Hi! I'm Brenden, I’m a designer and I like to make things.
My current trade is in video games, but I've done work in VR and interactive films. Narrative design is my special focus, but I enjoy exploring any medium I can get my hands on.
I find the form of a medium to be fascinating and I really enjoy looking at a specific setup or medium and breaking down its affordances into creating an experience that cannot really be done anywhere else. Taking apart the construction of an experience, weaving old and new techniques together and taking inspiration from strange places to add a meaningful twist in form or content makes work that pushes the medium, the creators and the audience.
By exploring themes through techniques that are unique to the medium, you can make people feel or think things in a way that they’ve never before and I think that’s a wonderful thing.
I have an international background; I was born in Indonesia, lived in the UK, studied Game Development in the Netherlands, have worked in China, Italy and Germany. I like to observe, analyse and absorb cultures, to see how tradition, language and history shapes people and communities at a micro and macro scale. Comparing the narratives which were kept and given cultural importance helps form a better understanding of a community and the personal narratives that run through me, from which I can make works that are effective in what they try to do.
Ultimately, I like to make people think, feel, and be happy.
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Full Commercial Ludography (All links lead a game page or trailer.)
Massive Miniteam (2022 - Present)
Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure - Early Access Automation/RTS, PC & Consoles - Lead Game Designer, Narrative Designer, Game Director
Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? - Quiz Game based off TV quiz show from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, PC & Consoles - Lead Game Designer, Game Director
Freelance (2017 - PRESENT)
Unreleased Project - Narrative Design for Wunderfax
Unreleased Project - Narrative Design & Consultancy for A Sharp
Blades in the Dark: Dagger Isles - South-East Asian Gothic TTRPG - Writing for Evil Hat Productions
Minute of Islands - Poetic Adventure Game, PC & Consoles - Narrative Design & Writing for Fizbin Studios
Hard Wired Island - Retrofuture Cyberpunk TTRPG - Writing for Weird Age Games
Say No! More - Comedic Adventure Game, PC, Switch & iOS - Narrative Design & Writing for Fizbin Studios
At Eve’s Wake - Lovecraftian Visual Novel - Editing & Proofing for Sugar Rush Studios
Tom Clancy's Elite Squad - F2P Action RPG, Mobile - Writing for Ubisoft Reflections
Too Many Cooks - Multiplayer Mobile Party Game - Game Design for Finifugu & Friends
Sealed with a Curse for Chapters: Interactive Stories- Mobile Interactive Fiction based off existing novel - Writing for Crazy Maple Studios
Nowhere Prophet - Post-apocalyptic Roguelike Deckbuilder - Writing for Sharkbomb Studios
Avery - Parser-based (IBM Watson) Interactive Fiction, Mobile - Narrative Design & Writing for IBM Italy
Ovosonico (2016 - 2017)
Last Day of June - BAFTA-Nominated narrative adventure game for PC & PS4 - Game & Level Designer
Dr. Panda Games (2015 - 2016)
Dr. Panda Plus: Home Designer - Augmented Reality Dollhouse App with accompanying Physical Cards for kids aged 3-8 - Play & Concept Designer (Lead Design)
Hoopa City 2 - City Building App for kids aged 5-8 - Play & Concept Designer
Dr. Panda Cafe - Roleplaying App for kids aged 3-6 - Play & Concept Designer
Dr. Panda School - Dollhouse App for kids aged 5-8 - Play & Concept Designer
Dr. Panda Farm - Learning App for kids aged 5-8 - Play & Concept Designer
Dr. Panda Firefighters - Action Roleplaying App for kids aged 5-8 - Play & Concept Designer
Dr. Panda Carnival - Minigame App for kids aged 3-6 - Play & Concept Designer
Dr. Panda Candy Factory - Creativity App for kids aged 3-6 - Play & Concept Designer
Dr. Panda Racers - Racing App for kids aged 5-8 - Play & Concept Designer
Speaking History
Devcom 2024 - The Game Design Skilltree - Panel Speaker
Cologne Narrative Game Design Meetup 2023 - Emotional Problem Solving - Speaker
Writer’s Guild of Great Britain’s Online Festival of Games Writing 2021 - Writing for Indie Games: Creating Narratives for Independent Studios - Panel Moderator
Games 4 Change 2021 - Empowering Others with Fun through Say No! More - Speaker
EGX 2021 - Storytelling in Videogames - Panel Speaker
Writer’s Guild of Great Britain’s Online Festival of Games Writing 2020 - Narrative Design: Breaking Down and Building Up Stories in an Interactive Environment - Panel Moderator
London Games Festival 2019 - Interactive Narratives Panel - Panel Speaker
Unite Europe 2015 - Dyskinetic: How to make a Live Action Virtual Reality Film - Speaker
Indie Pendant Games Gathering 5 (2015)- Why and how you should go to more game events - Speaker
Game Industry Community Work
Mentor at Sunbloom Media Arts Center’s Full Bloom Mentorship (2024)
Head of Communications at Limit Break (2020-2023)
Mentor at Limit Break (2020-2021)
Committee Member of the Games branch of Writer’s Guild of Great Britain (2018-2021)
Head of North East group of the Games branch of Game Workers Unite UK (2019-2021)
Conference Associate/Volunteer at GDC Europe (2015-2016) and other indie events