writing samples
games.
A small range of writing samples from key games ranging across 2019-2024. You can play the full-range of these on my itch.io!
Tales of the Shire item descriptions, barks, and more, will be posted here once the game is published!
A downloadable PDF featuring all this content is currently in-progress.
bin chicken has a go!
NARRATIVE DESIGN
INKLE
UNITY C#
NOIR
COMEDY
MYSTERY
AWARD WINNING!
A brief summary and breakdown of the characters within Bin Chicken Has a Go!
Each employee in the game is associated with a job and animal that corresponds with their personality and role. Their voice, appearance, and personality had to be developed quickly due to the time constraints of a game jam.
As Australians developing the game, it was imperative that these were Australian-themed animals to really drive our own personal experiences into the game.
Player - Red Ibis
data analyst / grizzled detective.
grizzled
mysterious
stinky
Bored of mundanity, this noir-inspired employee is out to uncover the deep-rooted mysteries of the office.
Written as a red ibis because ibis’ are inherently chaotic, and a red ibis is a mysterious and unknown creature.
example bark.
“My scarlet feathers are dulled by the grimness of this town…”
EUGENE - italian greyhound
data analyst.
nervous
sweaty
particular
An italian greyhound to match his inherently nervous demeanor. He is a medical mystery through his capacity to stand semi-upright with no spine. He has odd hobbies no one really questions to keep him semi-functional.
example barks.
“Gah!” – “Uh…” – Eugene appears to be trembling.
Elijah - Monitor lizard
IT worker.
cranky
bored
hungry
Motivated purely by food and any means to avoid an interaction with co-workers, Elijah is the embodiment of the true essence of being an IT Worker.
Monitor lizard due to his physically intimidating demeanor but docile nature once you actually get to know him.
example barks.
“Go away.” – “Nope.” – “Not happening.”
Gladys - Cockatoo
receptionist.
endearing
slow
kind
With absolutely 0 computer skills but 100% charm, Gladys is the perfect person to be behind the reception counter. She always has a tin of bikkies ready to go for anyone who’s having a bit of bum day.
As a cockatoo she has a bit of a cheeky side to her, and even when she’s frustrating she still has a way to charm you!
example bark.
“Hello, love! Are you keeping warm?”
“A cheeky little bikkie wouldn’t hurt…”
Heather - Possum
Boss!
confident
organized
caring
In control, friendly, and able to keep a level head, Heather appears to be the perfect version of what an adult should be.
Possum’s are confident and known to approach people at parks with little fear, which is the sort of person Heather is.
example barks.
“Make sure to take breaks when you need to! We don’t do this ‘live to work’ nonsense around here.”
Steve? - Cat
eh, probably sales.
ignorant
brazen
chatty
Cats in Australia are a pest to the native wildlife, a theme in-keeping in this game. Trent(?) is always ready to sell you his next hit idea on a whim. He has never failed with an idea in his life, mostly because he’s never started.
example bark.
“If we buy into asdhfgasdfhadf we could really be making millions!”
“Mate, you won’t believe what I just thought of!”
SYMPOSIUM OF GRIEF
NARRATIVE DESIGN
UNITY C#
CHARACTER-DRIVEN
DARK COMEDY
DRAMA
This section outlines the approach to designing the narrative and world for Symposium of Grief (2019), a solo project with est. 2hrs of playtime.
expertise.
- Developing a longer form narrative with strong themes that form a clear and strong overall message
- Creating a whimsical and interactive world with unique characters
- Writing longer-form dialogue that is witty and maintains a good sense of comedic timing
- Establishing dialogue and narrative that thematically fits in with the broader mechanics of the game e.g. keeping considerations such as screen-size and player clicking in mind
premise.
You play as Ghost who suffers from a broken heart, quite literally.
Ghost’s ultimate aim is to find the other half of their heart, who has undergone an intense journey across a one-way river to the Isle of Compromise with the Ferryman. The Ferryman, a mermaid, is currently preoccupied with a sudoku puzzle, and cannot complete it due to their wet fingers.
Ghost has no idea how to play Sudoku and the symbols make no sense to them, it’s all nonsense. To understand the game and its symbols, Ghost must slowly and painstakingly process their grief across its 5 stages.
As each stage is processed, the symbols begin to make sense, eventually culminating in them completing the crossword, confronting their missing half, and ultimately moving on.
the world.
