Ellen Jurik is a Game Director, Narrative Director, Writer, Designer, and Producer, and was recognised on the 2019 Gender Equality InGames list. She has spent over a decade creating games for mobile, PC, and console, exploring new and existing IPs in both original projects and games for clients.
She is passionate about storytelling across media, having studied theatre, multimedia design, and script assessment, and has also written commissioned short-form comedy and promotional films, and has self-published her first novel, The Look.
Working with companies including Fox/BlueSky Studios, Scholastic Inc., New Holland Publishing, Valiant Entertainment, EA Respawn, Gameloft, Blowfish Studios, and New Canvas, she has been involved in the pitching, production, development, design, and writing of games across a variety of genres and monetisation methods.
Storm Boy: The Game, an adaptation of the Australian classic novella led by Ellen, was nominated for four categories in the Australian Games Awards 2018 (Australian Game; Independent Game; Family/Kids Title; Mobile/Handheld Title of the Year), two categories for the Australian Game Developer Awards 2019 (Art; Sound Design), as well as being a finalist for The Pav Awards 2019 (Across the Pond award), and nominated for The 52nd Annual AWGIE Awards (Interactive Media category).
Overview of interests:
- Social Psychology, Trauma (psychological and physical) and PTSD, Psychology of Play/Leisure Studies, Philosophy.
- Adapting concepts of theatre to interactive media, transmedia and nontraditional storytelling
- Mythology and early religion, Fables and Cautionary Tales, Tragedy (narrative genre), Narratology, (eg, The Hero’s Journey)
- Archetypes/archetypal psychology and personal style/colour theory and their applications to character design
Other things you might find her spending her time on:
Acting, singing, writing, playing board games & pen&paper RPGs, drawing, kayaking, looking at pictures and videos of parrots and chickens, talking to the visiting cockatoos, drinking coffee or craft beer.
Judging and Education/Outreach
- Industry Representative and Course Consultant for Torrens University/Media Design School Sydney, 2018 – Present
- Judge for Australian Writers Guild Monte Miller Awards 2019 & 2020
- Ran Game Design Workshop at Newcastle Real Film Festival 2016 and for Blacktown City Council 2018
- Judge, Media Design School Auckland Incubator Program 2017
- Guest lecturer, “Narrative In Games,” Edith Cowan University, 2008, 2009
Achievements and Recognition
- Aust. Writers Guild Games & Interactive Committee Member since 2021
- Recognised on the 2019 Gender Equality InGames list
- NaNoWriMo “Winner” 2017, 2018, 2019
Ellen Jurik 