TheXPerts: Meet Sean Storey

In this edition of TheXPlace Member Spotlight, we’re excited to shine the light on Sean Storey. Through a unique self-interview format, Sean shares his professional journey, offering personal insights into the experiences and lessons that have shaped his career in the game development industry. Read on us as we explore his story and gain a deeper understanding of the passion behind his work.

📜 Bio

I am a seasoned game design veteran with over 17 years of comprehensive experience across various projects, from indie gems to expansive AAA open-world titles. I have a proven track record of team and project leadership, demonstrated through successful roles at renowned studios such as Blackbird Interactive. I am skilled at nurturing the growth of talented design teams and committed to excellence in every aspect of game development.

🌟 Proudest Moment

The successful launch of Hardspace: Shipbreaker on consoles ranks high as a proud moment in my career. As part of a reduced team, we all worked very closely together to ship this unique game on the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series S/X.

💪 Secret Weapon

I really like the Gamemaker's Toolkit YouTube Channel. It has a ton of really interesting videos about game design methods and insights.

Secondly, I often watch Unreal 4/5 and Unity3D tutorial videos on YouTube, as there are some exceptionally talented creators out there who have found ingenious methods for effectively scripting a game.

Lastly, a book called "Nintendo Magic" has profoundly impacted how I approach game design methodology. This book provides an in-depth view of the history of Nintendo and how it approaches design.

🔎 Background and Role

My last role was as Associate Game Director at Sandbox VR. Unfortunately, the role didn't last long due to a round of layoffs that affected me and others.

My route in the industry is not usual. I was incredibly lucky to land an internship at Larian Studios when I was still in university, and that experience is still one of the bedrocks of my career. After university, I had a short stint as a UX designer for web pages before landing my first junior role in games.

During my career, I have moved all over the globe and worked on many game genres on different platforms. This has provided me insight into various game design subjects, from (meta) systems design and gameplay (3C) design to UX and UI design.

🪄 Creative Process

One of the methods I use a lot is lateral design.

This is based on the late Gunpei Yokoi's design method of "Lateral Thinking with Withered Technology." I look at existing tech and game mechanics and see how these can be used in a different scenario or in a different way altogether. This way, you're not trying to constantly reinvent the wheel, and you're building your design on a solid foundation.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Team Dynamics

I try to get all team members across all disciplines involved in the early stages of concept design, where I'm setting up the basic outlines for new mechanics.

This way, you allow others to be involved in the creative process, and you gather valuable feedback and ideas that can push your initial concept further than you thought. Another benefit is that team members in other departments usually have a good feel for what is technically possible, so getting that information early is invaluable.

🧰 Technology and Tools

For documentation, I use the Microsoft Office suite, where Excel and Visio have been especially useful for prototyping game mechanics and visualizing them.

Secondly, I use Adobe Photoshop for mock-ups when creating UI/UX elements. Game editors have been the backbone of my work as a designer. Most recently, I have worked with Unreal 5, which is incredibly powerful and versatile. Using blueprints allows a designer to rapidly prototype mechanics, which they can then share with other team members.

💡 Advice for Aspiring Professionals

The first piece of advice I would give is to try to make a simple game in Unreal or Unity. There are tons of documentation and tutorials out there that can get you started. This will provide some basic knowledge of game development tools, which will really benefit you in the long term.

Secondly, watch videos regarding game design. As mentioned earlier, The Game Maker's Toolkit on YouTube is one source of these.

Lastly, try to deconstruct your favorite game(s) into the different mechanics and analyze what each mechanic does in regard to the wider gameplay experience. This will teach you about analyzing mechanics and teach you how you could possibly improve upon these designs.

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