Each character in the purgatory-esque world has a physical heart being worn on their persons. Each heart has some implicit story it is looking to tell. Some hearts are a uniform color, others are split into two colors, other hearts appear wonky and not yet put together. All of this is not only an allegory for relationships, but also an allegory for the sense of self for these characters.
Uniform Hearts, Single Colored: These characters are not necessarily implicitly single, but are characters who are assured of themselves with a strong sense of identity.
Fractured Hearts, Single Colored: These individuals are people who have suffered some kind of loss but are slowly finding their sense of identity where it may have been lost.
Uniform Hearts, Dual Colored: Dual color has clear implication of the involvement of another character. They understand and are comfortable in who they are, and that their identity is tied up in another person. These characters are ones Ghost most envies and will often be a source of antagonism due to an implicit jealousy.
Fractured Hearts, Dual Colored: Individuals who are losing their sense of identity, and sense of place in the world. Break-ups go beyond the question of ‘who am I in this relationship’ but instead ‘who am I in this world?’ Their very identity is falling apart, and these characters are shown to be in some kind of crisis, the issue being Ghost is strongly drawn to them because they can often enable Ghost’s dysfunctional thinking.
Cracked Hearts, Dual Colored: Ghost envies these characters and will treat them with the same jealousy as fully-formed dual colored hearts, but what Ghost fails to see is there is some strain in the person’s selfhood. They are on the cusp of a crisis, but this is not being recognized due to Ghost’s bias towards whole-hearted people.
No Heart: Weird characters who are usually dancing to the beat of their own drum, they have a place, but they don’t make sense in Ghost’s world.
Ghost is the only character with a full split, implying a clear breakup that has occurred with a significant distortion in their sense of self. They are the only character with half a heart, and that creates an intense feeling of isolation.
Each character and each place on the map functions as an experience for Ghost, and as a reflection of the experiences we have during a breakup.
The structure of the world itself is quite nonsensical, things are in places where they shouldn’t be, the entire town is a solitary isle in the middle of a black lake which feeds more like a void. The structure serves to emphasize the grief experience. There is a pet shop and aquarium, but no real grocery shop. There is no need for a grocery shop because people who are grieving have no energy to buy real food or eat.
The post-office functions solely as a place for the scary post office cryptid to exist because Ghost is lonely and has no need to send mail. The post office cryptid must exist to berate Ghost, as this is true to the grief experience. Everyone is up in your business ready to criticize you, and seldom do you have a genuine interaction with a person. All the people you engage with are weird, disconnected, and fail to recognize the signs of your anguish, even with tears streaming down your face.
Such is the world of Symposium of Grief, an isolated isle with characters who all serve to show Ghost how alone they truly are.
narrative structure.
This linear narrative is broken into 5 acts, with each act representing a stage of grief.
Many of the game’s goals are intentionally nonsensical, not necessarily looking to make cohesive sense, but reflecting Ghost’s current mind state. Their mind state is constantly seeking to find ways to ignore and repress their pain, aiming at each stage to hold on to the memory of their ex-partner as opposed to processing the loneliness.
Because of this, the goals are silly but ultimately come together to make some kind of sense, as this is how Ghost is subconsciously processing things.
Denial – features Ghost trying to find ways to reach their heart, actively ignoring the people being blunt about the reality of the situation and instead taking any sign that the connection will be re-established.
Rage – a brief phase that encapsulates Ghost’s realization of the extent of the split. They rage across the town, taking out the rage of their anguish on anyone who dares question the potential of a reunion between them and their heart.
Bargaining – As the rage dissipates Ghost is desperate to find other means to clutch onto the reunion of them and their heart. The anguish is too much to bear, it’s much easier for them to pretend a future is possible. Interactions are abrupt and rude as Ghost is frustrated at the looming sense of doom.
Sadness – The anguish sets in as Ghost slowly comes to grips with the reality of the situation, their heart is missing and that is horrible. They avoid moments of joy and reminders of depression alike throughout this stage, wanting only to stay numb. It is only when their depression is truly recognized and pointed out by another person that Ghost can begin the path to acceptance.
Acceptance – Ghost burns down their house, preventing themselves from returning to the painful memories and patterns of before. This is the only stage where Ghost does things without another character having to prompt them.
