Game DESIGNER
I have published a handful of games where resources were available. Most of my game design work has been related to academic scholarship during my Master's and doctoral studies.
PuzzleArt (Published)
My first game was created with programmer, Brendon Sapacz (Technical Director at Pixel by Pixel Studios), and published to GooglePlay for Android devices in 2016 (PuzzleArt by ReUp Games). The game was remade by leading mobile game publisher, Ketchapp, and has in excess of a million downloads for Android devices, including a user rating of 4.6/5. As of March, 2021, my game design has been reworked by a dozen developers who are experiencing success with their games. In that respect, the game has been a huge success and my design was clearly popular.
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PuzzleArt Concept: When I created the design for PuzzleArt the goal was to craft a simple puzzle game that would have endless editions, from fanart to masterpieces, and from nature photographs to abstract artwork. The plan was to present the game to major airlines so that they could use geography-based editions of the game (monuments, nature wonders, etc.) as in-flight entertainment. The first edition of the game, created in 2014, did not feature artwork but rather street maps, so that tourists might become familiar with the layout of the cities they were visiting. However, it was famous artwork that seemed to be the most attractive first iteration for the commercial version of the game.
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Brendon and I celebrating our first published game at Canada's Wonderland.
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"Snapper" - A Paparazzi Story
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Snapper was a four-year university-funded game project based on my story concept. I became the narrative director for the game, completing the "story bible" for the game, as well as contributing to the art department through devising the character designs. I created a proof of concept level using Twine which relayed to the team how the gameplay would draw out ethical dilemmas (the goal of the project). The game was then developed for Renpy as a role-playing game (RPG).
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Demo screenshots from the Renpy version of the Snapper game:
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Snapper Concept: Several years ago, I developed a game idea heavily influenced by the Eidos/Square Enix Hitman stealth-shooter game series. Instead of being a shooter, my game was about "shooting" celebrities as a paparazzo photojournalist. The premise was that Hollywood celebrities were sick and tired of being harassed by the press, so they pooled their resources to finance a Mecca to the stars... an underground Shangri-La constructed in the Nevada desert, close to Las Vegas. In this luxury getaway, there were some private residences, many hotels, casinos, nightclubs... and you get the idea - a Vegas for the stars, exclusively. No press!
The player was going to play as an undercover paparazzo that is flown in to the underground city disguised as hotel staff and then pulls off some pap jobs once settled-in. Getting the shots would be tricky, as would finding a safe way to courier the photographs out. There would be many familiar parodied celebrities - Mr. Olympia-turned-actor-turned-politician, drunken socialite princess, reclusive musical prodigy, etc. Additionally, there was a subplot involving a private investigator who would be brought in to flush out the paparazzo. In effect, you would play a protagonist and antagonist in the same game. I was hoping that a cool effect would be video replay whereby cinematic cut-scenes in the game would show what the player had previously done whilst playing the other character - their exact moves as they had happened in real time. This would be a new form of game immersion. The game design is clearly suited to Triple-A production.
The player was going to play as an undercover paparazzo that is flown in to the underground city disguised as hotel staff and then pulls off some pap jobs once settled-in. Getting the shots would be tricky, as would finding a safe way to courier the photographs out. There would be many familiar parodied celebrities - Mr. Olympia-turned-actor-turned-politician, drunken socialite princess, reclusive musical prodigy, etc. Additionally, there was a subplot involving a private investigator who would be brought in to flush out the paparazzo. In effect, you would play a protagonist and antagonist in the same game. I was hoping that a cool effect would be video replay whereby cinematic cut-scenes in the game would show what the player had previously done whilst playing the other character - their exact moves as they had happened in real time. This would be a new form of game immersion. The game design is clearly suited to Triple-A production.
Rex
Rex is a mobile game I am currently developing. The design concept plays with color theory and adds dimensions of difficulty and challenge through easy-to-learn visual concepts. The game was inspired by Space Invaders and other top-down shooters. I commissioned Italian artist, Oscar Celestini, for the art assets, and I had worked with Oscar in the past on my comic book projects.
