Freelance services
I am passionate about video games, fascinated by storytelling, and diligent and detail-oriented when it comes to writing.
I have five years’ experience in the games industry from running an indie studio. I know how to use games to tell stories, and have the experience with Unity, Json and Ink to make it happen.
I would love to help your game or narrative project shine. I offer:
Narrative Design:
◈ Story outlines and plot development
◈ Character outlines and arcs
◈ Worldbuilding
Writing:
◈ Dialogue
◈ Events
◈ Scenes
◈ Item descriptions
◈ Text editing and proofreading
Game Design:
◈ Game design with a focus on storytelling
◈ Prototyping and concepting
Portfolio
Silicon Dreams
Cyberpunk interrogation sim, focused on conversation, interrogation and manipulation.
Credits: Sole creator, developers and writers.
- PC Gamer: “Extremely intelligent sci-fi interrogation sim that’s unpredictable for all the right reasons. … the writing is incredible.”
- Kotaku: “The most extraordinary narrative juggling act. … The credits rolled, and damn, it was perfect.” – John Walker
- DreadXP: “The writing is phenomenal … A multi-layered masterpiece.”
Star Dynasties
Scifi grand strategy game.
Credits: Lead writer.
- Work reference: “An excellent writer, and an idea generation machine. Jamie has been instrumental in fleshing out the narrative side of Star Dynasties. He was a consummate professional, and I admire his ability to calmly tackle whatever curve balls were thrown at him. It was a pleasure working together, and I hope to have the opportunity to do so again.” – Glen Pawley, lead developer
The Hidden Isle
Tabletop RPG that uses Tarot cards instead of dice.
Credits: Co-designer, writer, researcher
- Work reference: “One of the finest writers and editors there is.” – Georg Hobmeier, project manager
- Review, Throatpunch games: “Honestly, I love this one. … I strongly suggest you check this out if more narrative RPGs are up your alley! 97%”
- Review, Dave Thaumavore: “I love that this game isn’t just using Tarot cards to randomize things … it just blows the doors wide open to all kinds of fun interpretations”
Lego Bricktales
Lego puzzle/construction adventure.
Credits: Lead dialogue writers.
- Work reference: “Working with Clockwork Bird was a brilliant experience! They were responsible for writing our in-game dialogue and item descriptions, as well as the game’s achievements. They really hit the nail on the head when it came to delivering the tone we wanted: a light-hearted, humorous, wholesome LEGO game. Not only that, but their additions often contained creative, funny ideas and delightful wordplay, which added a lot of value to the dialogue. They got to grips with our narrative tools quickly and easily, so implementing their writing was a seamless process for the dev team. They also delivered reliably for all deadlines.” – Matthias Hilke, core team
Mechanism
Augmented reality escape room adventure.
Credits: Lead writers.
- Work reference: “Working with Danny and James was a great experience! They took their time to understand what our project was about and delivered very well-written content that satisfied all of our requirements. What really stood out to us was their style of work and communication. Danny and James felt more like team-members than external writers and helped us evolve and refine our ideas throughout the entire project.” – Adam Lamine, lead developer
Spinnortality
Cyberpunk management sim. A dark take on modern technology, governance and capitalism.
Credits: Sole creator and writer; the game has a novel’s worth of text.
- Why Now Gaming: “An eerily effective cyberpunk management sim that doubles as a scathing satire”
- GGS Gamer: “Brilliant execution of a familliar sim setup underscored by a wholly original subject matter”
- Quarter to Three: “The premise is cyberpunk, the parameters are thoughtful, and the payoff is worth the bother.”