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JOCELYN WAGNER

Narrative designer creating immersive and impactful experiences. Knowledge of multiple authoring and design tools including Unity, Unreal, C#, C++, Java, Python, Twine, Celtx, RenPy, Construct 3, Audacity, and Adobe Suite. Additional experience in copyediting, proofreading, layout and production. Passionate about creative writing, storytelling, and narrative design. Able to work independently and in a team to meet organizational goals.

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EDUCATION

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MFA - GAMES & INTERACTIVE MEDIA

American University, Washington D.C.

2019-2022

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Commendation for academic excellence Fall 2020 and Fall 2019. 

GPA: 3.97

BA - ENGLISH

University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA

2014-2016

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Regents and Chancellors Scholar 

Summa Cum Laude

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PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

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Burlington, MA | May 2022 - Present

ASCEND LEARNING | NARRATIVE DESIGNER

  • Shipped 10+ interactive pieces (3D simulations and visual novels) as primary narrative designer and voiceover director.

  • Pitch content scenarios for simulations that teach soft and hard skills and write non-linear, choice-based scripts for interactive content.

  • Create characters and utilize worldbuilding for realistic and impactful learning simulations using iterative design methods from high-level planning to granular details using design documentation.

  • Utilize non-linear storytelling using complex logic structures and conditional flowcharts authored in proprietary in-house software for use in Unity. 

  • Collaborate cross-functionally to create educational and realistic simulations, working with design, animation, and assembly teams. 

Washington D.C | August 2019 - May 2022

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY | GRADUATE ASSISTANT

  • Assisted director of American University Game Center with research projects, community outreach, Center operations, and contracted work with the ESA and Higher Education Video Game Alliance.

  • Collaborated on journal articles, conference papers, and presentations, co-authorship of research papers. 

  • Managed game jams, education and outreach events, and other events hosted by the AU Game Center.

  • Spoke at Games for Change and PAX Online about game design, narrative, mental health, and streaming. 

San Francisco, CA | April 2019 – July 2019

MORPHE | COPYWRITER I

  • Responsible for several new product launches which included copy guides for product families, in-store copy, email and web copy, as well as packaging copy, shade names, and shade layouts.

  • Created and pitched product names and subsequent copy guides for new product lines including but not limited to copy for store fixtures, online product pages, box copy, and email.

San Francisco, CA | August 2018 – April 2019

CHARLOTTE RUSSE | COPYWRITER I 

  • Responsible for weekly copy refresh and proofing of eCommerce assets including website, email, and app.

  • Created subject lines and preheaders for email content as well as geographic and push notifications for app.

Hayward, CA | Sept. 2017 – August 2018

BEELINE GROUP | COPYWRITER I/COPY EDITOR

  • Created content for clients based on creative work orders to increase sales and promote products both online and in-store.

  • Created online product pages and QA for mobile and desktop optimization before release.

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STUDENT EXPERIENCE

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  • Completed MFA in game design with a GPA of 3.98; courses include game development, games research, 3D modeling for games, and interactive narrative. (Expected conferral May 2022 with completion of capstone game and thesis.)

  • Created 10+ games, most of which have been shown at university-wide showcases, including the following:

    • Ladder (2022, in progress), a side-scroller meets visual novel about the failures of late-stage capitalism in the US (as examined by a robot proletariat).

    • Floating (2020), a bronze-winning interactive narrative (shown at the Foundation for Digital Games 2021).

    • Him (2020), a choice-based narrative game about unhealthy/abusive relationships.

    • Lost in Translation (2020), a top-down RPG language-learning demo.

    • Menses: The Game (2019), a satirical endless runner that examines the stigma around menstruation (made for a game jam).

  • Contracted by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and the Higher Education Video Game Alliance (HEVGA) for funded research work. 

  • Participated in panels at PAX Online East and Games for Change (2021).

  • Collaborated with international scholars of game design and game studies on co-authored manuscripts and analysis.

  • Published a paper on experiential game design methodology in the Journal of Games, Self, and Society, an international games journal (Phelps, Wagner, & Moger 2020).

  • Published a paper on Spiritfarer and its timely release during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as its treatment of older adults in Well Played Retrospective (Wagner, Moger, Phelps, & Consalvo 2021).

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PANELS

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PUBLICATIONS

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Wagner, J., Moger, A., Consalvo, M. and Phelps, A. (2021). "Helping Grandma Home: Spiritfarer’s Progressive Treatment of Older Adults During COVID-19." (In review.)

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Dunlap, K., Shanley, M. and Wagner, J. (2021). "Mental Health Live: An Ethnographic Study on the Mental Health of Twitch Streamers During COVID." (In review.)

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Phelps, A., Wagner, J. and Moger, A. (2020). "Experiential Depression and Anxiety Through Proceduralized Play: A Case Study of Fragile Equilibrium." Journal of Games, Self, and Society. (2) v.1. p.104-149. https://doi.org/10.1184/R1/12215417

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SKILLS

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  • C#, C++, Javascript, Python, CSS, & HTML

  • Unity & Unity Collab

  • Unreal

  • Twine

  • Fungus

  • Github

  • Blender

  • Adobe Creative Cloud

  • Microsoft Office

  • Narrative design

  • Game development

  • Copywriting & copy editing

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