2023
Golden Ticket Award for Best New Family Attraction, Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, Super Nintendo World (Amusement Today)
Theory in Practice
The Work
Twenty-five years across games, themed attractions, transmedia, film, academia, and interactive systems. The theory expressed through practice.
01
Games
From browser-based games in 1999 to AAA franchises, tabletop systems, and mobile titles.
Interactive & Games
Design · Writing- 2025Wonderfilled Inc. · TabletopGiantLands: The Broken RoadAdventure module for the GiantLands system. Student collaboration project, published 2025.giantlands.com ↗
- 2023Feral Interactive · Android / iOSCompany of HeroesMobile platform release of the franchise that launched the Narrative Designer role.
- 2021Wonderfilled Inc. · TabletopGiantLands 5th Age Box SetLimited edition tabletop RPG system built on narrative design principles. Created in collaboration with James M. Ward (legendary TSR designer and creator of Metamorphosis Alpha), E. Gary Gygax Jr., and Larry Elmore. Narrative emergence and dramatic structure coexisting with player-driven storytelling. A transmedia universe functioning as an economic engine for Indigenous cultural preservation.
- -Stage11 · Game Design Consultant“11” & the David Guetta Experience (GDX)Designed the core “11” modular universal roleplaying game system for the Stage11 music platform and delivered a 50-page game design concept, with UI/UX solutions, for GDX, an epic, cinematic music-metaverse experience.
- 2017ZeniMax Media · Contributing Writer & Voice Actor · PC / PS4 / Xbox OnePreyContributing Writer, credited on IMDb. Also voice acting: Dr. Dayo Igwe, Dr. Sylvain Bellamy, and Dr. Lorenzo Calvino in Arkane Studios’ acclaimed immersive sim.
- 2016Psychfi · VRDionysiaVirtual reality title with Psychfi.
- 2016Self-published · Android / iOSPinky ElefanteIndependent mobile title. First released for Android in 2012 as Pinky Elephant.
- 2013Gazillion Entertainment · Writer · PCMarvel HeroesWriter on the Marvel Comics action-RPG, one of the largest licensed IP universes in interactive entertainment.
- 2011Warner Bros. Games / Day 1 Studios · Narrative Designer & Lead WriterF.E.A.R. 3Narrative Designer and Lead Writer on the third installment of the acclaimed horror FPS franchise. Integrating psychological horror storytelling with cooperative gameplay systems. PC / Xbox 360 / PlayStation 3.
- 2009Rovio Entertainment · MobileAngry BirdsContributing Designer.
- 2009THQ / Relic Entertainment · Writer · PCCompany of Heroes: Tales of ValorWriter, credited on IMDb. Continued narrative contribution to the Company of Heroes franchise on the standalone expansion.
- 2009THQ / Relic Entertainment · Contributing Writer · PCDawn of War IIContributing Writer, credited on IMDb, on the Warhammer 40,000 RTS franchise at Relic Entertainment.
- 2008THQ / Relic Entertainment · Narrative Designer · PCWarhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – SoulstormNarrative Designer, credited on IMDb, on the expansion to the Dawn of War franchise.
- 2008Electronic Arts · PCCommand & Conquer: Red Alert 3Contribution to the iconic real-time strategy franchise at EA.
- 2007THQ / Relic Entertainment · Narrative Designer · PCCompany of Heroes: Opposing FrontsThe first professional Narrative Designer credit in the games industry. The conversation started at GDC that spring; by May 2006, the title was settled (designer, not director) and the role was defined. Nominated for “Best Writing for a Game Production” at the 2nd Annual Canadian Awards for the Electronic & Animated Arts (ELANs), 2007. The game won the “Nokia Award for Outstanding Innovation in Gaming.”
- 2007THQ / Relic Entertainment · Writer · PCCompany of Heroes: Game of the YearWriter on the Game of the Year edition. Award-winning RTS featuring the brutal landing at Omaha Beach through the push inland, commanding America’s finest troops against the Nazi war machine across the most decisive battles of WWII.
