Resume

Kiersten Samwell
Game System Designer

I am a Game System Designer with a strong background in community management. This career path has given me a unique perspective on how players engage with the games they play. This insight has enabled me to design, expand and iterate on systems that are easily adopted, quickly understood, and result in a more engaged community of players.

MMO System Design Skills & Expertise

  • Conception, design and implementation of dynamic and engaging gameplay systems for two large scale live MMO projects
  • Adaptation of systems between projects
  • Documentation of ongoing and proposed changes to systems and gameplay adjustments
  • Asset creation for system implementation and support
  • Loot table creation, balance and ongoing maintenance
  • Lore enforcement

MMO System Design Career History

KingsIsle Entertainment Inc.
MMO Game System Designer I
Associate Game System Designer II		 Projects: Wizard101 and Pirate101
Jan 2015 – May 2016
May 2014 – Jan 2015
  • Loot table creation and balance
  • Gameplay system balance
  • Spell creation and balance
  • Asset creation for monetization
  • Prolific game design document generation
  • Player feedback management
  • Item naming and auditing
  • Narrative story read-through
  • Daily use of TestTrack Pro, Jira, Alienbrain, Photoshop, Excel and studio proprietary development tools
  • Ongoing design implementation, iteration and maintenance of the following social systems:
    • Companion pet system
    • Mounts dynamics
    • Crafting system
    • Gardening system
    • Fishing system
    • Socketing system
    • Housing system
    • House Decorating system

 

Community Management Skills & Expertise

  • Crisis management
  • Message Board moderation
  • Social Media moderation and management
  • Prolific content creation of daily news, monthly newsletters and quarterly game updates
  • Print media management and advertising creative

Community Management Career History

KingsIsle Entertainment Inc.
Community / P.R. / Social Media Manager
Community Manager / Content Manager		 Projects: Wizard101 and Pirate101
Jul 2011 – Aug 2014
Aug 2008 – Jul 2011
  • Pre-moderation of all message boards
  • Forum monitoring and engagement
  • Game outage and downtime monitoring
  • Social media full time engagement
  • Fansite curation
  • Daily news updates
  • Weekly feedback initiatives
  • Monthly newsletters
  • Monthly and quarterly game update notes
  • Contest and engagement initiatives
Techgage Networks
Contributing Editor / Content Editor – techgage.com		 http://www.techgage.com
May 2006 – Aug 2008
WarCry Networks
Network Site Manager – warcry.com
Site Manager – ac.warcry.com
Asst. Site Manager – ac.warcry.com
Columnist – ac.warcry.com		 http://ac.warcry.com
Jan 2006 – May 2006
May 2004 – Jan 2006
Apr 2004 – May 2004
Mar 2004 – Apr 2004

Honors & Awards