Hello! My name is Thomas McGuinness and I am an experienced writer and narrative designer for video games. I have over three years of professional experience in the games industry, ranging from writing copy for hit mobile games such as Genshin Impact at Google Play to crafting exciting audio adventure interactive fiction games at EarReality. Whether you need a saucy one-liner or a compelling character arc, my quick wit and keen eye for detail are sure to help me deliver whatver writing you need.…

Thomas McGuinness

PRO

Hello! My name is Thomas McGuinness and I am an experienced writer and narrative designer for video games. I have over three years of professional experience in the games industry, ranging from writing copy for hit mobile games such as Genshin Impact at Google Play to crafting exciting audio adventure interactive fiction games at EarReality. Whether you need a saucy one-liner or a compelling character arc, my quick wit and keen eye for detail are sure to help me deliver whatver writing you need.…

Available to hire

Hello!

My name is Thomas McGuinness and I am an experienced writer and narrative designer for video games. I have over three years of professional experience in the games industry, ranging from writing copy for hit mobile games such as Genshin Impact at Google Play to crafting exciting audio adventure interactive fiction games at EarReality. Whether you need a saucy one-liner or a compelling character arc, my quick wit and keen eye for detail are sure to help me deliver whatver writing you need.

See more

Skills

Experience Level

Copywriting
Expert
Script
Expert
Game Design
Expert
Jira
Intermediate

Language

English
Fluent
French
Advanced

Work Experience

Live Ops & Editorial Merchandising Associate at Google Play (via Vaco)
January 1, 2024 - Present
Wrote, edited, and proofread promotional copy and snippets for games in the Google Play store; managed programming, targeting, asset delivery, dev communications, and quality assurance; led Indie Corner curation; localized global campaigns; researched and tested games; collaborated within a cross-functional, international team.
Scriptwriter at EarReality
July 1, 2023 - Present
Created, ideated, and implemented a historical mystery audio-adventure game in the TWIST Engine; crafted a branching narrative with puzzles and multiple endings; wrote scripts for diverse characters; researched turn-of-the-century Ireland for historical authenticity; led workshops on writing interactive fiction; provided voice direction for character VO; wrote market copy for promotions.
English Localization Quality Assurance Tester at GlobalStep
June 1, 2023 - January 1, 2024
Playtested games to ensure localization quality; performed regression testing to discover bugs; reported bugs via Redmine and Jira; advised on textual changes to improve localization.
Narrative Designer for My Success Story at Digigo
August 1, 2022 - December 1, 2022
Proofread scripts and provided constructive feedback to writers; implemented branching dialogue into the studio’s proprietary game engine; collaborated with artists on game assets.
Game Designer at A/Maze
July 31, 2017 - January 1, 2024
Desiged escape room narratives, puzzles, game guides, and design documentation; wrote market copy and promotional materials for launches.

Education

BA Honours English Literature & Creative Writing at Concordia University
August 1, 2019 - June 1, 2022
Graduated with distinction as a member of the Dean’s list and the Golden Key Honour Society. Studied Videogames as Literature under the Technoculture, Art, and Games Research Center.
The Academy Workshop at Writing Interactive
March 1, 2023 - December 1, 2023
Developed an interactive narrative prototype under the mentorship of Dr. Greg Buchanan. Provided constructive feedback on in-development games and their scripts.
Game Writing Masterclass at The Narrative Department
April 1, 2023 - May 1, 2023

Qualifications

Add your qualifications or awards here.

Industry Experience

Gaming, Media & Entertainment, Software & Internet, Computers & Electronics
    paper The Dublin Mysteries

    An interactive audio aventure game created for EarReality’s Twist Tales app. A thrilling mystery game set in turn ofthe century Dublin inwhich a blind detective investigates the mysterious death of an acclaimed poet. I handled all wiritng and narrative design for this project: creating every character, planning every plot point, and writing every line of dialogue. I also programmed each branching path of this narrative using EarReality’s TWIST engine.

    The Dublin Mysteries can be played here: https://www.twine.net/signin