Nicholas O'Brien — Narrative Design Portfolio

Nicholas O'Brien is a narrative designer & writer who loves bringing deep research to nuanced storytelling.Resume

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Bio

As an artist and writer, I've shown my games and art at Now Play This (UK), Microscope Gallery (NYC), the Knockdown Center (NYC), LiMA Media Art Platform (NL), The Photographers Gallery (UK), MAGFest, Too Many Games, Narrascope, and WordPlay Festival (CA).I've been featured in PopMatters, Kotaku, Indie Informer, Critical Distance, BOMB Magazine, GameDeveloper, The Guardian, Vulture, The Verge, The Washington Post, and The New York Times.I'm currently based in Brooklyn.

Nicholas is that rare creature: a complete narrative design package. Not only is he an excellent writer, but his writing serves design needs and vice versa. His experience as a solo dev, writer, and artist has given him a distinct voice, enabling him to bring fresh ideas to any project and offering a deep well of creativity to draw from.

-Laurence Kennedy
Narrative Lead at Liquid Swords

Nicholas is a gem in the games industry — a deft writer, designer, coder, and mentor whose generosity of support lifts up all those he comes into contact with.

-Dave Kornfeld
Game Writer and Narrative Designer

Nicholas is super knowledgeable, professional and connected. He's someone I can reach out to for both technical and conceptual guidance ranging from game engine architecture to video games as an artistic medium.

-Jeremy Couillard
Artist and IGF Nuovo Award Nominee

It was wonderful working with Nicholas on my story-driven game. His contributions to larger picture narrative and smaller-scale editing were very thoughtful, imaginative, and pertinent. The communication of his insights was always easy and clear.

-Kara Stone
Artist and founder of Solar Server

Nicholas' careful and considered approach towards creating and understanding games are a welcome addition to game criticism and culture, but when combined with his technical prowess he's an invaluable addition to any team.

-Dhruv Jani
Co-Founder of Studio Oleomingus