Game Projects
Professional Experience
Vacation Tycoon
Hyper Hippo (2022)
Idle Game | Role: Senior Game Designer
Vacation Tycoon is a free-to-play idle game developed by Hyper Hippo. In the game, players manage and build their own vacation resorts.
The gameplay involves clicking on different resources to collect them and building structures to produce more resources exponentially. Additionally, the game features a variety of upgrades, boosters, and events to keep players engaged.
Project roles:
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Creating a data-driven global launch plan using soft launch data and player feedback.
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Analyzing soft launch feedback to enhance player retention and monetization.
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Reviewing game mechanics, level design, and monetization for global launch optimization.
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Designing new content and features for the global launch to attract and retain players.
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Conducting A/B tests to refine game mechanics, progression systems, and monetization.
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Collaborating with the analytics team to monitor metrics and improve the player experience, retention, and monetization.
AdVenture Communist
Hyper Hippo (2021 - 2022)
Idle Game | Role: Senior Game Designer (LiveOps)
AdVenture Communist is a free-to-play idle clicker game developed by Hyper Hippo, the creators of AdVenture Capitalist. It offers a satirical take on communism and casts players as leaders building the ultimate communist state.
Players unlock new industries, invest in various upgrades, and recruit comrades to help automate resource collection, exponentially growing their communist empire.
Popular among clicker and idle game fans, it features tongue-in-cheek humor and is available on iOS, and Android.
Project roles:
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Design content, features, and events aligned with KPIs and product roadmaps.
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Balance game economy and progression for optimal player retention and monetization.
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Adjust the difficulty curve using real player data across multiple ranks.
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Assess game performance using metrics and KPIs to plan appropriate actions.
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Facilitating collaboration between developers, artists, and other team members to ensure consistent outcomes.
Monster Blast
Robots & Pencils (2021)
Augmented Reality (AR) Shooter Game | Role: Lead Game Designer & Product Owner
Monster Blast is an arcade shooter game with Augmented-Reality (AR) elements on mobile devices. It blends the real experience of shooting a BB gun with the fun and challenges of video games.
The game uses a high-speed camera to detect hits on real-world targets and incorporates them into gameplay.
Project roles:
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Conceived the game proposal document that was pitched and approved by the investors.
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Designed safety-enhancing AR game features.
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Designed over 30 unique levels, using the Rational Level Design framework.
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Designed procedural levels based on difficulty settings using the Rational Level Design framework.
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Designed an asynchronous Multiplayer Mode.
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Represented the team in presentations and conversations with project stakeholders and investors.
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Evaluated project risks and created contingency plans.
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Facilitated collaboration among developers, artists, and team members.
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Created and maintained the project's Game Design Document (GDD).
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Documented and wrote most of the voice-over lines.
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Oversaw the game look and feel.
Cookie Land
SOFTGAMES Canada (2019-2021)
Match-3 Game | Role: Game Designer & Producer
Cookie Land is a free-to-play match-3 game developed by SOFTGAMES. This HTML5 game was featured on several game portals and it is currently one of the biggest match-3 titles on the Facebook Instant Games platform.
This social-oriented match-3 game takes the player to a world of sweets and pastries with thousands of levels to solve.
Project roles:
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Designed features addressing product priorities using KPIs and roadmaps.
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Improved UX from concept to release with wireframes, prototypes, and technical specifications.
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Utilized business intelligence tools for metric-driven feature design and improvements.
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Managed game economy and iterated based on player data and system correlations.
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Adjusted difficulty curve across 3000+ levels using real player data.
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Assessed game performance using metrics and KPIs to plan appropriate actions.
Multiple Match-3 Games
SOFTGAMES Canada (2019-2021)
Match-3 Games | Role: Game Designer & Producer
At SOFTGAMES Canada, I had the chance to work on various free-to-play match-3 games. These smaller titles enabled the team to experiment with different themes and features.
