Game Designer, January 2019 - August 2019
Lead Game Designer, August 2019 - present
I have worked at Mokuni as a Game Designer since 2019. As part of a small team, my responsibilites have expanded far outside the realm of my job title to include such things as implementation, programming, writing, business development, and marketing. The following are a selection of highlighted projects from my time with Mokuni.
Hyper Casual Projects
February 2020 - present, Mokuni
Game Design - Level Design - Game Balancing - Programming (C#)
Mokuni has worked with several reputable game publishers such as Voodoo, Super Sonic, and Smilage to create a series of hyper casual games. These small, snackable games are designed to deliver fun and approachable experiences to as wide of an audience as possible. The entire production cycle of a hyper casual project, from ideation to launch, typically lasts only one to two weeks, requiring that all members of the team take on a prominent role in every phase of development. As such, working in hyper casual has afforded me the opportunity to get hands-on experience with many facets of the production pipeline outside of the realm of design, including implementation, business development, and marketing. Because of our team’s strong design background and high standards of excellency, our games have boasted consistently high retention and playtime metrics when compared to the average hyper casual game.
My responsibilities on these projects include:
Creating hundreds of original game ideas that adhere to publisher guidelines while remaining realizable within the span a short production cycle.
Meeting regularly with publishing partners to pitch game ideas and workshop designs.
Implementing all game features in Unity, either as part of a small team or as a solo developer.
Critiquing game ideas presented by teammates and providing feedback to help improve the design.
Monitoring player engagement and modifying designs based on user feedback.
Working with publishing partners and other game studios to develop meta-systems and improve long-term retention in existing games.
August 2019 - February 2020, Mokuni
Lead Game Design - Level Design - Programming (C#) - Game Balancing - Prototyping - Narrative Design - Writing
Smash Pow! Is a casual brick-breaker game that Mokuni made as a follow up to Smash Brickz. The team’s intention with Smash Pow! was to take what we learned from the Smash Brickz project and create a brick-breaker game with a more distinct personality and a more focused identity. To accomplish this, we centered the design of Smash Pow! around characters called ‘Critters.’ Each Critter brings their own personality and gameplay quirks to the table, which allowed us to disrupt the brick-breaker design space in many novel ways. We were also able to use the distinct designs of the Critters as a jumping off point to develop a unique world and narrative for the game.
My responsibilities on Smash Pow! included:
Leading the design and development of the Critters, including their functionality in gameplay, their unique abilities, and their progression system.
Designing the functionality of new level elements, and how they fit within the greater ecosystem of the game.
Designing all levels in the game with the intention of creating thoughtful, puzzle-like experiences.
Prototyping new game systems and assisting the lead programmer with the technical implementation of my designs in Unity.
Collaborating with artists to develop a unique visual aesthetic for the game.
Assisting the team in developing the world and narrative of the game through visuals, writing, and design.
January 2019 - August 2019, Mokuni
Game Design - Level Design - Economy Design - Game Balancing - Programming - Prototyping (C#)
Smash Brickz is a casual brick-breaker game for iOS and Android that Mokuni made in collaboration with JoyTap Games. When I joined the team, I was tasked with making post-launch improvements that would reward dedicated players with regular content updates and long term systems to engage with. To this end, I spearheaded the development of several new levels, game modes, and meta systems, each of which resulted in an expanded player base, longer playtimes, and higher user retention. With these new systems, Smash Brickz was able to carve out its own unique identity within the brick-breaker space, and saw greater levels of success.
My responsibilities on Smash Brickz included:
Leading the design and development of new game modes, such as Boss Levels, Core Collector Mode, and the 100 Ball Challenge.
Leading the design and development of the Skill Tree, a meta system that allows players to unlock unique skills that greatly alter gameplay.
Designing hundreds of new levels, as well as updating and re-balancing existing levels.
Designing new level elements, and updating existing elements to make them more fun and challenging to engage with.
Balancing the in-game economy to create a natural and engaging progression curve.
Prototyping new game systems and assisting the lead programmer with the technical implementation of my designs in Unity.
Collaborating with artists to develop a unique visual identity for the game.
Communicating with our publishing partners to define project requirements and assure that goals are met.
