October 11-13th, 2013: The Arbitrary Game Jam #3!
This run's core concepts were:
The team that I was fortunate to join - consisting of Luke Schnabel, Nicholas Udell, and Benjamin Gemmel - made a swarm-based simulation that pitted white blood cells against the invading supervirus of a technologically modified Scarlet Fever.
In the end, as the clock ticked down, I gave myself 15 minutes to write the story. Each line between levels had to be between 50-100 characters long, and I didn't want the intro or outro to take up more than a single text box each. You can see the result in the image below.
Mr. LoBuglio had this to say about the inclusion of my work:
"This game takes the theme of Scarlatina and totally runs with it. The game opens with dark, foreboding music, and the story frame that follows it is properly shiver-worthy. Out of all of the submissions, this is the only one that decided to tell a serious narrative: the story is introduced in a simple timeline at the beginning, and then continued in a series of short, first-person statements in the bottom of the store window. There are some totally chilling lines, like when the unnamed character is searching for a new strain of Penicillin, and speculates "There's something green in the water, some kind of Algae. Any sort of mold will do, right?""
He goes on to conclude that "... it's rare that a gamejam game attempts, let alone succeeds in telling a serious story."
Not bad for 182 words and 15 minutes!
- Scarlet Fever
- Anabasis
- Biodiversity
The team that I was fortunate to join - consisting of Luke Schnabel, Nicholas Udell, and Benjamin Gemmel - made a swarm-based simulation that pitted white blood cells against the invading supervirus of a technologically modified Scarlet Fever.
In the end, as the clock ticked down, I gave myself 15 minutes to write the story. Each line between levels had to be between 50-100 characters long, and I didn't want the intro or outro to take up more than a single text box each. You can see the result in the image below.
Mr. LoBuglio had this to say about the inclusion of my work:
"This game takes the theme of Scarlatina and totally runs with it. The game opens with dark, foreboding music, and the story frame that follows it is properly shiver-worthy. Out of all of the submissions, this is the only one that decided to tell a serious narrative: the story is introduced in a simple timeline at the beginning, and then continued in a series of short, first-person statements in the bottom of the store window. There are some totally chilling lines, like when the unnamed character is searching for a new strain of Penicillin, and speculates "There's something green in the water, some kind of Algae. Any sort of mold will do, right?""
He goes on to conclude that "... it's rare that a gamejam game attempts, let alone succeeds in telling a serious story."
Not bad for 182 words and 15 minutes!
48 Hour Game Making Challenge
A Forest Fair and Still - 2008
Responsible for: background story, art direction, marketing.
Read about it!
Watch the trailer!
Play it!
Read about it!
Watch the trailer!
Play it!
Hewlet and the Starspinner - 2007
Responsible for: writing, creative direction, design, QA, marketing.
Read about it!
Watch the trailer!
Play it!
Read about it!
Watch the trailer!
Play it!
Published Articles
Article on Gamasutra (extended from the IGDA version, below) -- 18th November, 2010
History, Mystery and Story: Games and the 10 minute rule
Article in the May edition of the International Game Developer’s Association Perspectives newsletter (Page 9) -- 15th May, 2010
Game Design Aspect of the Month - History, Mystery, Story: The Cinematic As Game Opening
Article in The Escapist - Restore, Retry, Quit? -- 11th April, 2009
Interview with Australian Gamer - 10 Game Industry Questions -- 19th March, 2008
History, Mystery and Story: Games and the 10 minute rule
Article in the May edition of the International Game Developer’s Association Perspectives newsletter (Page 9) -- 15th May, 2010
Game Design Aspect of the Month - History, Mystery, Story: The Cinematic As Game Opening
Article in The Escapist - Restore, Retry, Quit? -- 11th April, 2009
Interview with Australian Gamer - 10 Game Industry Questions -- 19th March, 2008
Games Writing Presentations & Workshops
2 hour GameOn guest lecture, and Science Fiction Panel (with Morgan Jaffit and Peter Schembri) -- 9th May, 2012
Due to the magic of Vimeo, you're able to watch my presentation here.
All-day workshop at the Bundaberg Writers' Festival -- 21st May, 2011
Some very nice people from this workshop bought me a Duck via Oxfam Unwrapped as a thank you! Awwww~~!
2 x 3 hour PlayIT Games Writing workshops as part of the World Computer Congress -- 21st September, 2010
Panelist at the World Science Fiction Convention (Melbourne) -- 2nd-6th September, 2010
3 hour GameOn guest lecture and workshop at Rockhampton -- 1st August, 2010
4 hour GameOn guest lecture and workshop -- 29th November, 2008
2 hour GameOn guest lecture -- 10th September, 2008
Panelist at GameOn (Melbourne) -- 18th March, 2008
Panelist at Conjure -- 15th April, 2006
Due to the magic of Vimeo, you're able to watch my presentation here.
All-day workshop at the Bundaberg Writers' Festival -- 21st May, 2011
Some very nice people from this workshop bought me a Duck via Oxfam Unwrapped as a thank you! Awwww~~!
2 x 3 hour PlayIT Games Writing workshops as part of the World Computer Congress -- 21st September, 2010
Panelist at the World Science Fiction Convention (Melbourne) -- 2nd-6th September, 2010
3 hour GameOn guest lecture and workshop at Rockhampton -- 1st August, 2010
4 hour GameOn guest lecture and workshop -- 29th November, 2008
2 hour GameOn guest lecture -- 10th September, 2008
Panelist at GameOn (Melbourne) -- 18th March, 2008
Panelist at Conjure -- 15th April, 2006
