About Me
Hi! I’m John Foxwell, writer and narrative designer. I’ve always been interested in how people engage with stories – what causes them to feel immersed in fictional worlds, and what makes those experiences entertaining and meaningful – so before transitioning to game development I worked as an academic specialising in cognitive narratology. I completed my PhD and a two-year post-doc as part of a large interdisciplinary project that focused on voice-hearing at Durham University, UK.
While the knowledge and skills I gained as an academic have been invaluable, creating games is my passion. What excites me most of all are the narrative challenges that arise in game development, particularly in terms of crafting a narrative and a world that suits that game’s mechanics and that can account for player agency.
Thank you for checking out my portfolio, and please feel free to get in touch!
Infinite Night
Point-and-click mystery game based on the 1001 Nights. A princess must complete three impossible tasks to save her kingdom. Yet beneath the charms of the fairytale world, something sinister begins to take shape…
Sold to and published on ArmorGames in Dec 2022 (+30,000 plays, 88% positive rating).
A solo project made in Unity.
Play in-browser | Video playthrough | Sample dialogue flowcharts
What Ails Thee?
A puzzle/simulation game where players take on the role of a medieval physician’s apprentice and must balance the humours of their patients.
Made as part of Greenwich Game Jam 23.2 (Theme: Welfare). Released on itch.io.
Roles: Game Design, Text, Programming.
The Stranger
Short film script.
Genre: Psychological horror
Duration: 10 mins
While watching his daughter at the playground, single father Tim meets a woman with a rather unsettling manner.
Other Men
Short film script.
Genre: Drama
Duration: 10 mins
On a train carriage late at night, two veterans swap war stories in front of an audience anticipating violence.