Ninja Academy
I took over Ninja Academy in 2004 while I was still in high school, turning a free-form roleplaying community into a game with rules, stats, progression, and a battle system. This fan-made, text-based game inspired by Naruto is where I first realized I wanted to make games as a career.
Building Systems for Creative Players
Players can create techniques, skills, items, clans, and other parts of their characters. I developed much of the rules framework that supports that freedom, including the mechanical limits and approval process used to keep creations fair when they interact. Premade options give new players a starting point before they explore the more detailed creation rules.
Leading a Volunteer Team
Ninja Academy’s staff are volunteers. Without pay as a motivator, the work itself needed to be fulfilling. I helped staff develop their skills, wrote design guides, explained the thinking behind the systems, and explored ideas with them. Helping someone find a way for their idea to be powerful, cool, and useful within the game has always been one of the most rewarding parts of the project.
Learning from the Community
The game has continued to involve writing and revising rules, reviewing submissions with staff, and learning from how players use the systems. Design and community leadership are closely connected here: the rules support what people want to create, and their creations keep giving us new questions to work through.