- 2006THQ / Relic Entertainment · Narrative Designer · PCCompany of HeroesNarrative Designer on the original Company of Heroes at Relic Entertainment / THQ, the first professional use of the role in the games industry.
- 2006Electronic Arts Los Angeles · PCThe Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth IIProduction work at EA on the acclaimed RTS adaptation of Tolkien’s universe.
- 2006Self-published · Nokia Symbian Series 60 · MFAJourney of JinOne of the first episodic mobile RPGs, written partly in Tsalagi, part of the USC MFA thesis project on transmedial play.
- 2005USC / EA Game Innovation Grant · PCCloudProduction, cover art & menu design. Developed at USC’s Interactive Media Division with support from the Electronic Arts Game Innovation Grant.
- 2005Warner Bros. Games · Xbox / PS2ConstantineProduction work at Warner Bros. Games.
- 2005Electronic Arts / Warner Bros. · Xbox / PS2 / GameCube / GBABatman BeginsProduction work on the licensed action title.
- 2005Legacy Interactive · PCERWork on the licensed medical drama game.
- 2005JAMDAT · MobileJAMDAT Mini-GolfMobile game development.
- 1998Paw Island Entertainment · Vice President of Creative · BrowserPaw IslandThe first land and the first commercial video game project: a virtual island of animated cats and dogs sprinkled with minigames, built in Adobe Director and delivered online via Shockwave. Produced as VP of Creative at an internet startup in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, where the career in making games and lands began.
02
Themed Entertainment
Themed Entertainment
Story · Systems- 2020–25Universal Creative · Manager of Software Development, Game Attraction Designer, Narrative Designer & ScreenwriterSuper Nintendo WorldNarrative design, game attraction design, screenwriting, and software development leadership for Super Nintendo World across three global installations: Universal Studios Japan (2021), Universal Studios Hollywood (2023), and Epic Universe Orlando (May 2025). Wrote the Mario Kart attraction including main show, pre-show, and queue scripts. Led Power-Up Band interactive system development. Collaborated directly with Nintendo executive producer Shigeru Miyamoto and under the creative oversight of Steven Spielberg.Golden Ticket Award for Best New Family Attraction, Amusement Today, 2023 (Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge)THEA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Technical Innovation, 2021THEA Award for Outstanding Achievement in a Themed Land, 2021
- 2017Universal Creative · Manager of Software DevelopmentVolcano BayPart of the team behind the interactive elements and the TapuTapu wearable at Universal’s water theme park. First park opening with Universal Creative.
- 2017–18Evermore Park · Director of GamingEvermore ParkBegan as a Wonderfilled Inc. client engagement, then joined as Director of Gaming to open the immersive theatrical park in Pleasant Grove, Utah, created by the team behind The Void. Designed the park’s main attraction: an “RPG lite,” a simplified roleplaying game for families and guests of all ages, played across the park’s themed environments with in-character actors, quests, puzzles, and guilds.
Live Experience
Festivals- 2016–17Multi-venue · Liverpool, UKLiverpool International Festival of Psychedelia (PZYK)Renowned multi-venue event in Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle celebrating global neo-psychedelic music. Features a “sub-ultrasonic zone” of live performances and DJ sets spanning motorik, space rock, and experimental sound.
- 2017–20Five-day theatre & music festival · Winchester, UK · Executive ProducerBoomtownExecutive Producer for a number of years on the five-day immersive theatre and music festival held annually on the Matterley Estate in South Downs National Park. A pioneering fusion of large-scale theatrical narrative and festival culture, narrative design principles applied to live, participatory experience at scale, driven by engaged audiences.boomtownfair.co.uk ↗
- 2020New York, NYPsychedelic Film and Music FestivalFestival credit in New York, 2020.
