Ellie at Indie Game Showcase 2024.

My name is Ellie Flynn. I am an aspiring game developer and graduate of Design at AUT, looking to take my craft and talents in the world of design, storytelling and music to the
next level. Over the past 2 years, I have become a self-taught developer, starting work on my first major project over the last year.

My dream is to one day open a studio that supports and motivates others to create successful art, pioneering a voice for New Zealand games.
To do that, I have realised I have a lot to learn, and much to gain from a course like the one at Media Design School.
So after 7 years working in Learning Design, I’ve realised that study would mean a lot to me as a way to begin a new chapter in my life.

That’s why I’m hoping that you find joy in what I have to show.

Ellie.

Portfolio Works

Coffee and the Afterlife.

2025, Original Game (In Development).

Over the last year, after pursuing online tutorials, I began to work on what has become my first real video game project. Born from a desire to reflect on my love of cafes and cities at night, it has grown
into a sprawling narrative centered on a hard-boiled ghost detective traveling through late night businesses to help solve and prevent the upcoming murders of his fellow townspeople.

In collaboration with programming support from Alan Higgs (a recent MDS graduate), the game has managed to grow into a complex and puzzling proof-of-concept. In particular,
focussing on the relationship between evidence and conversations.

It’s a project I am excited about, a statement for the kinds of games I enjoy and want to make, it represents my love of narrative, atmosphere and
facilitating player immersion.

Video Game Soundtracks.

2022-2025.

In the past, I was a professional musician, playing live and composing music with my band and for solo projects. As my life has begun to centralise on the ways my craft can contribute to art and gameplay design,
I have begun re-training in a sense to have a better understanding of video game soundtracks.

This exploration has led to me finding joy in crafting moments for games that I am making, and for moments that don’t quite exist.

Following a process of setting briefs for myself with explicit goals, as opposed to writing impulsively. I have a lot to learn when it comes to translating my skills into soundtracks, and sound is something
I am particularly interested in exploring and growing as a part of learning.

Soundtrack Examples:

Brief: A tune that plays during a reflective moment, possibly a flashback, in which a character begins to unravel some hidden truths.

Brief: A backing track for a cozy, mysterious nighttime cafe. It should invite calm but remain veiled in uncertainty.

Brief: An uproarious climax, intended for a powerful gameplay sequence in which momentum carries the player through a dramatic sequence.

Brief: A melancholy looping tune intended for a title menu. Setting the tone for a serious game about death and mystery.

Pixel Art

2025.

Since beginning to take interest in game development, my focus has been on improving the quality of pixel art in my games, and as such this has been the primary medium I have explored over the last couple of years.

Here are a few examples of works that I have completed either as game project files or personal commissions.

Logo Design

2022-2025

Given my experiences as a graphic designer, I have found commercial work in developing and generating logos and graphic identities for creators and online personalities.

Filmmaking

2016 - 2019

My relationship to fashion and fashion designers led me to pursue filmmaking as an independent creative alongside a collaborator Noah Timpson-Neill. These works were made for a variety of reasons,
primarily as collaborations with fashion designers and creatives within the industry.

Stay Warm: Created for https://thewoollover.nz/ . The brief was to highlight wool clothing and its utility and style.
This film, created in a dark urban-fantasy setting was styled by myself and directed by myself and Noah as a team.

The soundtrack is original for the film and composed by me.

After Image: Created for a competition held by SHOWstudio. An open-brief contest for fashion film held by a pioneering business in the world of internet-first fashion media.
This film made in collaboration with Noah, highlights youth and abandon, centering on a team of delinquents who break into houses to try on exotic clothing.
The soundtrack is original for the film and composed by me.

AVA: Auckland Vulnerable Artists

2019, Brand Identity & Advertising.

Auckland Vulnerable Artists (AVA) is a brand developed to represent a tribe of performing artists in Auckland city.

Energy Magazine

2017, Publication Design.

Energy magazine was released in 2017. It is a catalogue that represents the art, writing and design talent in the Auckland, scene. Encapsulating the ever-present need to create, with a sense of movement that young creatives embody.