- BLOG
- ASK A NARRATIVE DEVELOPER
- ASK A NARRATIVE DEVELOPER 2
- TIPS FOR ASPIRING DEVS
- ADVICE TO A YOUNGER ME
- BEING UNRELIABLE
- Q&A ABOUT QA
- BEST WRITING ADVICE I EVER GOT
- FULL TIME VS. CONTRACT
- I HAVE AN IDEA FOR YOUR GAME...
- BE WISHFUL WHAT YOU CARE FOR
- SIDE QUEST SANITY CHECK
- THE PERFECT SIDE QUEST
- STORYTELLING IN GAME JAMS
- TIPS FOR MOVING OVERSEAS
- …
- BLOG
- ASK A NARRATIVE DEVELOPER
- ASK A NARRATIVE DEVELOPER 2
- TIPS FOR ASPIRING DEVS
- ADVICE TO A YOUNGER ME
- BEING UNRELIABLE
- Q&A ABOUT QA
- BEST WRITING ADVICE I EVER GOT
- FULL TIME VS. CONTRACT
- I HAVE AN IDEA FOR YOUR GAME...
- BE WISHFUL WHAT YOU CARE FOR
- SIDE QUEST SANITY CHECK
- THE PERFECT SIDE QUEST
- STORYTELLING IN GAME JAMS
- TIPS FOR MOVING OVERSEAS
- BLOG
- ASK A NARRATIVE DEVELOPER
- ASK A NARRATIVE DEVELOPER 2
- TIPS FOR ASPIRING DEVS
- ADVICE TO A YOUNGER ME
- BEING UNRELIABLE
- Q&A ABOUT QA
- BEST WRITING ADVICE I EVER GOT
- FULL TIME VS. CONTRACT
- I HAVE AN IDEA FOR YOUR GAME...
- BE WISHFUL WHAT YOU CARE FOR
- SIDE QUEST SANITY CHECK
- THE PERFECT SIDE QUEST
- STORYTELLING IN GAME JAMS
- TIPS FOR MOVING OVERSEAS
- …
- BLOG
- ASK A NARRATIVE DEVELOPER
- ASK A NARRATIVE DEVELOPER 2
- TIPS FOR ASPIRING DEVS
- ADVICE TO A YOUNGER ME
- BEING UNRELIABLE
- Q&A ABOUT QA
- BEST WRITING ADVICE I EVER GOT
- FULL TIME VS. CONTRACT
- I HAVE AN IDEA FOR YOUR GAME...
- BE WISHFUL WHAT YOU CARE FOR
- SIDE QUEST SANITY CHECK
- THE PERFECT SIDE QUEST
- STORYTELLING IN GAME JAMS
- TIPS FOR MOVING OVERSEAS
ABOUT ME
It was over for me when I saw the first Star Wars in a movie theater. My brain broke open, and I knew from then on I had to tell stories.
I trained as a journalist and was working in Seattle when I answered a Craigslist ad looking for a writer fluent in video games. I was then doing side work as a video game critic for MSNBC.com. I applied and, after a month and on the floor of PAX Prime, I got a phone call from a recruiter about my resume. The client was Microsoft Game Studios, and months later I was writing transmedia, dialogue, and item descriptions for Fable 2.
That was my invitation to run away and join the circus of game narrative. I've been ridiculously fortunate to work on a bunch of games at several studios around the world. I've also worked with some outrageously talented people from all walks of life. I've told stories for consoles, PC, and mobile, in AAA, indie, VR, and XR spaces, and even developed personalities and dialogue for Digital Humans.
What's exciting to me is we are starting to see what we can do with narrative in games. It's the only storytelling medium where the viewer is active, has agency and can experience a world instead of soaking it in through film, TV, stage, or novels. And I can't wait to tell more stories in this strange, exciting place.
Let's Work Together.
And if you haven't yet, check out my background on LinkedIn.
INTERVIEWS/PANELS
Crafting Worlds with John Ryan
Host: TheXPlace, 2023
I talk about what it means to craft meaningful and engaging worlds in video games.
Interview with Jamie Collyer
Host: Jamie Collyer, 2019
I talk with ex-recruiter/now-influencer Jamie about game writing and narrative design.
Adventures in Game Writing
PAX East 2016
Narrative devs Leah Miller, Cohen Edenfield, James Pianka, Sande Chen, Nicole Kline, and I discuss getting into game writing and where the industry is going.
Censored: Do Game Devs Have Creative Freedom?
PAX East 2015
An hour-long panel where devs Kim Swift, Brianna Wu, Anna Megill, and I answer the question.
Out of the Box: A Guild Wars 2 Podcast
Grievance Gaming, 2013
Writers Anna Megill and I talk about Guild Wars 2 narrative and more.