Games
Narrative Lead. Submitted winning pitch, wrote key scenes, and led collaborative narrative pipeline for 20+ member volunteer team. Design Notes.
Contributing Writer/QA Consultant. Provided character brief for central, recurring NPC, and consulted on QA approach & methodologies.
The Tūn-Gāst of Oakshaw
QA Lead. Guiding an internal Game Quality team through all phases of the software development life cycle, including implementing processes for effective test planning and bug reporting. Collaborating with all other disciplines to select and hone engaging mechanics, and succinctly define and illustrate the expected features of the games. Currently in development at Small Loan Studio.
QA Tester. Created test cases and reported bugs for Out and About by Yaldi Games, currently on Steam. Name in credits @www.yaldigames.com/outandaboutcredits.
Solo project. Example of a game created in Twine, with branching narrative, variable management, and impactful choice. Design Notes.
Writing Samples
Character Bio with Script / Bodega / Daisy Strega
Daisy learns that she descends from a long line of witches/mages who watch over their communities from the most ubiquitous location in their neighborhood – the local bodega. And she thought being a teen was hard enough! Example of a character bio with defining characteristics, voice print, backstory, and visual comps.
Character Brief / The Ouroboros Express / Train Conductor Urshu
A majestic train rolls in from the impossible, roiling fog. A charismatic train conductor steps out and welcomes you on. This is the character brief that was used to guide other writers with the mysterious train conductor Urshu (short for Urshunabi). Urshu is a pivotal, recurring character that is central to the underlying narrative, and whose tone needed to be consistent & alluring throughout the game.
Branching Dialogue / Santa’s Secret
Chrome Steele has been approached by young Bianca Fontaine to find her missing dad. Chrome’s only lead – the Silver Cat Jazz Bar – finds him in the company of the gregarious Jack Scanlon. As the 1st, minor interrogation scene in the game, the goal is to introduce the users to Chrome’s three detective personalities, and to reward them with both a memory glitch and a small bit of extra info for selecting the correct choice.
Cinematic Script / Elevator Scene
What happens when 3 characters from different games get stuck in an elevator? How do they react? What do they do? How do they deal with the problem – and with each other? This exercise demonstrates creative screenwriting, distinct voices, adept use of existing characters, and efficient usage of time & attention.
A traditional script for a meet cute scene at a diner, showcasing character dialogue and personality. Sweet as pie…
Barks with Dialogue System / Bodega
Example of creating multiple, organized barks for a variety of potential triggers based on a given Mission Brief.
Inspired by the old detective shows on Earth, our Android Private Investigator adopts the styles, lingo, and mannerisms of his favorite, fictional detectives to solve mostly petty crimes, often to the confusion of those around him. Example of situational dialogue barks in differing voice, tone, and settings.
Quest Brief / The Huntsman / Two of a Kind
A young village boy needs your help. He fears something has happened to his invisible friend. While this seems hardly worth a huntsman’s time, the player can choose to placate the lonely and distraught child. Example of an optional side quest that enhances the character and world lore. Showcases understanding of triggers, conditions, and narrative beats that bring gameplay and story together.
What if Y2K had triggered the apocalypse? Example of game items and their descriptions to help set the tone and hint at additional lore for a mostly lighthearted, post-apocalyptic dungeon crawler.
The Story Stack is an intuitive model for defining and understanding the core components of a game and how they relate to each other in terms of flexibility. In this document. the model has been applied to an existing game and then, assuming the story (the most flexible part of the stack!) has been scrapped, 3 alternative story pitches have been included that still honor the rest of the narrative foundation.
Robert Corra 