These HTML5 games were featured on numerous game portals and are currently among the most popular match-3 titles on the Facebook Instant Games platform.
Games:
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Garden Tales
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Sugar Match
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Candy Rain
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Fish Story
Project roles:
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Designed experimental features aligned with company strategy and target metrics.
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Planned and designed adaptable features for multiple titles.
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Analyzed experimental features' performance before implementing them in flagship titles.
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Assessed game performance using metrics and KPIs to plan appropriate actions.
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Designed tools to bridge the gap between design, art, and development.
Guardians of the Waters
Laboratory of Learning Objects (2018)
Multiplatform Game (Mobile / PC) | Role: Game Designer
Guardians of the Waters (Guardiões das Águas) is a multiplatform (Mobile / PC) educational game, for kids from Grade 2 to Grade 4, about basic sanitation and water treatment.
The project features 6 game modes and is compatible with the Kinect One in the PC version.
It is currently available in Brazilian public schools.
Project roles:
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Designed 6 different game modes, adapting the gameplay for both platforms (PC and Mobile).
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Designed over 50 level segments, using the Rational Level Design framework.
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Conceived the game proposal document that was pitched and approved by the investors.
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Documented and wrote most of the script and the dialogues.
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Oversaw the game's look and feel.
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Guided game test sessions with the target audience.
Water Generations
Brazilian National Water Agency (2017)
Educational Game | Role: Game Designer
Water Generations (Geração Água) is a resource management educational game developed in partnership with the Brazilian National Water Agency, for students in Grades 7 to 10.
It is currently available in Brazilian public schools.
Project roles:
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Designed the gameplay loop.
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Conceived and successfully pitched the game proposal to the project stakeholders.
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Adjusted the level layout, blockout and decoration to ensure a better user experience.
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Planned proper game pacing, so that there are highs and lows in the player interest curve during the gameplay.
Awards:
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Brazil’s Independent Games Festival (BIG Festival) 2018 - BIG Impact: Educational Category | Finalist
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2nd Golden Cube Award (Cubo de Ouro) 2018 - Best Geek Social Project | Finalist
Paleo Game
Private Commissioned Project (2016)
Mobile Game | Role: Game Designer
Paleo Game is a mobile educational game about evolutionary biology, commissioned by a Brazilian Ph.D. professor as part of their thesis.
The game has local multiplayer with several questions and minigames on the subject, for students in Grade 4 to Grade 8.
Project roles:
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Designed the gameplay loop.
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Planned and designed 3 minigames with local multiplayer features.
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Prototyped and implemented the level layout.
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Planned choke points in the game board to enhance gameplay.
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Designed the game systems, their rules and interactions.
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Ensured the game's look and feel were within the project goal.
Profit Inc.
Laboratory of Learning Objects (2016)
Educational Game | Role: Game Designer
Profit Inc. (Lucro S.A.) is an educational business tycoon in which the player manages a company according to custom economic scenarios.
The economic scenario editor allows the student to simulate how to run a business in different contexts, such as a high-interest rate market, a low tax market, expensive retail suppliers, among dozens of other settings.
Project roles:
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Designed game systems based on real-world data like accounting concepts and formulas.
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Improved the UI to shallow the game's learning curve, which was too steep based on player feedback.
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Designed an economic scenario editor, which allows the player to simulate different situations like high taxes, low-interest rates, etc.
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Conducted playtests and incorporated feedback to improve the gameplay.
Awards:
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Brazil’s Independent Games Festival (BIG Festival) 2017 - Best Educational or Social Impact Game | Finalist
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Apps.edu International Contest | Honourable Mention
The Amazing Adventures of Apollo & Rosetta in Space
Laboratory of Learning Objects (2015)
Game for Health | Role: Creative Director
The Amazing Adventures of Apollo & Rosetta in Space was developed for academic research. The purpose of this game is to train the Executive Functions, especially the Inhibitory Control, of children between the ages of 8 and 10. It features 7 different game modes. This game was developed as part of a Ph.D. thesis at Feevale University.
