About Me

My Game Design Journey

Hey there! I´m Paul - a game designer with a passion for crafting engaging player experiences that stick in the minds of players!

My passion for video games began at a young age with me falling in love with Nintendo Games, being especially fond of their quirky RPGs, such as the Paper Mario series. When the first Mario Maker Game was released on the Wii U, I was practically glued to my screen and couldn´t stop building levels.

When I was 18, I further developed my Narrative Design Skills by writing and publishing murder mystery games, where I created unique storylines with thrilling moments.

This enthusiasm for writing interactive narratives led me to pursue a Game Design degree at the highly-rated Breda University in the Netherlands in 2021.

There, I collaborated with talented peers to develop a diverse range of games. From platformers and couch party games to becoming the Narrative Designer on the year-long project “Alice through the Fey Realm”, it was a fantastic journey that left me eager to create more!

Afterwards, I worked at the award-winning Escape Room Studio “Sherlocked” in Amsterdam, where I developed my skills in Puzzle Design and combined those with magical narratives.

I am an actor at Mulholland Academy, which in return helps me to make characters in RPGs more specific and interesting. Furthermore, I am part of the Amsterdam Writing and Filmmaking Club, where I keep developing my storytelling skills. I am a great film and TV series enjoyer with a passion for a variety of genres thus being very adaptable with my writing style. Especially mystery/detective movies and antihero stories resonate with me.

Besides narrative design, I am a big board and card game enjoyer.

I am proficient in writing English and have been a tutor in German, English and Latin for 5 years.

I´m a passionate traveller - this is me at Kamakura Beach, Japan!

Watch this video to get an insight into who I am!

Core Skills

Game Design

  • Prototyping

  • Narrative Design & Dialogue Writing

  • Puzzle/ Escape Room Design

  • Game Design Research (Genres, Narrative)

  • Sketching & Blockout Creation

  • Level Planning & Layout Design

  • Conducting Playtests & Iterating

  • Game Balancing

Software

  • Unreal Engine 5 (Visual Scripting, Level Design)

  • Godot (GD Script)

  • Perforce (Version Control)

  • Jira (Project Planning)

  • Miro (Concepting & Collaboration)

  • Twine (Writing Branching Dialogue)

  • Wondershare Filmora X (Trailer Editing)

  • Laser Cutting

Other Skills

  • Agile Methodologies (Scrum)

  • Team Collaboration (Up to 20 people)

  • Design Documentation

  • Languages: German (native), English (fluent)

  • Juggling (3 balls at once!)

Recommendations

“Paul has been a hardworking, knowledgeable but above all bright and enthusiastic part of the team at Poki. His eye for games in general has helped multiple game developer teams improve their experience and has helped them create better games. In the process, Paul has developed his knowledge on Web games and has helped us develop our knowledge base by helping out with new research projects.”

  • Dion van Beelen, Game Developer Support Manager at Poki

“It’s been such a pleasure having you on the team — your positivity and energy are truly contagious. You consistently bring a bright and optimistic spirit to the group, and I’ve genuinely enjoyed every conversation we’ve had. It’s clear that your presence lifts those around you, and your attitude is a great reminder for all of us to approach challenges with a lighter and more open mindset. 

You’ve also integrated into the team so naturally that it’s hard to believe you’ve only been with us for a few months. You’re always engaged, supportive, and eager to contribute. 

You are passionate and dedicated to work. You approach every task with care and commitment […] and the quality of your reports reflects both your attention and your interest in game design. Your suggestions are thoughtful and grounded in your experience as a player and game designer!”

  • Miao He, Game Developer Support at Poki

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Games that shaped my Design Thinking

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door

for its:

- translation of Mario´s original platforming joy and simplicity into humurous writing whilst balancing it with genuine sentiment and suspenseful moments

- Colourful and quirky chapters which feel entirely unique from one another but still have a cohesive narrative woven through all of them

Super Mario Galaxy

for its:

- polished Level Design, which manages to feel grand despite its linear structure

- immersive space atmosphere, which shifts seemlessly between whimsical and sentimental

- orchestral music, which supports the fantasy to the point of having become key to the game´s identity

Celeste

for its:

- empathetic and brave choice of sending a message surrounding the sensitive subject of overcoming depression powerfully via its gameplay mechanics 

- responsive and snappy character controls that allow for precision and tight movement

Disco Elysium

for its:

- ability to make choices in branching narrative games feel impactful and personal without over-bloating the game´s production costs

- rich customisability system, which plays into the game both mechanically and narrative-wise

Balatro

for its:

- massive cast of Jokers, which are able to synergize with one another in creative and highly satisfying ways

- various push-your-luck elements, which lead to adrenaline rushes and give the game a lot of replayability 

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

for its:

- Open World Design, which connects its different terrains beautifully and never feels stale due to the variety of challenges and curiosities sprinkled throughout 

- Ultrahand ability, which provides a high skill-ceiling and near limitless creativity to players that desire it, whilst also allowing disinterested players to complete the game with only its basic use

Portal

for its:

- Puzzles, which manage to explore the creative potential of the game´s central Portal Gun mechanic to its fullest

- Consistently uneasy vibe, which is contrasted by a fun and witty antagonist 

Baba Is You

for its:

- creative hook of being able to form new game rules by pushing around word blocks

- thoroughness in exploring a creative concept to its fullest, both through level design as well as systemic additions whilst always staying true to its core identity