GAME WRITING SAMPLES

For even more specific narrative or dialogue samples, please feel free to contact me directly

MAXIMIZER - A REN’PY INTERACTIVE VISUAL NOVEL GAME

I learned basic Python to fully write and develop this animated Ren’Py experience. What starts as a seemingly mundane day for someone who maximizes every decision turns into a high-stakes thrill ride as they discover the devastating consequences of their inability to choose. It’s an adventure so expansive, you’ll need to download it — but it’s worth the effort. If that’s too tough, I can personally mail you a flipbook version (or just email you selects, whatever you’re into).

 

COMBAT BARKS

Step into the wildly oversized boots of a classic, battle-hardened space marine in a first-person, sci-fi shooter. As you escort a disaffected, sarcastic teen royal through this intergalactic conflict, marvel at their ability to weave contempt into their many helpful callouts. Art by Ross Harrison

 

Character profile

Meet Irit, AKA Emberforge, a Demonic Tinkerer in a third-person fantasy/sci-fi MOBA. Discover all the details of this conflicted creator who imbues cybernetic contraptions with netherworld energies, including her many attempts at weighing an intimidating vs. clear fire-based battlename.

 

Dialogue sample - described by the disco elysium team as an “excellent sequence of words”

Below, find a sample from a live stage sketch that Disco Elysium developers ZA/UM enjoyed, satirizing an alternate universe version of a notoriously dysfunctional TV family. It’s from my time as a writer/performer on LA’s I.O. West (RIP) house sketch team, where I wrote sketches for over 5 years of monthly shows. Check out a video of one quick blackout sketch (I cameo at the end) to your left.

 

One Dark day - a TWINE journey of modern office villainy

Voted in the top 2% for ‘humor’ (of 3,000 entries) at Ludum Dare 49, this Twine choose-your-own-adventure features original art and 25+ pages of branching dialogue - all created in remote collaboration with artists and programmers. In a world where being a villain is the ultimate achievement, you’re a down-on-their-luck evil overlord who finds themselves running out of one critical resource: patience.

 

OPENING CINEMATIC SCRIPT (NON-COMEDIC)

Enter a desolate, desert town and prepare for a terrifying stand-off in this introductory cutscene for a Horror/Western themed title. Best read in the dark, preferably by lantern-light and near (one of your many) old-timey player pianos. Art by SirTiefling

 

GALAXY TAXI - a TWINE Space/therapy adventure

Over the course of one Global Game Jam weekend, I wrote over 20 pages of branching dialogue for this comedic space advice simulator. Your cab ferries folks to their destinations, but you earn tips based on how well you can get beings to open up to you, and the quality of your guidance. Can you help them find their way, and themselves?

 

FURTHER COMEDY writing

VULTURE | Parallel Thinking VS. PLAGIARISM

For this article, Parallel Thinking Is Real: One Concept, Six Sketches, and a Whole Slew of Plagiarism Accusations, I dove into the world of comedy sketches about websites for “settling” in dating. It’s a decades long rabbit hole that stretches from indie comedians to Saturday Night Live.

 

MEL MAGAZINE | The greatest commitment to a bit ever

This is the true story of two friends and the throwaway joke that spawned a three-year, daily habit that led to a 1,000 page novel that inspired the LA comedy community.

 

FORBES PARODY | 30 UNDER 30

For now defunct pop culture site First Slice, I took a self-deprecating look at my accomplishments versus the very impressive resumes of some of the Forbes: 30 under 30 class that year. Sure they’re conquering the world, but who has intricate string cheese plans like I do?

 

ROCKETJUMP | TO the Future Podcast

Does being a guest on a comedy/gaming podcast count as writing? I’d say, somewhat! I was not told what the topic would be when I was asked to appear on RocketJump’s To the Future, and I hung on to this wild ride as it took turns I was not at all prepared for…

 

THE BILLFOLD | APARTMENT HISTORY

I was so excited to contribute to the Billfold’s vaunted Apartment Histories section. I’ve lived in some extraordinarily strange situations, including a two-bedroom with five people, near a muffin-based drug front, and a very perilous wind chime situation. And one truly copyright-defying Disney mural…

 

THE JERUSALEM POST | JEWISH HUMOR SERIES

I was lucky enough to contribute Jewish-themed comedy pieces to some widely distributed publications like The Jerusalem Post and The Jewish Journal. The linked piece here was my foolproof guide to impressing a Jewish woman on a date, I think you’ll find these tips to be as strong as Bar Mitzvah Manischewitz.