Design Consultant
Sony Interactive Entertainment
https://www.sonyinteractive.com
May 2022 - October 2022
- Sony requested my expertise in Self-Determination Theory and data-driven design.
- Conceived game mechanics and free-to-play monetization systems.
Game Developer
& Bible Nerd
Marvin Gregor Mrzyglod has developed blockbuster video games, had design leadership over Sony PlayStation's oldest exclusive franchise, and pioneered practical use of Self-Determination Theory. However, he quit gaming to follow Jesus and now develops new ways of experiencing the Bible.
He has worked with a range of different languages and tools: LUA, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, git, Unreal Engine, Anvil/Scimitar, GameMaker, and GML Script.
Bible Projects
Game Development Experience
- Joined the project during pre-production and prototyping phase.
- Contributed to the game direction by using the RGD (rational game design) method to break the combat mechanics down into their atomic parts and analyzing the cognitive effect of each one.
- Led game design, level design, and narrative teams (11 designers).
- Conceived core gameplay vision.
- Designed unique vehicle handling and traversal mechanics.
- Developed 3rd-person over-the-shoulder shooting gameplay.
- Blocked out multiplayer arenas and open-world city in Unreal Engine 5.
- Wrote character backstories and barks.
- Interviewed and hired two new designers.
- Owner of two boss fights, scripted AI with GOAP and Anvil Engine blueprints.
- Light level design work (navmeshes, terrain adjustments).
- Owner of experimental horse combat, for which I created new animations, new weapons and new NPC enemy types.
- Owner of cinematic player camera for context-sensitive conveying of emotions through motions.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok
Release Date: Mar 10, 2022
Platforms: PlayStation 4
Metacritic Score: 71
Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Wrath of the Druids
Release Date: May 13, 2021
Platforms: PlayStation 4
Metacritic Score: 73
- Moderated in-game player chat.
- Banned real-money traders and bots.
- Drank beer with hobbits.
- Worked with European online player account database.
- Fixed game license assignments and account security issues.
- Created a troubleshooting knowledge base, hosted with MediaWiki on a local server, which allowed the team to improve their daily SLA thanks to catalogued game crashes and bug fixes.
Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood
Release Date: Jun 20, 2017
Platforms: PlayStation 5
Metacritic Score: 87
Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward
Release Date: Jun 23, 2015
Platforms: PlayStation 4
Metacritic Score: 86
Small Freelance Work
These are small design jobs taken on-and-off as ongoing conversations with clients.
Mononeko: A Rhythm Adventure
Date:March 2022 - October 2024
Description: Programmed the entire game alone in GML Script.
LEGO
Date: Throughout 2023
Description: A recommendation made to the Vice President of Interactive at LEGO about my design work, allowed me to pitch a radical new physical product, and a new type of video game to the LEGO Creative Play Lab in Singapore.
Legends of the Past
https://www.legendsofthepast.gg/
Date: 2023-2024
Description: A Web3 mobile game developed by a team in Paris, France. I designed game systems and the math required for balancing combat and character progression.
Education
- Created by Ubisoft and Concordia University.
- Based on 30 years of game design history.
- Rational Game Design (RGD) is the process of designing with evidence-based methods, while minimizing arbitrary design decisions.
- It turns game mechanics into numbers, allowing accurate difficulty scaling.
- Created by Ubisoft and Concordia University.
- Based on 30 years of level design history.
- Rational Level Design (RLD) is the process of designing predictable outcomes in game environments by using visual cues, challenges, rewards, and player psychology.
- It turns game environments into numbers, allowing accurate prediction of player behavior and difficulty scaling.
Awards & Recognitions
- Contributions to Mononeko: A Rhythm Adventure as designer and programmer.
- Project selected for Tiny Teams 2024.
Publications
Visually and mechanically symmetrical combat design in games
UX Collective
June 2020
- Wrote this paid article for the UX Collective.
- It explains that when the player is faced with an enemy who has identical abilities to the player themselves, the combat experience becomes thrilling, whereas unequal power creates certainty.
- Wrote this paid article for the UX Collective.
- What if enemies were designed to keep the player alive, rather than hurt them? I propose that designers can enhance the enjoyment of combat by designing systems that keep the player safe, rather than focusing on how enemies can cause damage or pose a threat to the player.
A Little More About Me
This is my name written in ancient Sumerian script (the oldest known writing system). With the dots and lines, it almost reads like morse code, and might feel like braille to the touch. It's even a bit like computer binary, don't you think?
