Versatile and approachable Freelance Game Maker.

Experienced Designer & Producer.

Available on freelance or contract bases.

Game Portfolio Content

  • Home, Professional Project

    Clients: Dundee carers, I2I

    A group-made narrative puzzle game made for Dundee carers to highlight the experience of young carers.

    For an example of my documentation, click more!

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  • Hack Mech, Level Design Study

    A study of narrative arc structure applied directly to level design and tutorial design.

    Top-down action-adventure game with puzzle and exploration elements.

    For an example of my level design, click more!

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  • Honours Project

    Research and development project on architectural theories applied to gamespaces.
    For an example of my grey box layouts, click more!

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  • Padly, Group Project

    Adventure platformer made by a cross-disciplinary team.

    For an example of my UI and early work, click more!

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Home, Professional Project

  • Role: Designer & Producer

  • Client: Dundee Carers, I2I

  • Genre/ Style: 3-D life Sim

  • Team size: 8

  • Completion date: 11/2019

Synopsis

Home is a light-hearted 3D life simulation that follows the daily responsibilities of Deer, a young career. Help Deer care for their little sibling, Bear, and parent Fallow. Showing both the struggles and positives of being a young carer. 

Project highlights

Both clients warmly received the game, and we were given the opportunity to showcase Home and our process at the I2I partner meeting held in Dundee. Home remains in use by Dundee Carers and used within classrooms and workshops.

Responsibilities

  • Gameplay and level designer within a cross-disciplinary team.

  • Helping to maintain and nurture the team’s vision through flowcharts, system requirements, personalized objectives, and open discussions.

  • Close collaboration with the art team to create a visually appealing and exciting game space.

  • Acted as a liaison between team, client, and young carers.

  • Personally Showcased at the I2I partner meeting held in Dundee.

Team Credits

 

Home’s planning made use of a flowchart/design document hybrid. Here you can see the start screen and some import info I.E font choice, characters names and controls. I have modified the diagram for easier viewing from this webpage. Please click to enlarge images.

The center details the main game loop tied to the timer and outlines the game’s rules. The diamonds indicate the connected sections.

Three more of the minigames with game loops, concise descriptors and mock-ups. Red boxes indicate options I wanted to present to the team or clients.

The plans for the cooking minigame. The left-hand shows the original implementation, and the right an overhaul we implemented for the final release.

Descriptors of each of the UI elements and their requirements.

Hack Mech, Level Design Study

  • Genre/ Style: top-down action, Metroidvania

  • Team size: Solo

  • Completion date: 11/2019

Synopsis

A twin-stick shooter with some light Metroidvania elements. It emulates the opening moments of a complete game and features the ability to move, fight, solve puzzles and take control of your enemies.

Project highlights

A rewarding study into the application of narrative structures in level design pacing and an opportunity to research and apply renowned designer’s methodologies to my work.

Responsibilities

  • Research and implementation of narrative structures applied to level design.

  • Exploration of tutorial and level design principles.

  • Development of critical themes across two levels and a final boss fight.

  • Organizing playtesting and collating feedback that was used to improve the game.

 

Original play through video submission. Below can be found a more succinct breakdown of the level.

Level one of hack mech aims to introduce the basic controls in a safe, low-stakes environment. Simple text prompts outline the controls. During this section, the player must navigate from the start point around some basic obstacles and open the door by firing on the switch. please click to enlarge images.

The hacking tutorial introduces the hacking and bomb turret mechanics. This is done through the use of AI-less disabled enemies and pod gates. To pass through these gates, players use the hacking ability to jump between the player and enemies. This also serves to reset the player’s resources. During this tutorial, the player hacks turrets and other ships to solve basic puzzles before facing off against an AI-enabled turret, hacking it and destroying a nearby wall.

Once the player has been introduced to the controls, they enter a simple hub connected to two tutorials accessible in any order. Upon completion, the player can progress through the red doors to level two.

The Combat tutorial introduces enemies in a low-stakes environment by grating the player a hidden increase to player resources. The player will first encounter a single enabled enemy next to some disabled enemies before increasing the complexity of encounters. The following encounters aim to demonstrate the range at which the enemies will engage with the player and add a small amount of challenge.

Honours Project

  • Genre/ Style: adventure puzzle

  • Team size: Solo

  • Completion date: 4/2022

Synopsis

Final undergrad research and development project exploring the use of architectural theory applied to game spaces. Including transitions, counterpoints, sightlines, and signposting.

Project Highlights

Developing skills to create accurate architectural tech drawings carried over to level layouts and maps.

Responsibilities

  • Solo development of playable experience within unity.

  • Independent cross-disciplinary research into architecture.

  • Analyze existing architectural works both within and outside of games.

  • Designing and iterating playable game spaces both on paper and in the engine.

  • The collection of findings and used processes into an honours dissertation.

 

Padly, Group Project

  • Role: UI Designer

  • Genre/ Style: Adventure Platformer

  • Team size: 7

  • Completion date: 12/2018

Synopsis

A laid-back 3-D character platform starring Padly the frog with a focus on exploration and interactions with light-hearted characters.

Project highlights

Padly marked my first opportunity to work in a team of over three people for a prolonged period. While early in my personal development as a designer, the project sparked a love for working alongside a team that I hold to this day.

Responsibilities

  • Design and implementation of UI elements and menus.

  • Directly collaborated with the game artists to design UI elements for the game.

  • Creation of paper prototypes of menus.

  • I worked within a cross-disciplinary team to create an original concept.

  • Facilitating design discussions via the use of mindmaps.

Team Credits

 

Final in-Game main menu UI

final in-game pause menu