WoU, Who?

As we continue to grow our game, it’s time we introduced you to yet another key player in the World of Us game design process. This week, it’s Anna Dohy – our Hungarian-born, Netherlands-based creative.

“I started out in the worlds of dance, theater, and art history – which might sound far from game development, but for me, it’s all connected. I see game design as a way to choreograph player experience – setting the stage, defining the rhythm, and then letting the player move through it in their own unique way.” Anna was lucky enough to grow up in the incredibly culturally rich city of Budapest. After studying contemporary art theory and curatorial studies at the Hungarian University of Fine Arts, she went on to earn her master’s in design management from Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design. “What sparked my interest in game design was the realization that games could hold space for emotion, education, and even healing in a way that felt more intuitive and embodied than other mediums.”

“As a game designer, I build the scaffolding for experience: the rules, the goals, the feedback loops, and the systems that hold everything together. I make sure that the way you play tells the same story as the world you’re in.” Luckily for us, World of Us is inspired by the natural world (with a little bit of magic added for good measure). Our work and game design then becomes about revealing the richness to these natural elements – their stories and the mythologies they live within.

“The most important skill for a game designer is listening. I don't mean merely hearing what is said. I mean a deeper listening, a thoughtful listening.” - The Art of Game Design by Jesse Schell.

“It’s part storytelling, part psychology, part systems thinking. I always imagine myself in conversation with the player: in game design, I ask a question, or tell a hint, and then listen to how they might answer. The development of WoU is deeply community-centric. It’s built aro...