Curriculum Vitae

EDUCATION

Columbia College, Chicago

  • Film/Video/Animation — 1987-1990

AWARDS

  • Best Seller, “MechAssault” (3 Million Units sold, Micrososft) — 2009
  • Platinum Seller from DriveThruRPG for “Ehdrigohr: The Roleplaying Game” — 2015 (over 1000 units sold)

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

  • DePaul University, Faculty in School Of Design — 2012-Present
    • Faculty Advisor for DeFrag, CDM’s game student’s club
    • Instructor – GAM 394 (Game Development Project I)
    • Instructor – GAM 395 (Game Development Project II)
    • Instructor – GAM 690 (Game Development Studio I)
    • Instructor – GAM 691 (Game Development Studio II)
    • Instructor – GAM 244 (Game Development I)
    • Instructor – GAM 424 (Game Design Workshop)
    • Instructor – GAM 224 (Game Design for Non-Majors)
    • Instructor – GAM 399 (Independent Study)
    • Instructor – GAM 341 (Introduction to Level Design)
    • Instructor – GAM 342 (Advanced Level Design)
    • Instructor – GAM  226 (Fundamentals of Game Design)
    • Instructor – Game 245 (Game Development II)
    • Instructor – Summer Learning Academy                                                                                         2015
    • [Developed syllabus and overall course structure, and administered all grades.]
  • DePaul University, Lecturer in CIM/GAM  — 2006-2012
    • Lecturer – GAM 224 (Game Design for Non-Majors)
    • Lecturer – GAM 226 (Fundamentals of Game Design)
    • Lecturer –  GAM 329 (Physical Prototyping for Games)
    • Lecturer – GAM 424 (Game Design Workshop)
    • [Developed syllabus and overall course structure, and administered all grades.]

SCHOOL SERVICE

  • 2014 – 2020
    • Coordinated and hosted a site for the annual Global Game Jam at the DePaul University Site. We are usually one of the largest GGJ sites in the city.
  • 2013 – 2020
    • Faculty advisor for DeFrag, the largest student organization on campus.
  • 2015 – 2022
    • Provided internships and mentoring in game design via Council Of Fools to students looking to fulfill JYEL credit.
    • Provided independent studies to multiple game design students hosted at ChicagoQuest High School.
    • Multiple free presentations on game-like Learning to the faculty of ChicagoQuest High School
  • Creative Director for the DePaul Originals Game Studio
    • Created multiple classes, independent studies, and internships to get students involved with the studio.

GAME DEV EXPERIENCE

1995 – Present

Council Of Fools, LLC 

Owner/Game Designer

  • Focused on the development of experimental games and play that explore cultural and personal narratives.
  • Published Ehdrigohr: The Roleplaying Game
  • Developed Rebus Mysterium an introspective deck of cards for self exploration and storytelling
  • Content writer for Scion 2nd Edition (Onyx Path Publishing)
  • Writer for Hunter: The Vigil (Onyx Path Publishing)
  • Writer for Lunars: Fangs at the Gate (for Exalted/OnyxPath/Publishing)
  • Writer for Mythic D6: Bastion an Afrocentric Roleplaying game (Kephera Preess)
  • Content writer for Chicago By Night 2nd Edition (for Vampire the Masquerade 5th edition/White Wolf)
  • Narrative Designer for “When Rivers Were Trails” (Indian Land Tenure Foundation)
  • Co-Designed the storytelling/therapy boardgame “Dreamwalk: A 21st Century Folktale” with Dr. Doris Rusch

2003 – 2012

Disney Interactive Studios/Wideload games

Lead Designer/Game Director

Duties focused around leading teams of individuals on development of commercial games and on developing experimental systems and methods of play that can be utilized to bring old brands to life by injecting unique forms of play. Game Designed included

  • Designer for “Stubbs the Zombie: Rebel Without a Pulse” Xbox, PC, Mac
  • Designer for “Hail to the Chimp” Xbox360, PS3
    • Smash Bros style political satire party game.
  • Lead Designer for “Disney Guilty Party” Wii
    • A family mystery game for the Wii where you played one of a family of loveable detectives.
  • Game Director for “Marvel XP” Web, Mobile.
    • MarvelXP was an attempt in the early days of the Marvel/Disney merger to build a Marvel Gaming Universe.
  • “Marvel Avengers Initiative” Mobile

2002 – 2003

Day1 Studios/Microsoft Game Studios

Designer

  • Designer on “MechAssault”, a launch title for Xbox Live which helped establish Xbox Live as a multi-player action game platform.