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Placeholder demo title screen, created by me. Would prefer a pro version! Oscar's sprite sheet for the Rex game demo (right). Oscar's original sketch for the 8-bit Rex character set.
POTUS
I set myself to the task of creating the missing game from human history - a turn-based strategy game more challenging than Checkers, yet less difficult than Chess. Potus was the result and I created a proof of concept prototype board game. I created the board, game pieces and deck of cards for the game. The game has been played with several people from different walks of life - everyone really enjoyed the game! The game has a set of rules that must be copyright protected if I plan to produce the game for a commercial market. Ideally, the game would be developed for PC and mobile.
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Game Concepts
Over the years, I have developed dozens of video game concepts. Here are some of the best:
Evolution z
FORMAT: third-person shooter (inspired by Gears of War)
GENRE: science fiction
STORYWORLD: Humans have begun embracing cybernetic enhancements, however, there is a rejection syndrome and not every human has the genes to accept cybernetics. The rejection syndrome causes a form of necrotizing in the brain and body resulting in zombism. Those who successfully adapt to the cyborg augments use the zombies as a slave army for their military conquests.
A religious cult is pushing all humans to get cyborg augments based on a guiding principle that God creates a chosen people from those who can adapt successfully to the augments. The religious cult abducts and forces people to receive cybernetic augments. The military complex covertly supports the religious cult because their army is bolstered from the failures of the cult's program of forced adaptation.
FACTIONS: Military cyborg officers, zombie unlisted soldiers, cult cyborgs
STORY: Protagonist is part of a human rebellion resisting the cyborg army. Protag is not a cyborg. The resistance movement is a mix of regular humans and disillusioned cyborgs. Protag best friend terrified of augment and he is convinced that he will become a zombie. Eventually, the best friend is abducted by the cult and forced to adapt to the augments. The best friend is a successful cyborg. He become a zealot in the cult and is high-ranking in the cult. Some of the protags other buddies end up zombified and are faced as mini-bosses. Protag defeats former best friend and cult, then goes on to take out the army general.
MECHANICS: Fallen foes drop aura essence. Zombie soldiers drop different color aura from heavies, and cultists and successful army cyborgs drop different colors as well. Different aura essences that are in direct contact combine through color addition theory (i.e. red aura in contact with yellow aura becomes orange aura). Secondary color aura (orange, purple, green) is more potent as health and other vitals for the player, but brown is useless. Therefore, waves of enemies have to be killed strategically to setup chances of making enhanced aura, as well as, avoiding the brown aura mixture.
Fallen foes also drop implants that can be scavenged for weapon upgrades. Weapon enhancements can have effects on enemy troop movement patterns or internal aura color.
GENRE: science fiction
STORYWORLD: Humans have begun embracing cybernetic enhancements, however, there is a rejection syndrome and not every human has the genes to accept cybernetics. The rejection syndrome causes a form of necrotizing in the brain and body resulting in zombism. Those who successfully adapt to the cyborg augments use the zombies as a slave army for their military conquests.
A religious cult is pushing all humans to get cyborg augments based on a guiding principle that God creates a chosen people from those who can adapt successfully to the augments. The religious cult abducts and forces people to receive cybernetic augments. The military complex covertly supports the religious cult because their army is bolstered from the failures of the cult's program of forced adaptation.
FACTIONS: Military cyborg officers, zombie unlisted soldiers, cult cyborgs
STORY: Protagonist is part of a human rebellion resisting the cyborg army. Protag is not a cyborg. The resistance movement is a mix of regular humans and disillusioned cyborgs. Protag best friend terrified of augment and he is convinced that he will become a zombie. Eventually, the best friend is abducted by the cult and forced to adapt to the augments. The best friend is a successful cyborg. He become a zealot in the cult and is high-ranking in the cult. Some of the protags other buddies end up zombified and are faced as mini-bosses. Protag defeats former best friend and cult, then goes on to take out the army general.
