Project Select:
Boxed In
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Team
Student Project
My Role
Game Designer/ Programmer
Dates
2020
Autotech Industries is the largest box-packing factory in the world. Inside, robots spend their involuntary existence packaging goods under the constant threat of termination. You are one of them. Will you live in fear of what lies beyond your cell’s walls, or break free from your programming and unravel the dark secrets that keep the factory running?
My Highlights
Designed & Implemented Core Gameplay Systems
Designed and implemented all core gameplay systems including stealth, AI, physics interactions and puzzle mechanics. I Iterated on these systems in response to player feedback, improving clarity, usability and engagement throughout development.
Developed Tools to Accelerate Level Creation
Built internal tools for the art team to speed up level population and enable efficient mesh and level instancing, increasing iteration speed while improving overall performance.
Created Evolving Puzzle & Stealth Encounters
Designed environmental puzzles and stealth encounters using reusable elements that evolved over time, creating layered challenges without inflating scope.
Aligned Gameplay & Narrative Direction
Collaborated closely with artists to maintain gameplay–narrative harmony, ensuring mechanics, worldbuilding and visual direction reinforced each other to create a unified experience.
Led Production & Sprint Management
Acted as Scrum Master and Producer, leading sprint and milestone planning, hosting stand-ups and resolving blockers - improving communication, keeping the team aligned and maintaining delivery momentum.
Behind the game
Boxed In was my team’s final-year university project. Six of us spent the year autonomously taking the game from conception to release, balancing creative ambition with practical constraints. We adapted our ambition to technical limitations: using robots instead of people to simplify behaviours and movement. I served as game and level designer, programmer and naturally fell into the role of producer.
Designing the game involved aligning mechanics and puzzles with a narrative about breaking free from imposed systems. The challenge of designing within this theme let me explore player motivation in a context where the player must do everything the world tells them not to. It was about choosing to break free and using their own agency to escape, rather than simply following instructions.
The project attracted attention from industry veterans, leading to an offer for one to join our investors’ advisory board for a small portion of revenue. Though plans to continue development were cut short by the onset of COVID-19, Boxed In remains a highlight of my early career and a concept I would love to revisit, having learned so much since.