Hello! I'm Steve Cha and I design video games!
Over the span of my career in games, I've worked on a games ranging from experimental mixed reality projects to free-to-play mobile games to award winning console titles. I've worked in a number of capacities: narrative designer, puzzle designer, producer, writer, and enthusiastic bug squasher. My skills and knowledge are as well-rounded as my experiences are eclectic. That said, I have a knack (and a soft spot) for narrative design, feature design, rapid iteration, and chicken nuggets (and other pellet-like food stuffs).
Lastly, I'm a former nonprofit community organizer which means I love a good march and work well in groups.
I've worked on a lot of projects in a lot of roles!
High on Life is a comedic take on a First Person Shooter. Available on XBox GamePass and Steam. #1 Purchased game on Steam in Dec 2022!
I worked on High on Life from pre-production until the beginning of production. I was responsible for pitching, prototyping and playtesting a number of narrative and gameplay features. I also worked with the narrative team to brainstorm, write, edit, and pitch critical portions of the story.
For more information, visit: High on Life.
Trover Saves the Universe is comedic action-adventure platform. Playabled on PS4, enhanced in VR, always hilarious!
As the Narrative Designer, I was responsible for interactive narrative from scenario inception and prototyping to scripting, implementation, and polish. I helped bring to life zany characters that responded to real-time input, designed character-driven minigames, and planned out dynamic dialogue that adapted to player's fidgetting.
It was a big game for a small team, so my naturally my responsibilities expanded to include puzzle design, documentation, developing style guides, and organizing playtests.
For more information, visit: Trover Saves the Universe and play the game on PS4! Or PC! You don't even need a VR Headset!.
Skullgirls is a 2D Fighting RPG the features a colorful cast of customizable characters and custom controls designed specifically for mobile.
As a part of the production team at Hidden Variable Studios, I had the privilege of engaging with all aspects of production. In my production capacity, I served as a primary point of contact for the publishers and tracked the team's progress. Aside from traditional production work, I also dealt with localization, a bit of narrative design, and weighed in a plethora of design/production decisions.
For more information, visit: Skullgirls Mobile and download the game from the Appstore.
Revisions is an autobiographical series of interactive vignettes with a metafictional twist.
Lead development and implementation of all aspects of the game at every stage of development. Worked with producer to refine production time and strategize adherence. Worked with Art Director to create cohesive visual style. Designed features, wrote content, programmed various features. Recorded voiceover under sound designer's tutelage.
As seen at IndieCade, Indie Prize, A.Maze, Out of Index, Meaningful Play, QGCon.
For more information, visit: Revisions
Psychic is a branching narrative game in the style of Telltale's Wolf Among Us.
Prototyped various gameplay modes and features. Iterated on key features until polished. Developed scriptwriting format for branching narrative experience.
For more information, visit: Psychic
a•part•ment is an experiment: an autopsy of a relationship conducted through text and interactivity.
Working with Game Director Robyn Gray, I wrote a series of episodic comics that depicted the relationship of the main character. I focused on writing compelling prose that was concise and ultimately worked with the gameplay, rather than against it.
For more information, visit: apartmentga.me
The Leviathan Project was a mixed reality project where players enter and interact in the world of Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan trilogy.
During the summer of 2014, I joined world-renown visionary Alex MacDowell's World Building Media Lab. There, I designed and developed narratives for a mixed reality story taking aboard a steampunk flying whale. I devised new ways for players to interact with the story, and worked with the writing team to keep the story palatable in an awe-inspiring new world.
For more information, visit: The Leviathan Project
Squawk! is a virtual reality game where players find each other... as penguins!
I developed Squawk! with my classmate Natalie Gravier for Richard Lemarchand's "Introduction to Production" class. Natalie and I devoted a 4-month sprint to creating a two player virtual reality experience that captured the frustration and joy of losing, and finding, one's family.
Check out the trailer here
Dissonance is a puzzle adventure game where everything owns two shadows. Players must navigate two 2D characters through a 3D puzzle world to reunite the two halves. The core mechanics actualize the principle of cognitive dissonance.
As a producer, I helped lead creative Zi Li devise a timeline and work through design hurdles. I also cleared various production blockers.
For more information, visit: playdissonance.com
Psynchrony is a cinematic rhythm action game for the iPad. You play as Kay, a young writer whose path through life has come to a crossroads. In order to break free from the rigid rhythms of her daily routine, Kay must reach the center of her inner dream world and confront the shadowy figure who has haunted her since childhood.
Near the completion of Julian Kantor's Psynchrony, I conducted a series of usability tests using the RITE method.
For more information, visit: www.psynchrony.com
What Should We Do Nao?
I developed What Should We Do Nao? with my teammatesNatalie Gravier, Yuting Su, and Sean Wejebe for the 2015 Global Game Jam. What Should We Do Nao? is a four player game where all four players share control of a four-brained cat named Nao. Each players controles one of Nao's brains; players must match their brain signals to make Nao move and eat hamburgers falling from the sky.
For more information, visit: Nao's Global Game Jam Website