MECHANICS: Fallen foes drop aura essence. Zombie soldiers drop different color aura from heavies, and cultists and successful army cyborgs drop different colors as well. Different aura essences that are in direct contact combine through color addition theory (i.e. red aura in contact with yellow aura becomes orange aura). Secondary color aura (orange, purple, green) is more potent as health and other vitals for the player, but brown is useless. Therefore, waves of enemies have to be killed strategically to setup chances of making enhanced aura, as well as, avoiding the brown aura mixture.
Fallen foes also drop implants that can be scavenged for weapon upgrades. Weapon enhancements can have effects on enemy troop movement patterns or internal aura color.
DevilsDrug aka <DD>
FORMAT: role-playing game (inspired by Hotline Miami)
GENRE: crime underworld
STORYWORLD: Instead of the Onion router, the darknet is on the DD router. Noir underworld.
STORY: Protag goes on DD router and takes missions. Early missions include, silk road drug trafficking, mail order bride human trafficking, contract killing, robberies, gun running, counterfeiting, credit card fraud, sports fixing, sex working and pimping, hard candy intrigue, hacking/doxing, Advanced missions include, human sex doll trafficking, necrophilia intrigue, cannibalism intrigue, human organ black market, passport fraud, domestic terrorism, incest webcamming, rape video game, political assassination.
Protag takes the missions and then completes the missions in a Hotline Miami top-down 8-bit style. Missions involved choices and swerves. For example, delivering drugs for one contact provides a choice to make a new contact and give them the drugs instead. Choices can affect future missions and contacts. Missions are paid in a cryptocurrency. The DD router has websites that must be checked regularly to get clues about stings, honeypots, or even contracts on the protag.
There is a cult running a cloning operation in an underground lab. The protags computer screen shuts down, then a prompt: "you have been scanned". The protag is cloned and then pursued by that clone. Game's final mission is about killing the clone and shutting down the cloning lab.
Contact: "Blackwolf" for hitman contracts, gun running, blackmail, etc.
Blackwolf is a rogue CIA operative who knows that <DD> router is a giant government honeypot
Final mission for Blackwolf results in retiring with wealth in South America
Final mission against Blackwolf results in death unless protag did mission for contact "Honeybear"
Contact: "Honeybear" for human trafficking, weird sex stuff, hard candy, etc.
Honeybear secretly runs the clone cult
Final mission for Honeybear results in death and life taken over by clone
Final mission against Honeybear requires having done a mission for contact "Cookie Monster"
Contact: "Cookie Monster" for drugs, gambling, hacking, etc.
Cookie Monster is secretly working for POTUS to flush out Blackwolf
Final mission for Cookie Monster results in death unless missions completed for all three special contacts
Cookie Monster has essentials for taking down the clone cult
GENRE: crime underworld
STORYWORLD: Instead of the Onion router, the darknet is on the DD router. Noir underworld.
STORY: Protag goes on DD router and takes missions. Early missions include, silk road drug trafficking, mail order bride human trafficking, contract killing, robberies, gun running, counterfeiting, credit card fraud, sports fixing, sex working and pimping, hard candy intrigue, hacking/doxing, Advanced missions include, human sex doll trafficking, necrophilia intrigue, cannibalism intrigue, human organ black market, passport fraud, domestic terrorism, incest webcamming, rape video game, political assassination.
Protag takes the missions and then completes the missions in a Hotline Miami top-down 8-bit style. Missions involved choices and swerves. For example, delivering drugs for one contact provides a choice to make a new contact and give them the drugs instead. Choices can affect future missions and contacts. Missions are paid in a cryptocurrency. The DD router has websites that must be checked regularly to get clues about stings, honeypots, or even contracts on the protag.
There is a cult running a cloning operation in an underground lab. The protags computer screen shuts down, then a prompt: "you have been scanned". The protag is cloned and then pursued by that clone. Game's final mission is about killing the clone and shutting down the cloning lab.
