Contact
Summary
Game Designer with a focus in Level, Gameplay and Narrative Design seeking a Design position.
Skills
LEVEL/NARRATIVE DESIGNER
ABOUT
Hello!
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My name is Nicolas DeFrank and I graduated from USC in 2020 with a B.A. in Interactive Media and Game Design.
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I was born and raised in Los Angeles and was incredibly fortunate enough to be surrounded by my favorite forms of art and entertainment: video games, film and theme parks.
I love making games, but most of all, I enjoy learning new skills and tackling ambitious projects with great teammates. Telling interactive stories and building worlds are my passion, and my goal is to make games that are enjoyable, challenging and most all, fun.
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I'd love to hear from you! Please feel free to reach out!
Contact
nicolas.defrank@gmail.com • Northridge, CA
Skills
Intermediate
Unity 3D, Unreal (Blueprints), Twine,
Final Draft, Inform 7, Google Suite,
Microsoft Suite, Adobe Suite, Avid
Familiar
C++, C#, Lua, Python, ProBuilder, Jira
Source Engine (Hammer Editor), Maya, GitHub, Perforce, Confluence, Pro Tools, Audacity, Audition
Experience
Belly of the Beast / Source Engine FPS Action Horror
Level Designer, Writer / Jan. 2023 - Feb 2023
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Designed, scripted, iterated and received feedback on a horror themed level that combined FPS survival horror mechanics, physics puzzles and scripted cinematic moments.
Spurpunk / Unity 3D Mobile Strategy Game / Level Designer
August 2018 - October 2021 (USC Games)
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Sketched, designed, iterated and implemented 30 levels suited for strategy and puzzle-like gameplay with multiple solutions and approaches.
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Iterated and balanced levels based on player feedback to improve on previous designs to create a captivating yet challenging experience.
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Collaborated closely with other level designers to ensure there was a consistent and engaging flow to all the levels and overall game.
BOSS Camp Programs / Game Design Instructor
July 2021 - August 2021
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Taught a class of high school students about Game Design fundamentals. Concepts taught included: Core Loops, Gameplay Mechanics, Affordances, Tutorials, Player Choice, Level and Boss Design, Iteration, and Playtesting.
The Dead Village / Unity 3D Narrative Horror Game / Lead Level Designer, Writer, SFX / September 2019 - November 2019
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Designed, sketched, prototyped and implemented both levels that utilized environmental storytelling to ensure an immersive psychological horror experience.
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Wrote all player and NPC dialogue that narratively reflects the horror players would experience.
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Designed and implemented all SFX to help ensure player immersion during key cinematic moments of gameplay.
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Directed in-game cutscenes and trailer to further establish a sense of dread in the player/audience.
Bound / Unity 3D Co-op Puzzle Game / Level Designer, Co-Writer January 2018 - May 2018
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Designed, prototyped, and implemented 3 levels with 2 bosses and 3 puzzles to ensure players experience challenging asymmetrical gameplay.
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Designed and balanced the unique cooperative mechanic to create challenging comic chaotic gameplay and synergy among players.
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Wrote and designed both main characters and both bosses to give players narrative context for the game.
Incursion / Unreal RTS/FPS Hybrid Strategy Game / Writer
January 2020 - July 2020
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Designed and wrote backstory, dialogue, barks for one of the main protagonists of the game that appeared in the tutorial to ensure he is interesting, effective and a great first impression for new players.
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Designed and wrote backstory and lore for 2 planets, 2 civilizations and 2 factions to expand the worldbuilding and establish a rich narrative experience from the player’s perspective.
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Collaborated with Engineering, Art, Design and Narrative leads to form a memorable and vast world in which players could fight in.