- 2019Third Mind CreatesCatnip FestivalExperiential festival produced by Third Mind Creates.thirdmindcreates.com ↗
- 2026Tallahassee, FL · OperationsThe PFunk FestivalOperations on the outdoor funk celebration headlined by George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic.pfunkfest.com ↗
03
Transmedia
Transmedia & Current Projects
Worldbuilding- 2005–Wonderfilled Inc. · Transmedia UniverseGiantLandsA 21-year transmedia research initiative examining how science fantasy worldbuilding can function as an economic engine for Indigenous cultural preservation. Published products include the 5th Age Box Set (2021), Tuskaloosa’s Reckoning novel (2025), and The Broken Road adventure module (2025). Created with James M. Ward (legendary TSR designer and creator of Metamorphosis Alpha), E. Gary Gygax Jr., and Larry Elmore. Products sold at Aztalan State Park with 100% of proceeds funding preservation of the Mississippian temple complex.giantlands.com ↗
- OngoingWonderfilled Inc. · Interactive Historical NarrativeEmperor of the Cherokee20 years of practice-based research documenting Cherokee cultural preservation through transmedia design. As a descendant of the Overhill Cherokee, this work represents lived methodology: using the tools of interactive narrative to fund the restoration of Indigenous cultural sites. Complete manuscript: 42,783 words.emperorofthecherokee.com ↗
- 2024–Wonderfilled Inc.Temple of BootyInteractive narrative experience applying narrative design frameworks to adventure and discovery.templeofbooty.com ↗
- -ARUX · Co-founder & Chief Creative Officer · UAEARUXOne of seven co-founders of the Middle Eastern spatial computing startup, serving as Chief Creative Officer. A custom head-mounted display and operating system by the team behind the Project NorthStar HMD, built as a culturally responsive end-to-end platform for the region. Showcased at Expo 2020 Dubai.
- -Lake Geneva, WisconsinThe Dungeon Hobby Shop MuseumHelped reopen the museum in the first location of TSR, the company that first published Dungeons & Dragons, preservation work alongside the GiantLands project in the birthplace of the roleplaying game.
04
Film & Music
20+ experimental films. 35+ albums released across experimental, ambient, and game audio genres.
Film
20+ Films- 2021How to Operate Your MindOfficial Selection, Psychedelic Film Festival 2021.
- -Full filmographyAt FilmFreeway.
Music
35+ Albums- -35+ albumsReleased across experimental, ambient, and game audio genres, under working personas including Detroit Booty Temple and Profesor Prism.
- 2018“Trancendental Overdrive” (Remix)Remix collaboration with krautrock pioneer Harald Grosskopf (Ashra, Klaus Schulze), a direct connection to the roots of electronic music. Listen on Apple Music.
- -CollaborationsWith Marijannah (Singapore, 2022) and Harald Grosskopf (Germany, 2018). Appeared on Subversiv*rec Offbeats Vol. 2.1 (2005) and Superiorbelly Belly Comp (2001).
- -“greenbeans”Released on U Don’t Deserve This Beautiful Art (UDDTBA), the Philadelphia independent label run by weirdo-rap artist Darko the Super. Listen on SoundCloud.
- -On BandcampDodo Inksi · 144bpm · The Best of Me 1999–2019 · GiantLands Music
05
Publications
Scholarship & Writing
Author- 2026IEEE Computer · Peer-Reviewed · Accepted“The Spaghetti Strategy: Expertise Amplification vs. Democratization in Gen AI”Games, Film & Generative AI Column, October 2026 issue. Major peer-reviewed publication in one of the most prestigious computer science journals.
- 20263rd Edition · 20th AnniversaryNarrative Designer: Fabulator LudusThe theoretical framework of the practice, in thirteen chapters covering progressive exceedance, Fantasy-Reality Tension Maps, neural coupling, the Holistic Experience Stack, and the theophysical dimension. Revised and reillustrated for the field’s twentieth anniversary.
- 2025IAAPA TEA Academic Symposium Proceedings“Fantasy-Reality Tension Maps: Diagnosing Immersion in Mixed-Reality Racing Attractions”Published conference proceedings for the premier themed entertainment academic summit held at IAAPA Expo 2025 in Orlando. White paper and research poster on attraction design for Super Nintendo World: Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge.