1997-2000

Bungie Software

Tech Support and Production Staff

Participated in the development of numerous Bungie titles as a production floater and as technical support for customers.

Titles include:

  • “Myth: The fallen Lords” Mac/PC
  • “Marathon II: Durandal” PC
  • “Myth II: Soulblighter” Mac/PC
  • “Myth: The Total Codex” Mac/PC
  • “Oni” Mac/Pc/Playstation 2
  • “Halo: Combat Evolved” Xbox

PUBLICATIONS AND PAPERS

2015

  • Invited by Chicago Public Library to present Ehdrigohr                                                   
    • Presented Ehdrigohr: The Roleplaying Game to various branches where I taught kids about roleplaying games and group storytelling.
  • Multiple Professional Development Workshops on Game-Like Learning at ChicagoQuest Highschool.                                                                                                                   
    • Presented multiple workshops for teachers to teach them the process of developing games to use in their classrooms. Workshops were presented as part of mid-week PD’s for teachers in an effort to get game-like learning.
  • Presented at the first Natives in Game Development Gathering at University of California at Santa Cruz
    • Topics included games as a tool for confirming culture and normalizing culture.
  • Panelist at the Education Writers Association 68th annual convention: Costs and Benefits of Education “Game On: New Frontiers in Digital Learning”. 
    • Topics included using games and digital platforms to engage, challenge and assess student learning in the 21st century classroom.
  • Professional Development Class on Game-Like Learning                                                2014
    • I presented a series of workshops on using game-like learning in the classroom for the teachers of Chicago Quest School, a charter school in Chicago. This was a series of 3 hour sessions that went every day for 2 weeks. Covering topics of gamification, game-like learning, playful learning, the components of a game, identifying student/participant needs, brainstorming, and physical prototyping.
  • Professional Development Workshops on Game-Like Learning                                      2014
    • These follow up sessions were monthly and bi-monthly sessions with the teachers to check in and help maintain their progress in incorporating the material and practices. Effort was placed on exposing them to different mechanics for small and big games and turning abstract ideas in to tangible interactions.
  • Presentation: Development of Ehdrigohr to Chicago American Indian Education Program (Chicago Title VII program)                    2014
    • An extended presentation on the processes involved in developing Ehdrigohr and how I approached the inclusion on Native mythology and ideas. This presentation also delved into how powerful fantasy and roleplaying are for the exploration of social issues that are rampant in indigenous communities as it presents a view outside of a colonial lens from which to approach and experience the problems.
  • Ehdrigohr: The Roleplaying Game
    • Ehdrigohr is a table top RPG focused on storytelling through the lens of tribal cultures. It has been well received and reviewed.
    • Published, August 2013 on Drive thru RPG
  • Presented “DreamWalk: A 21st Century Folktale” to the Sandbox Summit at MIT                                                                                                                                                   2013
    • This talk focused on a therapy based tabletop game I’m currently Developing with Doris Rusch.
  • Red Dog, Hungry Dreams
    • This is the first released game material for Ehdrigohr published Sept 2013.                                                                                                                                                           2013
  • Presented “Playing With Culture”
    •  An exploration of experiential game design focused on the development of Ehdrigohr: The Roleplaying game which draws inspiration from Lakota myth and folklore as well as for various other tribal cultures to build a fantastic world for exploration.
    • Presented at University of Illinois, Native American Heritage Day.                                                                                                                                                         2013
  • Designing Alternative Indigenous Timelines Using Role-Playing Games
    • An updated and extended presentation focusing on the process and design goals behind what became Ehdrigohr: The Roleplaying Game. The was presented as part of the Future Imaginary program at Concordia UNiversity.
  • Presented at Concordia University, Montreal                                                                                                                                                            2016
  • Indigenous Game Jam at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
    • Multiple native non-profit groups were gathered together at the Indian Pueblo Cultural center and I worked with them to create paper prototypes for cultural and educational games. Participants focused on issues of language reclamation and food sovereignty. This was organized via the first Indigenous Comic Con in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Nov. 17th, 2016
    • Presented via the Indigenous Comic Con, Albuquerque NM, , Montreal                                                                                                                                                            2016

Black Games Studies (ETC Press)

  • Contributing author. My chapter is “An Autobiography of Ehdrigohr.”
  • 2021
  • https://press.etc.cmu.edu/index.php/product/black-game-studies/

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