Manda Farough

Writer & Narrative Designer | Multiclasser

Available for Work: January 2025


A little about me

Spent much of the last 15 years in and around the game industry in a variety of capacities. Currently a games writer and narrative designer among other things.



My books

I've been co-writing books with Dr. Rachel Kowert about parenting and video games since 2022. We have published the first two in a six-book series called Digital Playgrounds.(Genre: Nonfiction, Parenting)

My short story, Edges, is set in Vancouver, British Columbia (where I lived for nearly a decade) and follows two assassins as they fight in the rain... only to discover they are more similar than either of them realized.(Genre: Cyberpunk, Dystopia)


Scripts and game narrative

A sample of my samples! More available upon request.



Video games' multiclasser

While I am primarily a writer and narrative designer, I also work as a producer and business strategist (mostly for indie game studios).

  • Narrative Designer

  • Writer

  • Producer

  • Business Strategist

  • Consultant

A Little About Me

I've been a professional writer in the video game space for the last 15 years. I got my start in games blogging at the tail end of 2009, moved into games journalism full-time in 2016, and left in 2020 to pursue a career in game development.My partner, Mike Futter, and I co-founded F-Squared (a video game consultancy) in 2020 to help developers and publishers with a wide range of needs, including mock reviews, go/no-go analyses, white papers, pitch deck review, etc. We also provide pro-bono services for pre-funding indie studios who need assistance with business.In 2022, I made the leap into games narrative working on my first indie game with Redstart Interactive (release date TBA) as narrative designer and writer. I've since worked on two other games with two other studios (Strange Scaffold and WDR Studios). Terrible Lizards is available for wishlist on Steam. Strange Scaffold's game is currently unannounced. Yndurvaetra, the setting and lore project I worked on with DayLITE Publications, came out in 2023.As a genre agnostic writer, I'm comfortable writing horror, science fiction (cyberpunk is a cherished subgenre of mine), fantasy, adventure, comedy (especially throwbacks from the '90s), and even romance.Like all writers in this space, I'm constantly improving on my craft through my own studies, as well as through courses at The Narrative Department (three-time alumni) and ELVTR (completed with distinction and will be an upcoming lecturer in the Advanced Writing course). I also mentor narrative/writing students at Gameheads, in addition to mentoring fellow "multiclassers" in the game industry wherever I can.I'm a compassionate, generous team player who can as easily take direction as lead a team. I appreciate the complexities of large teams and thrive in smaller ones where there's the potential for deeper collaboration.In my "off" hours, I'm a mom to four kids and two dogs in suburban New Jersey (though I'm originally from British Columbia, Canada). I bake, cook, and dabble in both embroidery and interior design. I'm learning to garden and tend to my (somehow still alive) indoor plants.

Shipped and In-Progress Games

While I'm listed on a number of other games on MobyGames, these are the games that I directly contributed to (or am actively contributing to) as writer, narrative designer, and/or producer.Not listed here: Pigeon Simulator at HakJak Studios (cancelled), where I was the studio's producer and worked partially on the writing team.

TitleStudioRole(s)Release YearGenre
UnannouncedStrange ScaffoldLead Producer, WriterTBAStrategy, Tactics
Terrible LizardsWDR StudiosNarrative Designer, WriterTBAHorror, Action
Crystalis DescendantBoxsunBusiness Strategy, Narrative Consulting2025Survivor-like, Action
UnannouncedRedstart InteractiveNarrative Designer, WriterTBAAdventure, Platformer, Comedy
I Am Your BeastStrange ScaffoldOperations2024FPS, Action
Life EaterStrange ScaffoldOperations2024Horror, Interactive Fiction
El Paso ElsewhereStrange ScaffoldOperations2023Horror, Third-Person Shooter
Sunshine ShuffleStrange ScaffoldLead Producer, Additional Writing2023Card Game, Visual Novel
El Paso NightmareStrange ScaffoldOperations2022Horror, Third-Person Shooter
Witch StrandingsStrange ScaffoldOperations2022Adventure, Simulation