Project roles:
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Designed 7 different game modes for specific research needs.
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Designed a procedural difficulty curve system for all 7 game modes, following the Rational Level Design framework.
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Documented and wrote most of the script and dialogues.
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Analyzed and documented connections between neuropsychology and digital games.
Awards:
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PUC Young Ideas (Jovens Ideias) Contest - Category: Search is evolving (2015) | Winner
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Master Tip Award (Dica de Mestre) - Educator Category (2018) | 2nd Place
The Suspects
Laboratory of Learning Objects (2015)
Game for Health | Role: Game Designer
The Suspects (Os Suspeitos) is a mobile game to assist psychologists in treating college students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). It features 5 different focus-based minigames, in which the player must identify the suspects of a crime in a shopping mall.
Project roles:
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Prototyped the game with a content manager to aid the pitch.
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Designed and successfully pitched the game concept to the project stakeholders.
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Designed 5 different game modes for specific psychological needs.
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Investigated the relationship between interest and reward on players with ADHD.
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Created the game pacing system to boost player retention.
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Designed over 30 level segments.
Personal Projects
Pong AI Challenge
Personal Challenge
Reinforced Learning Experiment
In 2023 I started studying AI, machine learning and related areas.
My first hands-on project in this area was the Pong AI Challenge, where I trained an AI agent to play Pong through Reinforcement Learning.
Developed in Python, this project spanned 5 weeks and served as an engaging side project and prototype I tackled in my free time.
Project roles:
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Game Design adaptation
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Coding
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AI Design
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AI training and monitoring
Hector & Stella
Game Jam Project
Turn-based Dungeon Crawler | Role: Game Designer
Hector & Stella is a turn-based dungeon crawler, made during Feevale Game Jam, a sponsored game jam. The event theme was "Guiding Dog" and in the game, you get to control Stela, the guiding dog of a powerful wizard named Hector in search of a powerful scroll.
Project roles:
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Conceived and pitched the game concept.
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Established the art direction.
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Designed 12 levels using the Rational Level Design framework.
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Utilized redirection techniques to guide the player through the levels.
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Documented and wrote all dialogues.
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Crafted all sprites and the UI.
Awards:
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Feevale Game Jam (2018) | Winner
Type 'n Jump
Game Jam Project
Text-Based Platformer | Role: Game Designer
Type ‘n Jump is a text-based platformer, made during Ludum Dare 41. The game jam theme was "Combine 2 Incompatible Genres".
It ranked 90th in the Overall category amongst over 2000 entries, with around 163 ratings.
Some players even started speed-running the game, which was a very nice surprise 🙂
Project roles:
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Conceived and pitched the game concept.
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Designed the level layout to improve player flow.
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Identified and corrected points of failure and frustration in the level design through playtests.
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Established the art direction.
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Crafted all sprites and the UI.
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Designed and iterated the character movement system.
Awards:
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Ludum Dare 41 | Ranked 90th in the Overall category, amongst over 2000 entries.
About
Richard N. Silva
Self-motivated. Data-driven. Quick learner. | Toronto, Canada
My name is Richard Nunes da Silva and I am a Game Designer with more than 8 years of professional experience in Game Design and Project Management. Throughout my career, I've had the pleasure of working on some truly amazing projects that I'm thrilled to showcase here.
Currently, I'm bringing my expertise to Hyper Hippo as a Senior Game Designer.
Crafting engaging game mechanics, systems, and gameplay loops that captivate and entertain players is what I love to do. I collaborate closely with other creatives, programmers, and data analysts to solve design problems and deliver high-quality games on time and on budget.
My passion for design, data-driven approach and commitment to milestones are my best weapons in any project.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or if you're interested in working together.
Thanks for stopping by!
Contact
Want to chat about my work or how I can help with your next project?
Feel free to contact me!