My name is Matthew Medina. I’m an author, artist and designer with over 32 years of professional experience as a creative lead & storyteller.
I’m currently available for narrative and game design consulting engagements.
Hanging out at my home in Lynnwood with some of my favorite nonfiction books.
I’ve always been fascinated by the way human beings connect through the power of story. Creating memorable stories and characters has always been my lifelong passion.
My professional story has taken me from the field of visual arts, then into game and content design, and finally into narrative design and writing.
Visual Storytelling
From my earliest days, drawing and doodling pictures in the margins of my textbooks at school or on any stray piece of paper that came my way, I have always sought to express myself through artistic pursuits. That led me to the Art Institute of Seattle where, from 1991 to 1993, I earned my Associate’s Degree in Visual Communications. Out of school, I soon began working as a 3D artist in the video game industry, creating props, weapons, vehicles, cinematics assets and environments for many studios, including EA, Cavedog, Nonstop Entertainment, and Arenanet.
Game Design
In 2009, after sixteen years of experience in 3D graphics, an opportunity arose to transition from the art department and to design, and I leapt at the chance to finally realize my childhood dream of creating the kinds of experiences I had always imagined. I cut my teeth in design creating content for several of the cities and open world exploration maps in Guild Wars 2, where I learned invaluable skills and techniques in content and game design.
Narrative Design and Writing
From the moment I made the switch from art to design, I had my heart set on specializing in writing, narrative and quest design. I was given the opportunity to realize this dream with development on several Living World releases, leading up to our first expansion release for Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns, in 2015. From that point on, I’ve held Story Design Team Lead on several projects, alternating between that role and IC work as an Advanced Narrative Designer.
BLOODFIRE
In 2014, I wrote and self published my first fantasy novel through Amazon’s KDP program, entitled “Bloodfire (The Sojourns of Rebirth Book 1).
I am in the process of remastering this book for republishing, as well as working on books 2 and 3 in the series.
You can pick up the original volume at the link below:
In addition to my day job, I have maintained an independent presence consulting and freelancing on a variety of projects since 2018, as well as mentoring and coaching for individuals and groups of prospective narrative designers.
I am always looking to continue to improve and broaden my skills and knowledge, and have taken certificate classes for the Game Writing Masterclass from the Narrative Department, Beginning VO at Seattle Voice Academy, Comics Writing by Scott Snyder’s Best Jackett Press.
Helpful Links
Professional Portfolio Website
Clear As Mud (Podcast Interview)
The Book Of Matthew (Personal Substack)
Design Deconstructed (YouTube Series)
Screenshot of one of the story instances I implements for Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons, when we say farewell to our beloved Elder Dragon, Aurene.