(714) 943-8927
SERVICES
Whether you need a unique game concept, a detailed design document, or a targeted solution for a tough creative problem, McWilliams Design can help.
We offer full-service game design consulting and interactive writing. With our head in the clouds - and our feet firmly planted in reality - we can assist you with any stage of your project, from the first creative spark to the final asset list.
You can count on us for work that's timeless, and timely... revolutionary, yet realistic. Work that will help get your game off the ground - and take it to the next level.
DESIGN:
Creative direction
High concept creation
Scenario/mission design
Control and interface design
Gamification
Project evaluation and tuning
WRITING:
Story and character development
Game bibles/style guides
Design documents and flowcharts
Pitch documents
Promotional materials
Game scripts and character dialogue
Concept CREATION
Game Mechanics
Story & Script
ABOUT
Jennifer McWilliams has been designing games for the past twenty years, and playing them since she was old enough to wield a joystick.
At Pomona College, Jennifer earned dual B.A.s in Theatre Arts and Psychology. After receiving a Master's Degree in Writing from U.S.C., she joined Virgin Interactive Entertainment as a game designer.
Jennifer worked on a wide range of projects at Virgin, including the original CD-ROM version of Monopoly and the animated adventure Toonstruck. She later became Lead Designer at JVC Digital Arts Studio.
Most recently, she was Principal Game Designer at Hasbro Interactive (which was subsequently purchased by Infogrames). Jennifer did design work for some fifty-odd titles at Hasbro/Infogrames, from action games to strategy games to the occasional interactive murder mystery.
As a game design consultant, Jennifer offers both versatility and breadth of experience, having worked at both small developers and large publishers, on projects encompassing a wide range of genres and platforms.
RECENT CLIENTS
TESTIMONIALS
"Jennifer McWilliams was an exceptional member of the creative team at Entertainment Games. She is a seasoned game designer across multiple genres and a passionate gamer. She was instrumental in the design of our innovative social game Retro World, driving many of the core design initiatives, especially those involving the integration of virtual currency and in-game leveling.
As well as being as competent a game designer as I've ever worked with, Jennifer is also an exceptional writer. She layers her work with strong narrative. She not only designed original and licensed episodic content for Retro World, she wrote the scripts, which were tight, clever, and funny.
Jennifer understands games from the inside out. She proved at Entertainment Games that she can take an idea from concept to completion with little direction. I trusted her judgment and relied greatly on her opinions.
Apart from her stellar professional skills, Jennifer is also a wonderful person to work with--a bright, positive, energetic, funny, and mature woman. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for creative direction and execution."
- F.J. Lennon, CCO, Entertainment Games
"Jennifer is an extremely prolific writer/game designer who understands fun, humor, and story as well as schedule, budget, and teamwork. A delight to work with!"
- Omar Khudari, CEO/Creative Director, Cecropia
“Jennifer is an excellent game designer with a huge breadth of knowledge on a wide range of game types. From hard core multiplayer games, to mass market casual titles, to kids games, Jennifer can write and design to each of them. She is a pleasure to work with, having a great positive attitude and loads of fun energy. She always added a great deal to each game. I highly recommend her.”
- Dave Walls, Creative Director, Hasbro Interactive
“Jennifer has always been a great design resource. She is one I can depend on getting things done even during challenging project schedules. She's able to quickly grasp project specifications and has the ability to produce fantastic results. Her cheerful attitude always makes it a pleasure to work with her.”
- Cheryl Higa, Producer, Realtime Associates
“Jennifer is an excellent specialist in her field and well-versed in the little details of the game industry, which makes her a true professional when dealing with game specific tasks. Anyone willing to work with her would be pleasantly suprised at the level of service she can offer.”
- Yaroslav Tugarev, Business Development Manager, Play Ten Interactive
“Jennifer has worked for Realtime Associates a number of times as a freelance game designer, writer, and content provider for edutainment-themed projects. Each time, she quickly understands the creative goals and production process requirements, and starts contributing in meaningful ways right away. With very little supervision, she has always met her interim and final delivery dates, and her work has always been excellent, requiring little if no revision or alteration. And, she approaches her work with a genuine cheer. I always know we can count on her and never hesitate to include her in a project, large or small, whenever we can.”
- Dave Warhol, President, Realtime Associates
"We hired Jennifer as a designer/writer on Retro World in 2011. She played an integral role in ideation, story development, game design and UI on our original and licensed properties.
She is personable, super smart and easy to work. I found her ability to challenge things in a constructive and friendly manner particularly valuable to our process.
Big fan and would hire her again."
- Gene Mauro, President, Entertainment Games