My name is Brandon McKenna, a second-year student at the University of Newcastle studying a double degree of a Bachelor of Media & Communications / Bachelor of Business.
Since my early childhood, I have always carried a passion for storytelling, and this has carried on into adulthood, where I seek to find a fulfilling career in the creative industry; in particular, I am most drawn to a position as a Game Writer, as I believe we have only just scratched the surface in the storytelling capacity of video games.
I often find myself designing game narratives and gameplay, as I try to recreate a professional level of development and skill. These include large-scale Game Design Documents and scene examples.
My storytelling philosophy is underpinned by three principles; psychological depth, dynamic relationships and thematic messaging. Through these, I hope to not only write narratives that entertain, but narratives that stick long-term with our audiences.
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An independent narrative design project of mine, Steampunk: 1877 is an ambitious, open-world ‘narrative sandbox’ RPG. I have conceptualised the world, characters, plot, themes, marketing and gameplay. My goal is to create a game that balances player agency and a strong narrative, while showing how narrative can influence gameplay, and vice versa, maximising video game’s potential for storytelling.
Steampunk 1877 is an action-roleplaying video game set within the 19th-century metropolis Orthanford, a heavily-anglicised, steampunk version of Hong Kong. The player controls Hawk, a resident of the city who finds themselves caught up in a conspiracy of political power and revenge. Hawk’s talents in combat, parkour, engineering, charming, stealth and investigating, among others, allow them to take command of a city on the edge of civil war. Orthanford itself acts as a narrative sandbox, offering various storylines and allegiances to follow all in order to pursue Hawk’s personal motives, or perhaps to achieve greater, communal goals.
A multi-year, ongoing film review account started and managed by me. This highlights my ability to analyse and understand storytelling, as well as my general passion for the entertainment industry. Here are a few notable examples;
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