Alexander Vaughan

[Unannounced] VR! UE4! FB! Quest! Exciting, Epic IP! Will blow your mind! 🤫

Life is an adventure. One of my favorite activities is meeting others in the game industry and sharing ideas and development process. I have focused my new path as a freelance Design Specialist for hire; I'm always interested in working with those who need design help. I have helped numerous projects, big and small, alongside a longtime professional collaborator and friend, Joe Quadara. Together we are Recurver Consulting. We noticed that studios were constantly and independently struggling to solve the same design problems over and over again. We realized that with our extensive industry knowledge, we can help teams shortcut those design problems, saving time on unnecessary iteration, and get them to the finish line faster, with more time to polish. Whatever design roadblocks stop you from elevating your project to its highest potential, we'll be there to knock them out of the way. As avid gamers, we have no particular specialty, We are always 'in the loop' with the latest trends and genre blends. Over the years we've helped design teams working on retro-RPGs, party games, massive open world adventures, first-person shooters, third-person action, both stealth-lite and stealth-heavy, young-mind platformers, graphic novels, graphic adventures, multiplayer mobile, lifestyle games, and the list keeps growing. It doesn't matter the genre--great game design will challenge and satisfy the player, leading them on a journey of fantasy fulfillment.

A game designer and scripter with the Cloud Chamber team on a Bioshock related project. Helped the team bring their ideas from paper to prototype in UE4.

Seemingly out of nowhere I found myself working with 2K Games Publishing as a contract designer assisting design of various projects, future and newly released--using Unreal and Unity. I really enjoyed my time with the various teams. 2K Games Publishing was equally as awesome. Everyone was warm and welcoming. I would recommend 2K Games for anyone with a passion for design excellence. They only hire the best so feel lucky if they come knocking.

Worked with the Maxis team on The Sims 4. Came in as a technical designer [had no idea what I was getting into] on a game I knew little about. I left feeling more accomplished and satisfied with a job well done than I would have ever imagined. The Sims as a franchise grew on me more than any franchise I've played or worked on. The Sims team was one of the most diverse and professional I've been involved with. One of my favorite activities at work was scouring the fan forums, finding issues or suggestions, and implementing those for monthly patching. The fans were so receptive of our attention. They knew we care about the product as much as they do. If Maxis reaches out to you, don't hesitate. They are the all heroes who care about making sure everyone has a great quality of life as well as shipping a great product. They got the formula!

Project scheduling and management for Read Only Memories [plus a little design mentoring]. This team is small, but feisty. I've never witnessed so much passion from a brand new team on their first project. They would constantly surprise me with their craftiness. It was an amazing experience that I cannot thank them enough for allowing me to be a part of. They have since expanded the roster and have made ROM an even more amazing product. I cannot wait to work with them again.

This school has some of the most amazing students I have ever had the pleasure of teaching. Standing up and talking for 3 hours per class wasn't a struggle, it usually wasn't enough time. The lesson plans were tough to fabricate but the students were always engaged in conversation and made me feel welcomed. I may have stayed up late for too many hours creating classes and grading work, but I was able to be a part of the future of our industry and that was my greatest reward. The other faculty members are some of the sweetest, most knowledgeable academic minds I've met. They each have a great balance as mentor-teachers and artists, designers, engineers, and project managers. Instructor for the school of Game Development. - Game Theory and Design - Freemium and Monetization Game Design - Collaboration: Concept to Publishing

What can I say about Toys For Bob that the company's name itself won't? It's an unassumingly cheerful and delightful studio filled with some of the best and most seasoned veterans in the industry making some of the most mind-blowing, tech-savvy products. I was extremely lucky to be added to the level design roster for Skylanders series, a franchise which after seeing work for it, knew it was a game changer for the preteen market. Spryo and friends melted my heart and each day was a delight. Working with the team was almost too easy. There were no rough days, even if there were a few late hours. Everyone was on top of their game and knew how to craft the perfect gameplay experience. I learned as much as I could from the designers of games I even grew up playing and loving. I've never met such a super friendly group of hardworking pros, from QA to studio head, there just aren't any bad actors here.

Remember the first Empires & Allies on Facebook? Wasn't it great? Guns AND Farms AND kinda like Command & Conquer, who'd have thought it'd work? I was lucky to be asked to assist in design of this bizarre but beloved title from a studio resurrected from the ashes of EA's C&C team. I was given the opportunity to really push my design knowledge with a few equality gifted designers. My knowledge of the barrage of social media consumer acronyms put me at a disadvantage in explaining my design ideas but after the technobabble dust settled, we delivered a fun and engaging title. In other words, it doesn't matter if, as a designer, you don't fully grasp the lingo as long as you deliver good and fair design, the fans will appreciate your work.

Lame Castle for iOS/Android: Contracted by Be-Rad Entertainment to develop concepts, design ideas, and create original music/sfx/audio. (http://www.lamecastle.com)

Wow! Working for Namco [Bandai? I never really figured that out]! Are you kidding me? You couldn't have made the 10 year old in me happier. While I admit this was a challenging studio, I learned a great deal from some of the brightest minds in the industry. The passion for the projects was through the roof. I stepped in as an external designer, to help with pushing the quality to the highest level for Namco's non-Japanese developers on titles too many to count. This was definitely a 'cut your teeth' position. I had to use every bit of design experience and known approach for funneling best design to each project. I then found a lot of love in the company's own internal studio. This was the team behind cult favorites, Afro Samurai and Splatterhouse, which I had great input into improving the quality and viability within level design and [surprise] sound design. We also did a little work on [get this, I was so stoked] an unreleased Pac-Man game! Sadly, it found its way back to one of Japan's studios, but working with that yellow ghostmuncher was a highlight of my career. Actually, it was the first time I was able to pitch an original IP to a company and have it go into limited production. I am very thankful for those who helped that dream come true, even if it was short-lived.

Crystal Dynamics is an industry legend, and with good reason. They are behind some of the most compelling titles of the 32-bit era and beyond. I got my start in design here, and I cannot thank a good number of people enough for giving me the chance to shine as a designer and creator. There is uncompromising passion for great design within this studio, held together by a select few who have become legendary design super heroes. I was lucky enough to learn from some of the best, when they were just my heroes. Tomb Raider Underworld Tomb Raider Anniversary Tomb Raider Legend 25 to Life Project: Snowblind

Jak 2 Dark Cloud 2 Wild ARMs 3 Socom Treasure Planet Ratchet & Clank

Ooga Booga Shenmue 2 Crazy Taxi 2 Phantasy Star Online Sonic Adventure 2 Skies of Arcadia Quake III Arena Alien Front Online Bomberman Online Confidential Mission Floigan Brothers Episode 1-Moigle's Secret Project Hundred Swords Metropolis Street Racer NBA 2K1 Outtrigger REZ Sega Smash Pack Sonic Shuffle Half-Life Propeller Arena Tennis 2K2 The Typing of the Dead GunValkyrie SEGA Marine Fishing