Why Technical Gameplay Design?
For a long time, I struggled with what to call myself in this industry. Game design is broad—there are countless disciplines, and for years I wasn’t sure how to define my role. Back in 2023, I spoke with Karl Deckard, who advised me not to pigeonhole myself as a “Narrative Designer” or “Combat Designer” but instead cast a wide net under the title of simply Game Designer. That was solid advice at the time, and for years I ran with it.
But if you’ve noticed the navigation bar on my site lately, you’ll see I’ve made a change. I now call myself a Technical Gameplay Designer. Why?
What Drives My Work
Game design is a wide field, but I don’t just want to do anything. The areas I’ve found myself most passionate about—and most skilled in—are:
Combat Design – crafting responsive, meaningful systems that make every encounter feel alive.
Narrative Integration – weaving story into gameplay so that mechanics and emotion work hand-in-hand.
Tooling – building the systems, editors, and workflows that empower not only myself but the entire team.
These three pillars overlap in a space I think of as Technical Gameplay.
What “Technical Gameplay” Means
Technical: Because my work often extends beyond pure design. I create tools, improve workflows, and develop capabilities that didn’t exist before—whether that’s a bespoke branching dialogue system, custom spline-based movement, or lightweight importers to speed up iteration.
Gameplay: Because I’m always focused on the player’s experience first. Systems and tools only matter if they serve gameplay. My goal is to cultivate memorable, innovative, and engaging experiences that keep players invested.
Why the Change Now?
The shift to calling myself a Technical Gameplay Designer comes down to visibility and alignment.
Yes, I can do level design, systems design, and plenty of other work. But the jobs I actively seek out—and the ones I’m best suited for—are those in combat and gameplay design, with a technical edge.
So when someone clicks into my site, I want it to be immediately clear:
“This is someone who specializes in gameplay design, with the technical expertise to back it up.”
The “Technical” tag isn’t fluff—it signals that I’m not just designing features, I’m also building the underlying tools and workflows to bring them to life