REAL RACING 3
QUEST DESIGN
CUSTOM ENGINE
MOBILE
CHARACTER-DRIVEN
COMEDY
DRAMA
An excerpt of dialogue from Real Racing 3’s Track Day: Speedster V12. These are 7-day quests featuring a key car that players can unlock if they complete the quest. These cars are the focus of each monthly update.
Having bought a new Aston Martin Speedster, Norm is looking to create a car club on his own in order to form a community of like-minded car lovers. He appreciates the player for the silent contemplation, citing them as a ‘no-nonsense’ type.
characters.
- Champ, Mate, Friend: the Player
- Ahmed: the Millionaire and aspiring Racer
- Norm: the retired Legend
Available to play on mobile. Read the full-script here:
Script Excerpt - Stage 02
intro.
Norm: Maybe this isn’t really the type of club that’d suit you.
Norm: I’m thinking some real old and experienced folks talkin’ ‘bout the good ol’ days and what have you.
Ahmed: Yes, I have had many a tarot reader tell me I have an ‘old soul,’ so perhaps we are kindred spirits, you and I.
Ahmed: But, I take your point on the experience side of things. I have learned a lot and have more experience than most my age, but I remain humble.
Norm: Streuth.
Ahmed: I must vacate to the bathroom, but once I return let us have ourselves a friendly little competition, and I shall prove my worth!
Norm: I still need to get my blood pressure checked before I jump behind the wheel–you right if our champion here represents yours truly?
Ahmed: Yes, what an honor our competition will be!
Ahmed: I will be back shortly!
Norm: See you, Ahms.
Norm: …
Norm: Right, now I got another thing I’m gonna need you to do for me.
GOAL 01 TEXT: He’s left his keys in the car on a warm day–jump in his car and try to overheat it before he gets back. Drafting as much as you can should do the trick.
Norm’s car is pulled over to the side of the track, communicating the haste in swapping the cars.
goal 01 outro.
Ahmed: I have returned–are we ready for some fun competition?
Norm: You sure your car’s ready to go? Looks a bit run-down there, Ahms.
Ahmed: It is quite dusty and the tires are balder than I recall, let me check.
Ahmed: Alas, the vehicle sounds like a dream.
Ahmed: A remarkable model, wouldn’t you agree?
Norm: A little bit too remarkable, damn.
Ahmed: Yes, perfection is a burden. Damn!
Ahmed: Let’s race!
GOAL 02 TEXT: See if you can best me in a Speed Record on grounds of equal footing!
goal 02 outro.
Ahmed: Another race, I say!
Norm: I dunno if you need to push yourself that hard…
Ahmed: You motivate me all the more to prove my worth.
Norm: Listen, mate, when you’re out there with Ahmed, you’re going to need to really crush his hopes if you catch my drift…
GOAL 03 TEXT: He needs to feel like he can win this, so sneak up from the back up to 2nd. Stick behind him for 25 sec and hit the finish line at a top speed–make him feel like he’s just got it.
GOAL 04 TEXT: Now’s the time to show how he doesn’t even stand a chance–move ahead into 1st and win by at least 300 yd (274.3 m)!
outro.
Ahmed: I really thought I had it there…
Norm: Don’t be too hard on yourself, Ahms. Maybe the club just isn’t your cup of tea.
Norm: You could even start your own little billionaires club or something, start baking as a hobby, anything.
Ahmed: No! I will remain resilient!
Ahmed: I will be part of your club, I will prove myself and show you how I can be of value to this Classics Club!
Norm: Look, Ahmed, I reckon just stick to the stuff you know. You lost the comp, but you’re still a legend on the track.
Ahmed: But–
Norm: Listen, I’m retired! I just wanna get into my speedster and have some peace with some mates who like old cars without risking cardiac arrest!
Norm: I’m not interested in having more competitions!
Ahmed: But why would anyone want to even join a club with no competition?
Norm: …
Norm: Don’t worry about it.
Norm: I’m going back home today, anyway. I’m gettin’ too homesick, and the American air is doing somethin’ to my lungs.
Norm: I’ll catch you all later.
Ahmed: …
Ahmed: Hmm, he seems a bit upset. Perhaps you should go to Melbourne with him?
Ahmed: I meant what I said, I’m resilient and will work on my driving to one day be as skilled as I am beautiful.
comics.
A series of comics published in various editions of Voiceworks magazine from 2021-2023.
donut blood ('21)
it's the soda ('21)
a corporate pickle ('22)
cuddle me hard ('22)
the gods should ('23)
static ('23)