Contact: "Blackwolf" for hitman contracts, gun running, blackmail, etc.
Blackwolf is a rogue CIA operative who knows that <DD> router is a giant government honeypot
Final mission for Blackwolf results in retiring with wealth in South America
Final mission against Blackwolf results in death unless protag did mission for contact "Honeybear"
Contact: "Honeybear" for human trafficking, weird sex stuff, hard candy, etc.
Honeybear secretly runs the clone cult
Final mission for Honeybear results in death and life taken over by clone
Final mission against Honeybear requires having done a mission for contact "Cookie Monster"
Contact: "Cookie Monster" for drugs, gambling, hacking, etc.
Cookie Monster is secretly working for POTUS to flush out Blackwolf
Final mission for Cookie Monster results in death unless missions completed for all three special contacts
Cookie Monster has essentials for taking down the clone cult
Paparazzo
FORMAT: third-person stealth (inspired by Hitman)
GENRE: espionage
STORYWORLD: Paparazzi are so out-of-control that celebrities have built an underground Shangri-La in the Nevada desert near Las Vegas, with a private airstrip. The underground complex has luxury hotels, five-star restaurants, first-class casinos, etc.
STORY: Protag is paparazzo that has to infiltrate the complex disguised as hotel staff. Once in the underground complex, the protag used stealth to complete paparazzi missions. Missions highlight familiar celeb type: spoilt socialite and her sex tape, Mr. Olympia steroid scandal, reclusive prodigy exploitation scandal, etc. Protag can make celebrity allies through blackmail, for example, racist movie director caught on tape will help smuggle in new camera equipment for protag, or help smuggle out photographs or video footage.
Epilogue: Player becomes a private investigator who is tailing the paparazzo protag character. Cut-scenes reveal missions exactly how they were performed by the player as part of the story of the P.I. hired to stop the paparazzo.
GENRE: espionage
STORYWORLD: Paparazzi are so out-of-control that celebrities have built an underground Shangri-La in the Nevada desert near Las Vegas, with a private airstrip. The underground complex has luxury hotels, five-star restaurants, first-class casinos, etc.
STORY: Protag is paparazzo that has to infiltrate the complex disguised as hotel staff. Once in the underground complex, the protag used stealth to complete paparazzi missions. Missions highlight familiar celeb type: spoilt socialite and her sex tape, Mr. Olympia steroid scandal, reclusive prodigy exploitation scandal, etc. Protag can make celebrity allies through blackmail, for example, racist movie director caught on tape will help smuggle in new camera equipment for protag, or help smuggle out photographs or video footage.
Epilogue: Player becomes a private investigator who is tailing the paparazzo protag character. Cut-scenes reveal missions exactly how they were performed by the player as part of the story of the P.I. hired to stop the paparazzo.
The Long Road
FORMAT: driving (inspired by GTA)
GENRE: crime underworld
STORYWORLD: major metropolis
STORY: Protag is car thief and wheelman who jacks cars to enhance his personal vehicle and access more advanced missions. Each successful car theft results in chop shop owner allowing protag to have one part from the stolen car. The cannibalized parts are assembled into one completely unique vehicle.
Some missions require having particular parts to increase success, for example, to succeed in a bank robbery in the desert it is required to first steal a Cadillac XTS or Landrover Defendor and then take suspension parts as payment from the chop shop. Otherwise, the rocky desert terrain will wreck the getaway vehicle.
GENRE: crime underworld
STORYWORLD: major metropolis
STORY: Protag is car thief and wheelman who jacks cars to enhance his personal vehicle and access more advanced missions. Each successful car theft results in chop shop owner allowing protag to have one part from the stolen car. The cannibalized parts are assembled into one completely unique vehicle.
Some missions require having particular parts to increase success, for example, to succeed in a bank robbery in the desert it is required to first steal a Cadillac XTS or Landrover Defendor and then take suspension parts as payment from the chop shop. Otherwise, the rocky desert terrain will wreck the getaway vehicle.