Ronin Studios and Consulting

In 2013, I joined Ronin Studios and Consulting, a tech startup that was entering the new field of "gamification" - teaching real world skills through the use of play through gaming. As Art Director, I was responsible for the creation of internal branding and style guides, and for the development of visuals and graphics for the games and products we were creating.

 

Company Retreat was developed by Ronin Studios & Consulting for MRA, (the Midwest's largest employer's association). Using the client's own management training course material, Ronin developed a game where players find themselves shipwrecked on a desert island with their fictitious coworkers. Survival and eventual rescue depend upon the player managing their group through tasks and personality clashes.

As Art Director, I lead the visual design of the project including the design of over 20 characters as well as backgrounds and maps for all the game's locations. I also supervised the development ofthe game's UI/UX assets and cinematic cut-scenes.

Main Island Illustration that served as a front page and progress map

Main Island progress screen as a player might see it in the game

Illustration progression of the Cave background

Illustration: Beach Location background

Illustration: Volcano Location background

Illustration of the Cove Scene background with an example of the user interface

Illustrated location maps players would access to chart their progress.

Robin, Edgar, Haley, Lucy, Marcus, Linda, Jennifer, Steven and John - Just a few of the fellow castaways that the player will manage and delegate in order to survive and escape from the island.



Throughout the game, the player's management choices would have either a positive or negative effect on their companion's morale, so each character was illustrated in three different moods; "neutral", "happy" and "unhappy".