Meet Squanch Presents Zoe Morgan!

Internet users, how ya feeling? Welcome back, gather round, and say hello to our supremely awesome narrative designer, Zoe Morgan! You ever wonder who makes sure our stories have that special flow, that extra fun punch? Yep, that’s her (and she’s just as awesome as she seems)!

Meet the brains behind some of our squanchiest material and our go-to for keeping your favorite stories in check; she’s the cool cucumber dominating our narrative design needs. While Zoe’s not a particularly sticky or gooey person, she is the glue that keeps all of us together. Our own personal Krazy Glue, if you will.

Reading is good. You should read this. Or else...

Zoe Morgan, Narrative Designer

What do you do at Squanch?

I am a Narrative Designer. I oversee almost all the narrative through our project. I handle implementation and work with writers to make sure the stories we tell are cohesive with the game’s design. I also handle a vast majority of our dialogue process to get the fun things Justin says into our games.

What got you into the industry?

I took an unconventional path into the industry. I’ve played games all my life, since I was a tiny bean, but I initially went to college to study Animation. While taking electives, I fell in love with the game department. I pursued a Master’s in game design and at one point wanted to be a 3D artist. But I also loved interactivity and writing stories. I got into live streaming games which landed me my first job at Squanch as Social Media Manager. I really wanted to be on the dev team after watching all the work that went into Trover, and I got to kind of show off my skills during our game jam week. One thing led to another and now I’m in narrative, touching ALL the things in the engine.

Did you know this was the career you wanted when you were a kid?

Not at all. I had no idea how games were made and didn’t know I could be someone who made them, especially as a girl. 

What are you playing these days?

Lots of Sims, Slime Rancher, and Destiny 2. I also play an unhealthy amount of Halo.

What was the first game you played?

I think it was duck hunt? Either that or watching my mom play Myst...but I guess that’s not really me playing, is it?

We know you’re a fan of The Sims, but what’s the worst thing you’ve done to one?

I am! I think the worst thing I’ve ever done is put a newborn baby in the walls of a house and let the crying slowly drive my sims insane. Since babies can’t die and the social worker couldn’t reach the baby behind the walls, it just stayed there forever. It’s probably still crying.

Ligers or Tigons?

Raccoons.

Do you have a favorite memory from a gaming convention (back when we could go to them)?

Oooo, probably the Adult Swim boat party at PAX East 2019. We were exhibiting Trover with a small Squanch group and then we were all invited to party on this boat. It was the coolest thing! It was a great team bonding experience and I also met other industry pros. Justin was there too and the whole group piled in front of this photo booth to take wacky pictures. 10/10

What advice do you have for others that want to pursue a similar career?

Do it and don’t let anyone tell you you can’t. You can be self taught or go to school, whichever way best suits you and your learning style. It’s good to have a goal in mind or a department you’re interested in. If you’re changing careers, find skills you have now that can be transferable and use those on your resumes. The gaming industry is enormous and there are so many job roles involved so just know that you don’t have to be a developer to work in games either. I feel like a lot of people don’t realize that last part. There are cool game related jobs everywhere.

Anything else we should know about you?

Pepsi is better than coke.