- 2009Gamasutra (now Game Developer)Dramatic PlayThe foundational whitepaper establishing interactive narrative design theory. Synthesized classical dramatic theory with game systems design.
- 2008USC MFA Thesis · 57 citations“Transmedial Play: Cognitive and Cross-Platform Narrative”MFA thesis at USC School of Cinematic Arts. His most-cited work, with 57 citations, within a catalog of 90+ across the papers (Google Scholar). 18+ years of sustained scholarly influence spanning United States, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, France, United Kingdom, and Germany. Cited by Angela Ndalianis, Renira Rampazzo Gambarato, and scholars across media studies. See In the Literature.
06
Speaking
On Stage
Keynotes · Features- 2025IAAPA TEA Academic Symposium · Orlando, FLSuper Nintendo World: Design Process and ImplementationWhite paper presentation and research poster at the premier themed entertainment industry academic summit.
- 2024GAIN Magazine · Germany“Ich glaube an das Spiel als Empathie-Maschine”7-page feature interview in German academic culture magazine GAIN. Interviewed by Dr. Arno Görgen on philosophy of play, games as empathy machines, narrative design theory, and theme park design as architectural game design. Print edition (German only) at gain-magazin.de.
- 2023RiseUp Summit · Grand Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Egypt“Real vs. Unreal: Designing Better Realities”Opening keynote at MENA’s premier startup and innovation conference. Full-day workshop: “Game Narrative Design Workshop” bridging ancient Egyptian game Senet with contemporary narrative design techniques.
- 2023Sci-Fi London Film Festival · London, UKNarrative Design & Science Fiction WorldbuildingInvited speaker at the international film festival.
- 2021VR Day · Brazil“Criando Mundos de Realidade Mista para o Metaverso”Invited talk for the Brazilian VR community on creating mixed-reality worlds for the metaverse, with co-host João Pedro and the support of Twain XR Education.
- 2020Harvard Business School Tech Conference · Boston, MAThe Future of GamesInvited panelist on the future of games at the HBS Tech Conference, February 2020, alongside luminaries from games and immersive entertainment.
- 2015RadarStation Magazine · Summer 2015 issueChatting with the ArtistFeature interview in RadarStation Magazine's Chatting with the Artist series, on creative process, game development, and the importance of interactive storytelling. Physical and digital copies archived at radarstationart.com.
- 2012Cartoons on the Bay · Rapallo, Italy · Hosted by RAI“Transmedial Play: Cognitive and Cross-Platform Narrative”Major keynote at the international animation and cross-media festival, exploring the future of transmedia storytelling and how interactive, cross-platform experiences were transforming narrative design. About the festival.
- 2010Game Developers Conference · San Francisco, CA“Creators of Transmedia Stories”Prominent GDC panel, as founder of NarrWare, on how storyworlds and character narratives expand beyond a single game across multiple media formats: alongside Steve Danuser, John Johnson, and James Waugh. Watch on the GDC Vault.
- 2010Festival do Rio · Rio de Janeiro, BrazilTransmedia Storytelling PanelExecutive speaker at Brazil’s premier international film festival. festivaldorio.com.br.
- 2007Game Developers Conference · San Francisco, CA“Mobile Storytelling: What is the Path?”GDC talk on the emerging craft of narrative for mobile platforms.
07
Awards
2021
THEA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Technical Innovation, Super Nintendo World
2021
THEA Award for Outstanding Achievement in a Themed Land, Super Nintendo World
2021
“How to Operate Your Mind”, Official Selection, Psychedelic Film Festival
2007
Nominee, “Best Writing for a Game Production” for Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts (ELANs)
2007
“Nokia Award for Outstanding Innovation in Gaming” for Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts
2006
Best Student Philosophy: Cloud, Slamdance Guerrilla Games Competition
2006
Student Showcase Award: Cloud, Independent Games Festival (IGF)