I ♥ storytelling

Stories aren’t just a part of the human experience; they’re vital. Each character’s journey changes how we think and feel. We dream that our personal stories will beautifully unfold. Whether we experience a story ourselves or simply hear about it, we love sharing the best parts with the people we care about.

As a narrative-focused game designer, I’m proud to carry on our millennia-old tradition of storytelling in the ever-evolving medium of video games. Below are some of my favorite narrative design work samples.

Ready At Dawn is where I did the bulk of my narrative design work. During the production of Lone Echo II, a VR adventure game set in a far-off future, one of my main responsibilities was the story event scripting of several mission levels and exploratory areas. My work was often informed by my collaborations with Level Designers on immersive, engaging mission designs.

One silver lining of working on a big project in a small team is that you get to wear many hats! Lone Echo II only had one official Writer, so to pick up the slack, I took on the responsibility of doing the early dialogue writing for all my levels and areas. Often, my writing did so well under review that it went largely unchanged in the final script.

Note: I’ve purposely used commentary videos below to help illustrate how enjoyable this VR game experience can be. The first voice you hear in each video is the commentator. Each video only needs to be viewed for a minute or so to get a rough idea of the scene.

Astraea Wreckage | Introducing Apollo (Again)

Designing this section of the game was a fun balancing act. For example, Apollo’s alarmed state was an effective way to introduce him in this game, since you get a nice jolt whether you remember him from the first game or are meeting him for the first time right now.

The most challenging aspect of the bridge conversation was finding a palatable way to work in all the necessary beats. Ultimately, by striking the right balance between interactivity, spectacle, and fun dialogue, we were able to maintain momentum through this info-heavy scene.

Research Facility | A Lost Love

Get ready for the most dramatic lock-and-key puzzle of all time! Seriously, though, this sequence packs an emotional punch.

Having only heard bits and pieces about a relationship between your companion Dr. Harlan and his former crewmate, the infested research facility offers a surprise revelation: these crusading scientists were in love, but they risked it all to save humanity.

Hopefully, their sacrifice will not have been in vain...

Chiron Station | Humanity’s Last Hope

One way the Lone Echo series achieved such a great sense of immersion was by filling the world with side content. For example, tiny research labs scattered throughout Chiron Station provide not just equipment upgrades, but also opportunities to learn more about the hopes, dreams, and fates of the station’s former occupants.

Part of the challenge of narrative design in such an open world setting is accounting for different player states. As this video shows, players are free to discover many areas on their own; but sometimes, they’re not yet equipped to proceed.

I think of my time at Telltale as my “formative years” in terms of my career in narrative design. This is where I first learned about story-focused game design and how fulfilling it can be to guide players through the twists and turns of an emotionally satisfying journey.

Studying under a huge team of master storytellers, I had the opportunity to do substantial narrative design work on multiple episodes of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, which in our games included choice design, puzzle design, and dialogue stubbing.

Note: Each video below only needs to be viewed for a minute or so to get a rough idea of the scene.

Acid Pit Stop

What’s a sci-fi adventure without a visit to the belly of an enormous alien beast? This freewalk segment’s light puzzle gameplay strikes the right balance of letting you make progress in spectacular fashion while simultaneously getting to know the world and characters.

A Chance To Say Goodbye

A big challenge in being a narrative-focused game designer is getting in touch with your feelings and being vulnerable enough to put it down on paper for others to see. Turns out, to take the player on an emotional journey, you must take one yourself!