Stéphane Bura

 

Freelance Designer and Game Writer
Creative Director

Agile methodology - 3+ years as a Scrum Product Owner
Artificial Intelligence, Interactive storytelling, RPG writer
Programming, Game design theory for innovation

Experience

Videogames

• 2011-Present: Lead Designer - Storybricks


• 2008-Present: Design Consultant - Freelance Designer and Game Writer
  
  
  • Hairy Tales
    
    
• 2003-2008: Creative Director - 10tacle Studios Belgium a.k.a. Elsewhere Entertainment
  
  
  • Totems (PC, Xbox360) Innovative AAA action adventure game that mixes advanced free-running and magical powers in a mythical version of our world.
    
    
  • MySeries (PC, Wii) Interactive storytelling game in which characters dynamically weave stories, depending of their goals, yearnings, relations and overarching plots.
    
    
  • 2006: David Douillet Judo (PC, PS2, GameCube) First full 3D judo game with a unique combat system suited to this complex and subtle martial art.
    
    
• 1997-2002: Developer & Lead Designer - Kalisto Entertainment (FR)

Game design teaching at Supinfogame - French videogame design & production school - and at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam

Active in the game design community - Talks at various conferences, Game Design Workshop & Project Horseshoe member

Published on Gamasutra

Member of the IGDA Game Developers Choice Awards 2007 advisory board

Contributor to David Perry on Game Design book

Contributor to the guide of the video game exposition at La Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie

 

Freelance Game Designer

Since 1982, freelance work for boardgames, role-playing games and card games, among which:

• Le Monde des Ténèbres : France. French sourcebook for White Wolf's World of Darkness RPG
• Knightmare Chess & Knightmare Chess 2. Adaptation of bestseller Tempête sur l'échiquier and design (sample designs: 1, 2)
• Conspirations (FR) RPG. French adaptation of Atlas Games' Over The Edge (with new material, like the introductory scenario)
• In Nomine Satanis / Magna Veritas RPG. Adapted by Steve Jackson Games as In Nomine
• Légendes des Contrées Oubliées RPG. Based on a French graphic novel series.
• Scales RPG.
• Bloodlust RPG.
  

Freelance writer for game magazines: Casus Belli, Dragon, Lotus Noir, Backstab, Chroniques d'Outre-Monde, Graal, etc.

Numerous playtesting credits

 

Education

• 1991/1997 : Research in Distributed Artificial Intelligence at Paris VI University Laboratory: Specialized in the fields of Artificial Life, Multi-Agent Systems and the emergence of properties in Multi-Agent Systems. Publications in various national and international conferences and journals.
  
  
• 1990 : DEA (post graduate degree) in Artificial Intelligence at Paris VI University (Distributed AI and Symbolic Learning).
  
  
• 1989 : Master's Degree in Logic, Advanced Algorithms, Systems, Database Design and Networks.
  

 

Fluent in French (native) and English.

 

Design Skills

• Thorough understanding of advanced Object Oriented design, architecture and programming (design patterns, event-driven and data-driven architectures, etc.)
  Can work knowledgeably with programmers on solutions for implementing complex game design features
  
  
• Agile methodology - 3+ years as a Scrum Product Owner: feature backlog management in collaboration with Production Director and CEO, user stories writing, Agile redesign to fit stakeholders' feedback
  
  
• Designing for a franchise: Worked on movie and series franchises with Hollywood producers and showrunners
  
  
• Rapid prototyping of gameplay systems
  
  
• Interface design theory
  
  
• Online game design: Technical constraints, community building and management, online play patterns, etc.
  
  
• Social Network-based gameplay: Asynchronous gameplay, player retention, linking gameplay and monetization, virality, etc.
  
  
• Presentation techniques
  
  
• Interactive storytelling theory and techniques: Extensive study and research in various media (videogames, tabletop role playing games, party games)
  
  
• Worldbuilding: Cultures, mythology & legends, history, geography, ecology, magic & science, creatures, etc.
  

 

Interests

Architecture, myths, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, the cultural aspect of games, improvisational theater, science fiction and fantasy writing, comics, videogames, tabletop role-playing games, boardgames, collectible card games, puzzles, TV series writing.

Mensa member.

I am the proud winner of a Tales of the Beanworld Do-It-Yourself contest and here's the spoilerish certificate that proves it.