Hello and welcome to my portfolio!
Welcome to my portfolio! My name is Tamerlane. I'm an Economy & Progression Designer with a little over nine years of experience in the gaming industry. In those nine years, I've worked on a wide-array of products, platforms, engines, and technologies. My experience includes AAA titles, AA titles, open-world games, mobile games, social games, as well as Web3 projects. I've also consulted quite often on a variety of projects.
My specialization is in Game Economics and Monetization but I wear many hats! I've built and instrumented analytics and create predictive reporting models. I love to deep-dive into market research and establish in-depth analysis of optimal monetization strategies (whether Premium or Freemium!).
What truly differentiates me from my peers is that I do what I do because of an insatiable hunger for knowledge. I want to learn as much as I possible can and improve my craft, but also just fundamentally understand the user experience. My background in Sociology has inspired me to want to understand the rationalizations behind why people behave the way they do, and what inspires the decisions that they ultimately make. Hit me up anytime, because I love to talk my craft and I'd love nothing more than to have a conversation about my work!
A Game Designer & Not a Product Manager?
My philosophy is that it is imperative to create Economy, Progression, and Monetization systems with the Player Experience in mind. My competitive edge is that I approach the issues I'm confronted with more with empathy and curiosity. This ultimately allows me to put myself into the shoes of the player and I'm able to understand the needs and wants of a consumer!
Simultaneously, it is important to me to design games that are compelling enough for a player to play, while also making sure the player isn't compromising themselves to be able to engage in the product. I confidently believe that respecting the player also ultimately empowers us as designers and product to be able to establish a higher level of trust and elevate our product brand.
In addition, since I have a wide-breadth of skills, I am quick to learn, adapt, and leverage all of that experience to be able to build and develop whatever we're making into the most amazing version of itself! In addition, my varied experiences also help me have a stronger high-level view, how things can fit in the puzzle, and make projections and forecasts a lot more easily!
What do I do outside of Games?
I am first & foremost a volunteer! I spend almost all my extra time trying to make the world a better place through volunteering at local projects! I've historically volunteered at Food Banks in DC such as the Capital Area Food Bank, or Food Banks in Virginia like the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank! Nowadays, I spend most of my time at the La Jolla Cat Lounge or Escondido Animal Shelter!
In addition, I've established projects like UCSD Keebs and work on other projects chronically to be able to give back to my community!
I love to host talks in online Discord communities, and present at local Universities about my craft.
Otherwise, most of my time is devoted to reading and learning! I love playing different games to understand their design principles. I'm also a very highly ranked League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics player!
More than anything, I love cats.
