Sam logo.

About Me

Sam caricature.
Art by @lullindo

I'm Sam — a game designer, QA tester, and storyteller.

I'm all about making games with unique vibes that feel great to play, bridging the gap between creative vision and technical execution. While my expertise is mostly in design and art, I understand how game systems connect under the hood, which allows me to create realistic, implementable designs with interdisciplinary teams.

My game design journey started with modding Super Mario World and writing my own design documents as a teenager. That passion led me to study the intersections of narrative and play with a Bachelor of Arts, and to sharpen my dev skills with a diploma in Game Design.

When not designing, I'm obsessing over Mega Man X, testing combos in Devil May Cry 5, or speedrunning Metroid Dread.

Check out my projects, and feel free to get in touch via email or LinkedIn!

My Games

Wisconsin Bones gameplay.

Wisconsin Bones: Gems of Pandora

RPG | Unreal Engine 5 | BIG Jam 2026

Game designer and programmer for a month-long game jam, responsible for the design and implementation of combat. Using Unreal's Blueprints visual scripting system, I built a fully-realized turn-based combat system featuring RPG elements including unit stats, ability logic, turn order management, and damage calculation.

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White Lie gameplay.

White Lie

Puzzle-Adventure | Unity | MGDC Jam 2026

Wrote for a funny little game where the words you say shape reality, made for a 72 hour game jam. Designed a narrative-driven adventure game, including writing 90 lines and designing branching dialogue trees with reactive logic and variables using Twine. Also implemented menu UI in Unity.

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Poker Face gameplay.

Poker Face!

Simulation | Unreal Engine 5 | Global Game Jam 2026

Made by a small team in 48 hours for a game jam, with the theme of "mask". We created a simple yet creative game about keeping a straight face in a funny situation. I used Unreal 5's impressive Blueprints and MetaHumans systems, and wrote a hilarious little script, to make a relatable and compelling experience.

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Polar Flux preview.

Polar Flux

Top-Down Action | Godot | GameOff 2025

Collaboration with an international team. I spearheaded combat design, documenting the player's moveset and combo system for the team. I designed varied enemy behavior using finite state machines. I also programmed the menu UI and wrote 200+ lines of dialogue for a script. Still in protoype stages.

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Side Job Steve gameplay.

Side Job Steve

Rail Shooter | Unity | Alberta Slow Jam 2025

Made across 2 weeks by a small Albertan dev team. I was responsible for the core game loop, which referenced the arcade classic Space Harrier. I also designed 3 side jobs and an upgrade system, and drew and implemented all of the game's graphics. This game won 3rd place overall in the jam vote.

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Underpromotion gameplay.

Underpromotion

Puzzle-Adventure | RPG Maker | Return 0 Productions

Student project at the University of Alberta. We created a fully-realized puzzle game using RPG Maker MV, first proving the concept with paper prototypes. I conducted playtests and wrote 180+ lines of dialogue. We won the school's annual award for Outstanding Mechanics.

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