Nationality American Spouse(s) Rachel Jacks Alma mater Portland State University | Other names Hot Scoops Name Steve Gaynor | |
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Occupation Video game designer, writer Notable work Perseus Mandate, BioShock 2, Minerva's Den, BioShock Infinite, Gone Home | ||
The fullbright company s steve gaynor strangers in a strange time d i c e 2014 summit
Steve Gaynor is an American game designer and writer, known for his work on games BioShock 2, Minerva's Den and Gone Home. He is a former employee of 2K Marin and Irrational Games and is co-founder of The Fullbright Company. He is also a member of the Idle Thumbs's "Thumbscrew" team.
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Steve gaynor interview
Career
Gaynor started his career in game design as a tester for Sony and Perpetual Entertainment, during which time he made amateur levels for F.E.A.R. in his free time. On the back of this experience, Gaynor started work as a level designer for TimeGate Studios working on the Perseus Mandate expansion to F.E.A.R.
At 2K Marin, Gaynor worked on BioShock 2 as designer on levels such as "The Adonis Luxury Resort" and "Pauper's Drop". Following the release of Bioshock 2, Gaynor worked as writer and lead designer on expansion pack Minerva's Den
Gaynor was Senior Level Designer at Irrational Games in 2010 and 2011, while the studio worked on BioShock Infinite.
The Fullbright Company
In 2012, Gaynor formed independent game studio The Fullbright Company, along with other ex-2K Marin employees Johnnemann Nordhagen and Karla Zimonja, and with artist Kate Craig joining the team in August 2012.
Writing and journalism
As well as writing his personal Fullbright Design blog, Gaynor has written about video games for industry publications such as Gamasutra and video game culture publications such as Idle Thumbs. He has also spoken about video game design for podcasts such as Michael Abbott's Brainy Gamer and Idle Thumbs (which he co-hosted for a time).
Work
At TimeGate Studios (level designer)
At 2K Marin (designer, lead designer)
At Irrational Games (senior level designer)
At The Fullbright Company (designer, writer)
Personal life
Gaynor is an enthusiast of feminism and atheism. He is a fan of film noir, Japanese cinema, cyberpunk and the Looking Glass Studios style of immersive simulation games.
He is married to Rachel Jacks, who is referenced to in BioShock 2 as "Rachelle Jacques."