let's face it, Gears of War has terrible writing, and the sequel is even worse. Too Human? Terrible. The games with the best writing tend to come from specific studies like BioWare, and that is because they are writing stories in a very specific way. Here's a few of the lessons that can be learned from them.

• Make characters that your desired audience can relate to. People want to feel engaged in the story, not merely playing a character that they wouldn't be caught dead around in real life. If you want a more measured and reclusive audience, don't make your character all bulging muscles and grimaces 24/7. In contrast, if you want to tap into the party-hard mentality, giving your character huge muscles and snappy one-liners is a great move. You pick and choose those that play your game by how you portray the story and characters. Note that there is plenty of room for overlap here. For example, Halo pulled in a large segment of both the sci-fi nerd crowd as well as the college crowd by juggling elements that the audience can relate to or like.
• Make your characters believable. I don't care how hardcore you are, you don't swear every ten seconds unless you have some form of Tourette syndrome. By contrast, nobody speaks in ultra-flowery Middle Earth speak and takes ten years to die. I realize that I'm essentially dissing the dialogue in two whole genres here, but bad dialogue is a major problem in games. On top of this, make your characters behave in ways consistent with their dialogue and outlooks. A calm, peaceful, and altogether warm man won't randomly murder someone without an underlying motive. Give your characters depth instead of making them into "filler guy #2" or "random silly killer dude".
• Ease the player into the universe by dropping them in face-first. This is the one rule that nobody follows, probably because it is really hard to do. All games require some sort of big explanation at some point it seems. This is bad writing, and you should never ever do it. Don't have characters exist as mouthpieces for how awesome your setting is. Allude, insinuate, and otherwise be subtle about things. In other words, assume that your audience already knows all about the setting. Reveal information only when appropriate. For example, if you want to reveal some key point in a kingdom's history, don't have some random person explain it to a character that didn't know. Be more subtle about it. Reveal the event in bits.
• Do not stick to a single genre as soon as you come up with your concept. I should clarify this, though. Don't create a game solely because you want to make something that falls under a genre like sci-fi thriller. Stories flow, and if your story takes you across gameplay and narrative genres, don't fight it. In a story-driven game, narrative is law. This isn't to say sticking to a single genre is bad, but that you should let the story decide where it wants to go rather than forcing it down a single path. If that sounds like hippie speak, let me put it in terms that personify the story less: you will write better when you aren't thinking about where you can take the story but rather writing off the cuff.
• Integrate the story into the gameplay. Oh man, this is the biggest pet peeve I have with videogames. They make the story and the game separate things. If you are making a narrative game, the story and gameplay should intertwine together in perfect harmony. Don't cloister them in different corners. A good example of how to totally ignore this rule in a really bad way is Metal Gear Solid 4. Tons of cutscenes, minimal action. Don't be Hideo Kojima and force your players to watch. Make them experience the story. Make them feel it. Put them in the story, not in a seat in the theater. To put it in grade school terms: show, don't tell.
  

All of these things basically boil down to one thing: cater to your audience, not to yourself. Your players determine how your game is doing, and if you aren't appealing to the type of person that you want to play your game, you aren't writing well. The best stories can be ruined by terrible execution that pulls the audience out of the thick of things or presents characters that are downright terrible. In contrast, a story that appeals to the audience and gets them thinking while they play the game is a good story, even if the base concept is not all that great. For example, in Infinite Discovery, you are mistaken for a rebel commander. In most games, this means you are the rebel commander, but with amnesia. Not the case here! Turning conventions like that on their head can really boost a game beyond contrived roots and into charming territory.

In short, try to distinguish yourself from the crowd with clever storytelling, engaging characterizations, and an interesting setting. Keep things measured and reasonable to appeal to the widest audience, and make them outrageous to appeal to a select few. Immerse the character in the story, don't tell them what is going on. Show them! Let the story drag you, the writer, along for the ride. As it is sometimes said, the best stories write themselves.

Finally, don't be afraid to push boundaries. As an indie, it is you who pushes games to new heights in gameplay and story, not random big-name developer. Be innovative and interesting!

For more coverage on indie games and the scene, keep an eye out for Indie Showcase at the same bat time, same bat channel. Also check out Freeware Friday and our indie category for some excellent freeware games and indie news, respectively.