Lydia Cockerham Email & Phone Number

London, Gb

SoLA (story expansion DLC for Dead Island 2):• Served as Narrative Owner leading development of narrative for the DLC over a one-year period, from concepting to execution to polish - all the way to launch• Served as de facto Lead for 11 months for a team of narrative designers in between hiring a new Lead Narrative Designer, including assigning work and constructing realistic schedules within tight timescales• Undertook initial concepting into setting, gameplay, characters and… Show more SoLA (story expansion DLC for Dead Island 2):• Served as Narrative Owner leading development of narrative for the DLC over a one-year period, from concepting to execution to polish - all the way to launch• Served as de facto Lead for 11 months for a team of narrative designers in between hiring a new Lead Narrative Designer, including assigning work and constructing realistic schedules within tight timescales• Undertook initial concepting into setting, gameplay, characters and theme, then worked closely alongside GD and Art to create a comprehensive Narrative Outline document• Presented narrative pitches to studio directors; adapted based on feedback and pushed back where appropriate• Structured the DLC story into a memorable and impactful three-act framework, incorporating must-haves from other departments into compelling, characterful beats• Created and maintained keystone narrative documentation, including a “Beat Sheet” detailing all major story moments and updated weekly as the project progressed• Designed, cast, wrote and voice directed a new IP-friendly character, Grace, for the DLC• Championed our story to the wider studio and maintained critical communication for other departments to do their job effectively• Reviewed pitches for side content from more junior narrative designers and fed back, gave guidance and signed off on concepts which were then pushed into active development• Brainstormed striking but economical cinematics within constraints, wrote first drafts of scripts and worked collaboratively with the Animation team to bring these to reality• Wrote clear, evocative narrative briefs for key assets from audio to animation to art• Wrote design documents for several narrative-heavy puzzle and combat mechanics• Co-wrote for all crit path and optional content, including key conversations with NPCs, player VO, flavour dialogue and text journals Show less

Dead Island 2 (AAA action RPG):• Pulpy, vivid narrative design for quests; unifying gameplay, environmental storytelling, VO and text through compelling stories• Developed a unique voice for player character Carla - including backstory and motivation - and wrote all her cinematics, conversations, VO, barks, etc• Brainstormed, pitched ideas and edited work as part of a collaborative Narrative team, including mentoring junior teammates in narrative design• Conceptualised and wrote… Show more Dead Island 2 (AAA action RPG):• Pulpy, vivid narrative design for quests; unifying gameplay, environmental storytelling, VO and text through compelling stories• Developed a unique voice for player character Carla - including backstory and motivation - and wrote all her cinematics, conversations, VO, barks, etc• Brainstormed, pitched ideas and edited work as part of a collaborative Narrative team, including mentoring junior teammates in narrative design• Conceptualised and wrote text journals to guide players and develop worldbuilding/lore• Wrote clear yet punchy text for major tutorials, skill descriptions & UI menus• Directed voice talent in the booth and assisted in casting• Assisted in placing dialogue in our VO system and preparing recording sessions• Set up logic for "Hub States", periods in our game when different dialogue is played depending on the player's progression• Worked in Unreal Engine 4 (using Perforce version control) to set emotions for NPCs, trigger dialogue and organise journals• Created and maintained key documentation used throughout the studio, including LocKit, player-facing terms glossary and character "cheat sheets"• Represented the game and studio during press interviews, and at Gamescom '22• Served on the Diversity Council to promote diversity and inclusion in our game and studio Show less

Avakin Life (mobile game):• Narrative design for twice monthly LiveOps events (7+ million players each month)• Developed exciting narrative arcs that spanned months and created characters to appeal to our players, including bold and unapologetic fan-favourite Nadia Fox• Wrote snappy, flavourful dialogue• Playtested in Unity, gave feedback to ensure consistency and maintained documentation• Crafted Style Guides & Tone of Voice documents used across the brand• Worked with… Show more Avakin Life (mobile game):• Narrative design for twice monthly LiveOps events (7+ million players each month)• Developed exciting narrative arcs that spanned months and created characters to appeal to our players, including bold and unapologetic fan-favourite Nadia Fox• Wrote snappy, flavourful dialogue• Playtested in Unity, gave feedback to ensure consistency and maintained documentation• Crafted Style Guides & Tone of Voice documents used across the brand• Worked with partners to localise text across dozens of diverse regions worldwide• Wrote copy across many other areas: tutorial text, UI text, promo copy, patch notes, press releases, website text, app store copy, etc Show less

Nottingham, United Kingdom

At this video agency I worked as a copywriter and scriptwriter. My main role was to craft succinct yet emotive scripts for our clients within time and budget constraints. Thanks to this experience I’m great at finding compromise, testing new approaches and never being precious about the first draft.

Pixel Dynamo is a popular gaming site where I wrote weekly news stories and articles. I sourced, researched and wrote news stories, as well longer-form articles which I pitched and developed.

Nottingham

In this role I was responsible for the production and editing of two monthly journals. I also managed and wrote for multiple blogs, websites and brochures, all while supervising a junior copywriter.

Nottingham, United Kingdom

I produced and proofread copy for adverts, brochures and press releases, and updated blogs and social media platforms with new and relevant content for both readers and SEO.