Tanja Zinser
About Me
I’d like to introduce myself but feel free to skip ahead if you’re only interested in my track record.
My passion for games began early, when my grandfather bought a computer and set it up in his living room. I remember being excited to play „Lemmings“, „Winter Challenge“ and my first car racing game „Stunts“. Soon after, my father also started gaming. I watched him play „Indianer Jones and the Infernal Machine“ while giving childish tips how to play. (Yeah, I was backseat-gaming while my dad did his very first live let’s play!) All this started to spark my ever lasting love for digital games.
Although video games accompanied me throughout my life, I decided to choose a different path and studied Biology instead. One day, I began questioning my decision. The turning point came when I played „Soma“ by Frictional Games. „Soma“ inspired me to fully commit myself to pursuing a career in games.
With renewed courage and enough self-confidence, I applied to Media Studies. During my studies, I met the right partner to co-found NightinGames. Currently, we are collaborating with Aesir Interactive to develop „The Legend of Khiimori“. As the industry has become increasingly challenging, I am now looking for a new opportunity where I can continue to learn, grow and contribute my experience.
Overview
System- & Content Design
I design and refine gameplay systems, mechanics and content across the projects. This includes creating and documenting detailed feature design documents, balancing gameplay and organizing data. I implement the content with the editor and playtest my work to improve the experience.
Narrative Design
I love building worlds and meaningful stories for narrative-driven games. Whether it is writing dialogues, shaping early story concepts or designing interactive narratives. My writing roots go beyond games with experience from creating light novels, manga projects and working as a journalist.
Level Design
I create scenes using build-in landscape tools, setting up the initital lighting and positioning assets provided by the art department. Before that, I use boxing tools to block out levels. Having early prototypes and scenes, allows fast testing and navigation to improve the player experience.
2D Art
I use a simple graphic tablet for digital work but I still prefer sketching with pen and paper. My strengths lie in creating clean line art with a comic- or manga inspired look. I also enjoy drawing icons, simple storyboards, (very) rough concept art or UI/UX elements and workflows to support early-stage development.
Games
The Legend of Khiimori
Take on the role of a brave courier ride in „The Legend of Khiimori“! Bond with your horse and tame the open wilds of 13th century Mongolia. Breed and train horses with specialized abilities to explore every aspect of this diverse and fascinating landscape.
Status: Production (Ongoing until March)
Learnings
Loxia – Herbs and Potions
Status: Prototype
Learnings
I used the Unreal Engine Editor, Fork, Jira and Confluence.
Exsomnis – Fires of Vesuvius
„Exsomnis – Fires of Vesuvius is a narrative driven mystery adventure set during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Pompeii. It is blending realistic historical drama, intrigues of the Roman gods and a frozen moment in time into an immersive journey of survival and sacrifice.
Status: Concept
„The Sound of Lightning“ is set in an alternate 1920s world. You join Nikola Tesla’s private organization to stop space-time anomalies from falling into the wrong hands. Using a mobile radio, you guide a mysterious woman through dangerous situations as she helps you prevent an upcoming catastrophe.
Status: Prototype
I created the game- and level design and organised the game design and 2D art department. I was also the vision keeper to ensure that the key items match the gameplay experience.
Learnings
Status: Demo
The game concept was made during a Game Jam in 2020. We continued the project while studying Media Science in Bayreuth. Currently, the game is not good enough to get it published but we invested to much time to get rid of it.
Learnings
„Abenteuer mit Sam“ is part of the SAM project for prevention of cyberbullying. The project features this video game that is supposed to help children raising awareness about hate and harmful behaviour. They can learn how to respond to cyberbullying.
Status: Finished Project
We collaborated with students from OTH Regensburg to create a hybrid game that empowers childrend aged eight to twelve to better understand and respond to cyberbullying. The digital part of the game, except the 2D sprites, was made by NightinGames.
Learnings
I used the Unity Engine to program and design this short visual novel. I communicated with the clients to create the best possible product.
„EmpathyX“ is a point and click adventure by SenAm Games for the Karl Schlecht Stiftung about empathy in leadership positions. Empathy is a core competence for good leadership but it has many facets. Although empathy is an important skill in communicative networking, the ability of many managers to empathize is currently decreasing. How can leadership in a crisis still succeed through empathy? And how can empathy be strengthened as a leadership skill for the future?
Status: Finished Project
Learnings
I used Godot, Codecks and Inkle. I shortened and adjusted the dialogues in Inkle and implemented sounds and music in Godot.
„Fading“ is a tiny walking simulator. It takes place in a single room. The game is about a girl who has lost her family in a fire and moved to her relatives to begin a new life. Most things of her past are gone.
Status: Finished Project
„Fading“ was a small university project for a seminar and our first fully finished game. My tasks were the Game- and Level Design, additional 2D & 3D Art and Narration. I designed and built the room and created some 3D assets (e.g. radiator, desk, chandelier). I worked with the terrain tool to create with assets from the asset store an environment. I made some 2D sprites for the UI/UX. I also helped with minor scripting tasks and animations. I wrote the story and voice lines and edited them. Last but not least, I organised the play tests and the polishing phase as well as the ticket system.
Learnings
I used Unity, gitKraken, gitLab, Presonus Studio One, Notion, Autodesk Maya LT and Clip Studio Paint Pro for this project.
„Free Speech“ is a game prototype about the freedom of speech. There are many different opinions on the Internet. What is freedom of speech and should some statements get deleted? The player decides by swiping quotes. In the end, the statistics can be compared with other players worldwide.
Status: Prototype
My tasks were research, translations and additional programming. My key tasks were the establishment of the database in FireBase and the connection to Unity 2D. I translated non-english quotations to English and searched for appropriate sources for our game.
Learnings
I used gitKraken, gitLab, Unity 2D, FireBase and Google App Store.
City without Light (2020)
AIKO (2020)
2D Jump’n’Run
Software: Unity 2D, Clip Studio Paint Pro
Tasks: Game- & Level Design, UI Design & additional 2D Art
Aiko is a young and ambitious assassin who wants to prove her father that she is ready to become the next head of the family.
Heart of the Machine (2020)
Software: Unity 3D, Autodesk Maya LT, Clip Studio Paint Pro
Tasks: Game- & Level Design, 3D Art, Narration, UI Design
Heart of the Machine was made during the 48h Mini Beans Jam. You play a mechanic in a steampunk working space and your goal is to maintain the engines.
Before Winter Falls (2019)
Software: Unity 3D
Tasks: Game- & Level Design, Sound Design, Programming
This game was made during the 48 h Global Game Jam („Home“). The small hedgehog cannot return to his cozy home. Instead the spiny mammal must build a new one with all his strength. You can help him!
Wrong Hatch (2018)
Point-and-Click Adventure
Software: Unity 2D
Tasks: Game- & Level Design, Programming
This game was made during the 48 h Game Jam at the University of Bayreuth. It was a test project for our bigger Point-and-Click Adventure City without Light.
2D Art
If.digital (2021) – Contract Work
