Michael Ren Email & Phone Number

Montreal, QC, CA

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

• Collaborated with Dead by Daylight’s core leadership team to design and prototype new player experiences in Unreal Engine 5.
• Developed projects across various disciplines, from creating new player mechanics to designing full game modes.
• Oversaw weekly internal playtest for rapid iterative development based on feedback and data.
• Gained a deep understanding of design methods for live-service multiplayer competitive games.
• Successfully led prototypes to production approval… Show more
• Successfully led prototypes to production approval, including 2v8 Game Mode, Chaos Shuffle, My Little Oni, and Lights Out. Show less

Shanghai, China

• Founder and instructor of intensive workshop series focusing on narrative design and game design for professional and creative development.
• Lectures include writing for games, game design fundamentals, programming, playtesting, and self-publishing.
• Technical skills taught include Twine (flow-chart branching storytelling tool), programming, CSS, and HTML coding.
• Branches alumni have gone on to work in the games industry at companies including Riot Games, Netease, Garena… Show more
• Branches alumni have gone on to work in the games industry at companies including Riot Games, Netease, Garena, Mihoyo, and Avid.ly, in roles including writing, narrative design, localization, and translation. Show less

Shanghai, China

• Providing game and narrative design creative consulting services in cross-cultural video game projects. Specializing in China to US and US to China projects. Clients include:
• Netease (Clicli Game Editor)
• Garena Games (Narrative Design)
• Born2Play (Hypercasual Game Development)
• Shanghai Vancouver Film School Game Design Department (Narrative Design Training)
• Merfolk Games (Game Design Consulting)

Shanghai, China

• Achievements: Expanded Youtube brand recognition from 886 followers to 5,848 followers. Total video views from 18.7K views to over 1.9 Millions views. (Aug. 10th 2020 - Aug. 10th 2021)
• Responsible for the planning, creation, production of video content in collaboration with Marketing, Editorial, and Creative teams.
• Revamped content workflow to deliver consistent and regular video releases across social channels.
• Responsible for launching three new video series: RADII Street… Show more
• Responsible for launching three new video series: RADII Street Scope, In Convo With Interviews, and China in a Bite Show less

Shanghai City, China

• Projects shipped include Far Cry 5: Hours of Darkness DLC, Lost on Mars DLC, and prototype work on Far Cry: New Dawn
• Responsible for the research, conception, design, scripting, and debugging of major & minor gameplay locations in open world format.
• Gained a deep understanding of open world creation, systemic gameplay design, and environmental storytelling.
• Collaborated with multiple creative departments to achieve AAA quality within budget and timeline milestones.

Shanghai City, China

• Responsible for working with developers on setting milestones, checking feature integrations, and providing feedback on gameplay.
• Responsible for running promotional events and social media campaigns for the growth and development of online communities.
• Experienced in customer relations and technical bug reporting.
• Working knowledge of localization and translation practices.Projects Include:
• Torchlight Mobile
• Forsaken World Mobile

Brooklyn, NY

• Responsible for designing social media graphics, web banner ads, and short video content for Nickleodeon IPs including SpongeBob, Dora and Friends, TMNT, and Peter Rabbit.
• Gained expert knowledge and experience in Photoshop and Illustrator workflows for web and print through hands on training.

New York

• Responsible for design and execution of 4 part (15 minute each part) animation series using After Effects.
• Collaborated with Matthew S Friedman of the United Nations Inter-Agency Project (UNIAP), producing creative animation on issues concerning Human Trafficking and effective measures to combat it.

New York

• Responsible for posting and hiring of volunteer media staff, directed videographers and photographers during event. Distributed final media content over social networks.
• Design and Animation of Indiecade Intro Graphics using After Effects and Photoshop.

Brooklyn, NY

• Responsible for prototyping interactions for digital magazines and HTML5 newsletters.
• Responsible for video production, editing, and motion graphics for documentary style advertisements.
• Clients include TUMI, Bentley Motors, and Levi’s.

Brooklyn

• Responsible for designing event posters using Photoshop and Illustrator.
• Experience in editing found footage material to create new content.
• Responsible in technical logging and capturing of Analog, Hi8, and DVI tapes to use for Adult Swim's show Hot Package.

NYC

• Responsible for set-up and break-down of HD camera, sound recording equipment, and light kits for conferences and lecture formats.
• Organized and maintained audio/video playback and recording equipment along with maintaining and repairing networked laptops and computers.

Bachelor Of Fine Arts (B.F.A.), Film And Animation

Major: Film and Animation Production - Tisch School of the Arts Minor: Game Design - NYU Game Center Minor: Business of Entertainment.

Master Of Arts - Ma, International And Intercultural Communication

Master of Arts in Intercultural Communications Thesis: Applications of Game Design in Immersive Theater