Narrative Design

The narrative is the glue that holds the game together. As such, storytelling is a collective task involving all disciplines in game development. Through close cooperation, I ensure that the narrative architecture serves the player fantasy and project goals. Using a methodical approach, I develop narrative systems that connect story, world, and gameplay to create maximum immersion.

Worldbuilding & IP

Whether you‘re developing your own original material or working with an existing IP: I can define or distill the foundations, systems and rules of a game‘s setting and collaborate with the team to create a consistent, believable world that can grow organically. Compelling worlds with meaningful themes increase player engagement and can even enlarge your brand beyond the current game.

Character Development

Be it for player characters or NPCs, I develop relatable personalities, backstories and character arcs with gameplay relevance in mind and breathe life into quest givers and enemies. Working closely with artists, I use their time efficiently by delivering precise, actionable briefs and maintaining short feedback cycles. Through inducing attachment to characters, I make players care.

Quest Design

Quests are at the heart of experiencing the storyworld through gameplay. I design quests that integrate with mechanics, progression, location and narrative logic. This includes objectives, player choices and pacing. Whether breaking down the main story or adding smaller plots: Interesting quests enhance player motivation, make grinding less boring, and can even make failure fun.

Game Writing

If narrative is the glue, writing is the glitter – found everywhere from marketing trailers and cutscenes to map hotspots and tooltips. Good writing improves clarity and adds flavor and meaning to the entire player experience. I create memorable names, authentic dialogue, funny item descriptions and more in German or English, always with tone, atmosphere and length in mind.

Implementation & Content Design

From prototyping to testing, my experience covers a range of narrative tools, quest and dialogue editors. I confidently implement writing and quests with variables, condition logic and trigger placements which provides consistency and reduces communication overhead. I also create ambient content like environmental storytelling or NPC behaviour that makes your game world come alive.

Director / Lead Role

Whether taking ownership of a project’s narrative single-handedly or supervising a team, I ensure narrative integrity creatively and structurally. I align project goals, timelines, team abilities and company values by coordinating workflows and communication. Aware of how psychological safety impacts creative work, I provide empathic guidance and support to diverse teams.

Consulting

My best advice comes for free: Speak with a specialist as early as possible. Even if you can‘t hire an expert writer or narrative designer, consultation can help your team build strong narrative foundations. I evaluate concepts, review material, answer questions, help navigate specific challenges and provide methodical solutions. Consulting can be one-time or ongoing, remote or on-site.