Tartan Moa – Storytelling

On Saturday 27 September, 2025, Laura will be speaking at the New Zealand Games Developer Conference.

The theme for NZGDC 2025 is The People at the Heart of Games and is inspired by the well-known Māori proverb “He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata” (What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people), emphasising the human side of game development.

Laura’s talk, ‘Stick or Twist,’ is about knowing when, why and how to edit your game’s narrative. Find out more on the NZGDC website.

As of March 2025, Laura has worked at Balancing Monkey Games, the Dunedin based studio making city builder Beyond These Stars.

Driven to explore the mysteries of the cosmos, the denizens of Beyond These Stars risk everything to settle on the back of Kewa, a majestic creature who travels the stars. Beyond These Stars is not just about developing a city and resources, but also about developing a relationship with Kewa. Will players exploit Kewa’s resources for gain, no matter the cost? Will they try to live in harmony with Kewa?

The Trailmix event for Green Game Jam 2024 won both the Call to Action and Trailblazer Awards at the Playing for the Planet Awards.

Laura wrote the story and dialogue for the 2024 Green Game Jam campaign in Love & Pies.

Yuka’s Green Garden ran from 09 – 30 September 2024 in Love & Pies.

Working with the game design, marketing and art teams on a project Miro board, Laura created a flow for diMerent scenes within the narrative event. The idea was to show how by taking action, one person could inspire others to make change.

Starting with the most sceptical character in the game – a conspiracy theory fan called Yuka – we were able to show a character changing from a mindset of having ‘given up’ to being excited by the possibilities of community climate action.

The TIGA Awards took place on November 16, recognising the UK games industry’s top talent, studios and games over the past year.

Love & Pies won the coveted Best Puzzle Game category.

It was also shortlisted for the Diversity Award and best Visual Design, while Trailmix was nominated for best small studio.

Find out more on the TIGA website.