JOSHUA STIKSMA, BSc – GAME DIRECTOR
Collection of Work
Here you will find projects that I have contributed to over the years as a leader in gaming, empowering teams to realize the highest quality products.
Education: Computing Sciences with Business Specialization
16+
Years of game design experience
7+
Years in virtual reality
7
Shipped titles
Dragon Age Franchise
Drew on both Level and Gameplay Design skills to craft vibrant locations, dangerous monsters, and fantastical bosses from concept to shipped product on a project size of over 150 developers across multiple studio locations.
As Designer
Implemented level design for Dragon Age: Origins and Awakening Expansion:
- Planned and developed locations in a large, semi-open world
- Connected narrative with character scripting and plot events
- Populated the world with enemies and scripted complex boss encounters
Implemented gameplay and systems design for Dragon Age 2:
- Planned and developed AI enemies, bosses, and gameplay effects
- Scripted crafting and itemization systems
- Balanced combat and economy
As Senior Designer
Oversaw creation of over 50 unique enemy, ambient AI, and boss archetypes for Dragon Age: Inquisition:
- Planned production for all enemies and scoped deliverables for milestone goals
- Coordinated various disciplines for content needs across multiple studio locations
- Play-tested, reviewed work, and solicited feedback from internal/external sources
- Drove usage of new AI system for increased quality and workflow
- Pitched complex enemies like the High Dragon, requiring high team coordination
As Design Lead
Led multi-disciplinary combat team for Dragon Age: Inquisition DLC:
- Held design vision and coordinated implementation
- Promoted quality user experience across multiple disciplines
- Delivered milestone goals timely and consistently
- Mentored reports and set goals for growth
Impact
- Success in various areas of design spanning three major releases
- Quality of work viewed consistently high internally and externally
- Dragon Age: Inquisition released to high praise from players, with callouts to impressive features like the High Dragon and other enemies that added to the experience
- Continued success post release with leadership opportunities driving downloadable content
Awards
- Meta Critic: 91%, 82%, 79%, 89%
- Game of the Year
- RPG of the Year
Destiny 2
Led and contributed to the development of AI Combatants as Product Owner for Combatant Design group on Destiny 2. Our team served within the greater franchise development of well over 300 developers and supporting staff.
As Senior Designer
Owned the development of multiple combatant AI factions for Destiny 2:
- Guided iteration of first person shooter character visuals, animations, behaviors, weapons, and projectiles
- Ensured characters were highly readable with replayable gameplay that was rewarding to overcome
- Coordinated high level direction with internal team goals and collaborated with other teams to meet project goals
- Built production plans and scoped to project milestone targets
- Tasked team and mentored direct reports
- Drove playtests, reviewed work of team, and solicited feedback on content from other parties to ensure highest quality
Impact
- Successfully delivered AI Combatant content at milestone intervals and achieved content completion for desired target dates
- Destiny 2’s Red Legion and House of Dusk enemy factions:
- Were very well received by players
- Enabled large amounts of open world content to be created
- Fostered endless hours of gameplay for players around the world
Awards
- Meta Critic: 87%
- PC Game of the Year
- Multiplayer Game of the Year
Moss Franchise
Directed a team of 20+ highly talented creators, most with substantial industry experience, to build one of the highest quality experiences available in Virtual Reality Gaming and an IP that fans adore.
As Principal Designer
Crafted multiple level, gameplay, and system designs from ideation to shipped product:
- Contributed high quality, self-directed work while leading strike-teams for planning and feature development
- Implemented various physical interactions in virtual reality and defined design goals for puzzles
- Improved workflow for building and adding logic to level design spaces
- Built out AI system for enemy characters, developed intuitive system for possession of enemies to use as gameplay tools
- Drove gameplay systems that improved realism of virtual characters
- Reviewed all game content to ensure quality
- Led PC platform release
As Game & Design Director
Was responsible for both design and game direction on an award winning VR title, leading a team of 10+ on Moss: Twilight Garden and 20+ individuals on Moss: Book II
- Aligned project with business goals, researched audience, generated ideas with team for pitching to internals/externals
- Built initial game pitch, iterated on and successfully presented to major publisher
- Translated pitch to design pillars, key experience beats, and world/design goals to align project members around the desired game experience and excite the team for development
- Planned project milestones, built/executed design staffing plan, onboarded design staff hires
- Coordinated production development, reviewed content, instilled quality in all facets of the product, and scoped to meet internal and external milestone requirements
- Supported project with design and engineering work as needed
- Integrated new technologies (Unreal Engine 4) where possible to improve quality and workflow
- Navigated team through close-out process, wound down development, and triaged issues to reach target release date
- Participated in relevant press and public-facing materials as leading representative for project
- Synced with external partners on regular intervals to foster strong relationships and ensure deliverables were being satisfied
- Reviewed other projects to suggest improvements and assisted other directors as new projects were stood up
- Strategized product development around business and studio goals
- Investigated improvements for marketing, sales performance, and audience reception
- Continuing to do all of the above in current role
Impact
- Consistently delivered at high quality and player value
- Successfully led expansion content as Design Director and full game experience as Game & Design Director on multiple platforms
- Moss: Twilight Garden was very well received, with average review scores noticeably improved over original release
- Moss: Book II was released to exceptional reception
- Fans around the world are playing the game and continue to call out the quality of the experience and how much they have bonded and connected with the main character
- Continuing to assist other studio initiatives and projects, bringing learnings forward to foster growth and executing on opportunities to satisfy business goals
Awards
- Quest Store: 4.8/5.0, 4.9/5.0
- Steam Store: 94%, 99%
- VR Game of the Year (The VR Awards, 2022)
- Best VR/AR Game (The Game Awards, 2022)
- Best AR/VR Game (New York Game Awards, 2022)
- Best Game Direction (NYX Game Awards, 2022)
- Playstation Editor’s Choice (2022)
Publications
- Game Makers Notebook (Podcast)
- Polyarc Talks Moss, VR Sequels And Future Tech (UploadVR)
- Moss: Book II – Behind the Scenes (RoadToVR)
- Moss: Book II Oculus Announce (Geekwire)
- Moss: Book II Launch (Playstation Blog)
- Moss: Book II Announcement (Polygon)
- Moss: Book II Preview (Gamesradar)
- Moss: Twilight Garden Update (Playstation Blog)
- GDC: VR Interaction in Moss
