GRACE HARDINGHAM

Skills: Level Design / Unreal Engine / Miro / Canva

Nestled in the expanse of Nevada’s desert plains, there was once a prosperous mining town. Its lifeblood was copper, veins of ore fuelling its wealth and turning the barren land into a pool of fortune and wealth. But now, the town lies in ruins. Cursed.

Deep within the labyrinth of mines, an anomaly was uncovered — a time warp, of a hidden and forgotten mining accident from years ago. Its disturbance unleashed shadows of the past which emerged form the mines and leaked into the town, driving the community into chaos. The terrified fled, leaving behind their livelihoods, fearing what the future might unleash.

But those who remained paid a far darker price. Twisted by the souls of those miners whose lives were lost in a catastrophic accident, they became grotesque, savage beasts — hosts to vengeful souls, clawing their way back into the world of the living. The town became a nightmare, a place where time fractured, and the boundary between the living and the dead dissolved into madness.

During the summer, I collaborated with a team of five to bring this narrative RPG idea to life. Inspired by the likes of Alan Wake and Bioshock, we set out to create a chilling experience set in a Nevada ghost town. The project had the potential to become a published game, but unforeseen circumstances ultimately led us to sadly step back from its development. Despite this, I thoroughly enjoyed exploring and researching level design concepts for the game and grew significantly as a designer through this process, building on my iteration skills and technical skills in Unreal Engine.

The opportunity to join the team as a level designer came from a former teammate I had worked with during the Cozy Campsite game jam. After the success of the collaboration, they reached out to me for this new project. I jumped at the chance, looking forward for the new opportunity to grow as a level designer. Over several months, I learned the ways of working with a small team remotely (as I was based in Yorkshire and my teammates were based near and around London), coordinating efforts from home over continual video calls, while meeting deadlines, and producing high-quality work. This experience gave me valuable insight into what it is like to work remotely in the gaming industry, highlighting areas where I could improve on my approach to work and so on.

Although my primary role was level design, I also contributed to the team’s organisational aspects and visual inspiration. Without a concept artist, I drew from my background in illustration and art to help shape and direct the project’s vision. I created an in-depth research document for my level design, and gathered visual elements to bring the game’s concept to life. During my time at university, I learned the importance of creating a “beautiful garden” in the development process for a game — a concept that emphasizes crafting a polished snapshot of your game. This process not only serves as a guiding vision for the team, helping everyone to keep on track with the game’s goals and intentions, but it also acts as motivation to inspire the team to bring the project to life in those times when the goal becomes blurred and difficult to grasp and visualise.

I applied this philosophy while designing the gas station on the outskirts of the ghost town, where players would begin their journey. This level was intended to serve as a tutorial, setting the tone for the game and immersing players in the eerie world. By focusing on detailed level design, I aimed to create a compelling starting point that would help spur the team on.

My artistic skills, which stem from a foundation course in art and design before university, enabled me to approach level design with a keen eye for detail and an emphasis on creating both visually appealing and engaging gameplay experiences. This is a link to the Pinterest board I set up (which helped provide my teammates with a shared goal of visuals for the game):

1990s Nevada Game Inspo – Pinterest Board

Here is a link to some of my work as an illustrator during my time at college:

Gracelysian – Wordpress Website

This project emphasized how illustration ties into the creative process of level design. My artistic background allows me to approach design with a unique perspective, balancing functionality with game aesthetics in order to craft immersive and enjoyable gameplay environments. Because of my background, I have the ability to focus on the small details within level design, as well as understanding the bigger picture.

Below are some beauty shots of my grey boxed level design:

Although this project has been put to the side for now, I am incredibly grateful for the experience and the growth it has provided. I’ve gained valuable insight into what it’s like to collaborate with others in a semi-professional setting, and I’ve further developed my skills — not only as a level designer but also in areas like project management.

While project management wasn’t my primary role on this team, reflecting on the process and approach of my project manager has highlighted areas where I can improve in the future. I now have a clearer understanding of how to approach such a role with greater confidence, efficiency, and a skillset that will allow me to better support and lead any team I work with, whether that be at university or in the industry. This experience has spurred on my commitment to learning and improving so that I can continue to contribute meaningfully to future projects.