Hello, everyone! My name is Jason Allen and I am a recent graduate of Miami University with a degree in Games + Simulation and a minor in Computer Science. Now, I am excitedly working towards an MFA in Interactive Media at the University of Southern California!
I am a professional narrative and game designer, composer, and esports broadcaster. I have been creating games for as long as I can remember, starting with print and play card games and Minecraft world maps. I’ve continued to release print-and-play, GameBoy, and other video games, all of which can be read about here on my website!
from "ZED: EVE OF NIGHTMARE"
from "Formaldehyde"
My narrative work emphasizes an importance on telling real, authentic stories, often revolving around the LGBTQ+ community. To me, narrative design is more than just writing words on a piece of paper—it’s about uncovering parts of your identity and helping others to do the same. As such, relatability is a primary factor of a majority of my work. My focus on LGBTQ+ and aromantic storytelling helps normalize authentic experiences in popular media, rather than reiterating common stereotypes that are easily viewable today. I hope to write the stories that I wish I could have read growing up. Nothing motivates me more than the understanding that what I write can impact the lives of others.
from "Pastoral (Act 3)
from "In Search Of"
During my time at USC, I've composed more and more music than ever before! I've been encouraged to learn about how music and game theory can be applied to craft compositions that tell a story in and of itself. As a first semester MFA student, I've had the pleasure to join an MFA thesis project, "Prism of You", as audio lead and composer. I aim to craft my compositions in such a way to evoke specific emotions in relation to the game state. I am also excited to be learning more about the interesting ways I can implement my music to help ease flow and transitions between tracks.
I am also an expert at esports broadcasting, specifically shoutcasting. I have worked on the Miami Varsity Esports broadcast team since my freshman year, specializing in play by play commentary for League of Legends and Hearthstone. Now, at USC, I've continued shout casting play by play commentary for varsity and junior varsity League of Legends. I think of shoutcasting as a form of storytelling: word choice and imagery are incredibly important so as to help viewers understand what they are watching. Just like mainstream sports, esports is all about a storyline, which is furthered by shoutcasters like myself, whose job is to essentially tell a story to the audience in live time.
a person playing the game "Know Your Neighbor"
from "Click Here"
I am looking to share my writing, design, and composition work in the hopes of working at a medium-sized indie studio where I can work on a team to create real impact in the games industry. Working with a team of like minded individuals is the type of environment that I would prefer to be in, as it allows for much more authentic storytelling through sharing individual experiences.
Thank you so much for taking the time to listen! I hope you'll take some more time to explore some of my amazing projects on this website.