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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev

@thegrahamza.bsky.social
2.8K followers 4.2K following 467 posts

Narrative Designer, Writer & Localisation Editor. I've worked on 15+ games, including Residual, Deck of Souls, Organs Please, and OverKnights. I also build games in GameMaker. Contact details and portfolio 👉 linktr.ee/thegrahamza

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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 2h
Thank you :) A bit more EotB, but with some horror elements, turn-based, a single party member, and a trimmed-down battle system. If all goes well, I can easily expand on these in a new entry.
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Thank you!
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Fantastic! :D And I loved Etrian as well; I really need to try the Switch re-releases.
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
For the past eight months, I've been building an old-school, first-person dungeon crawler. Every time I add something new, I wonder if anyone will actually play it when it’s done. #IndieDev #DungeonCrawler #RPG
video game screenshot 1 - showing movementvideo game screenshot 2 - showing some lorevideo game screenshot 3 - showing battle against mushroomvideo game screenshot 4 - showing map screen
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Planning out a project and trying to decide which narrative software to use: A) The one that hasn't been updated in 5+ years B) The one that showed promise but looks abandoned C) The expensive one that is full of features I'll never use #IndieDev #GameMaker
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Hello @itch.io 👋 Can someone please respond to ticket 406048 from September 23? Thanks!
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Reposted by Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev
Francois van Niekerk @francoisvn.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Our demo is live! 🎉 I'm incredibly proud of the demo our team has put together, and it's been really fun to see early playtesters that love it. Find some time this weekend to play and enjoy yourself 🙌🥳
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Thanks! It's been over a week, so I'll follow-up with them.
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Question for @itch.io creators: How long did it take support to approve your request for enabling custom CSS on your profile/page?
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
How about device syncing? Are you using the official service or another method?
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Looks for a project & notes tracking tool. Been using Notion, but it's become so bloated and doesn't have an identity anymore that I want to move away from it. #GameDev
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
My SimTower-inspired game, Vertical Empire, is coming along nicely! Been slowly adding new goodies. Used some of the assets to make a better start screen. Hopefully, I can release this before the project's first anniversary, which is fast approaching! #IndieDev #GameDev #PixelArt #SouthAfrica
vertical empire main menu
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I really like the look of the Ocarina of Time remake 🤷‍♂️ 🤷‍♂️ 🤷‍♂️
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Some of the sprites in my SimTower-inspired game, Vertical Empire. Trying to make different facilities and variations, but since I'm not a pixel artist, it takes time. Really enjoying it, though! #IndieDev #PixelArt #Sim
different businessess in the vertical empire video game
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Xbox avatars had so much potential and now they're basically just dead :/
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Trying to figure out a 'needs system' in my SimTower-like game. Everyone in the tower 'needs' something, but they all currently refuse to have those needs met. 😂😭😫 #IndieDev #PixelArt #SimTower
vertical empire screenshot showing visitors with broken pathfinding and needs system
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
If I sleep on my left hip the wrong way, I'm down for a few days. Growing old is... fun?
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
It really suck how expensive the Mac Mini series is becoming; the M4 model was such a good deal.
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
It was hugely influential on me as a kid (more so than SimCity) and I've wanted to make my own version for decades now.
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Taking a break from my dungeon game to work on my SimTower-inspired game. Heres a little vid showing off the current build - it still has a long way to go & I need to draw lots of new sprites www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3VT... There's also a LI post detailing changes :D www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
youtube.com
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Thank you! :D
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Hey, got any grapes? 🦆
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Thank you! Eye of the Beholder is a big inspiration for the project :D
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
New LinkedIn post up about the progress on my dungeon crawler game. #IndieDev #GameDev www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
linkedin.com
#indiedev #narrativewriter #videogames #southafrica #gamedev | Graham van der Made
I'm not going to Gamescom (can't you tell by the lack of 🔜 in my name?), but I have been working on my dungeon game. Since my last update, I've… - Revamped the UI with new buttons, spacing, and som...
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
"Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious" was delisted years ago, but I finally got around to playing it yesterday, and it's a fun game with an easy 1000 Achievement score. I wish we got more promo stand-alone games like this. #XboxOne #Forza #ForzaHorizon
Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious video game cover
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
static.klipy.com
The Office - Michael Scott's 'No! God! Please! No!'
ALT: The Office - Michael Scott's 'No! God! Please! No!'
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
The death (by lack of official support) of the Unreal series has to be studied.
Unreal Tournament 2004 box artUnreal Tournament box artUnreal II: The Awakening box artUnreal Gold box art
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
It's platform to platform, avoiding obstacles
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Let me know what you think about it :)
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Play it and let me know :)
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
While looking for narrative work, I've been making a vertical platformer about a very sweary character trying to escape a planet. The only way out is up. I've released an alpha for feedback while I decide whether to continue development. thegrahamza.itch.io/oh-shit #GameDev #IndieDev #GameMaker
thegrahamza.itch.io
Oh, Shit! [Alpha] by Graham van der Made (TheGrahamZA)
Reach your ship before the planet explodes!
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
That looks awesome!
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
I've worked on so many rad titles, with so many great people, and made amazing connections along the way, but I just don't know if I can send that 778th cold email or apply to that 123rd job posting. I love being a narrative writer and designer; this really sucks. 2/2
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
I'm at a crossroads in my video game career, and I'm not sure how to proceed. After my current batch of projects, do I continue working in narrative? The industry is so tough now, and I just don't know if I should (or can financially) soldier on or look at a different industry altogether. 1/2
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Finally able to announce this! Super excited to be working with @orangepixel.net once again! This time, I'm writing the narrative for Ashworld 2, a post-apocalyptic open-world game. Can't wait to share more in due time. 😎 #IndieDev #IndieGame #NarrativeWriter #PixelArt
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Thank you very much! I also made a Dragon Quest-esque JRPG when I started learning GB Studio. Might need to make another one after this game is done.
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Thank you!
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
In my downtime, I've been working on a small first-person dungeon crawler inspired by the likes of Eye of the Beholder. It still needs work, but I'm happy with what I have so far (and there's some placeholder text at the end of the video). #IndieDev #PixelArt #DungeonCrawler
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
A huge thank you to everyone who liked and shared this! Nothing has come of it yet, but these things can take time. :)
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
I'm back on the job hunt for narrative writing work in video games - freelance, part-time, or full-time, remote from anywhere. If you could give my LinkedIn post a reshare, I'd be incredibly grateful. #IndieDev #GameDev #NarrativeWriter www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
linkedin.com
#gamewriting #narrativedesign #gamedev #indiedev #gamejobs | Graham van der Made
Hear ye, hear ye! Fair people of LinkedIn, I am in the market for a new narrative writing gig. Let's make something awesome together! I'm in search of freelance, part-time, or full-time remote writin...
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Any South Africans have an electric standing desk? Please give me some recommendations!
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Is Slipknot now considered Dad Rock?
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
May the 7th be with you
lego yoda
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Finally figuring out that most of my problems were caused by "randomise();" not really working in my GameMaker HTML5 build and replacing it with "random_set_seed(int64(current_time));" solved almost every issue 🙃 Also re-learning to use a pre-load room + object for important global variables. 🤦‍♂️
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
HTML5, you fickle bitch.
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Just reached over 1000 profile views on itch and this is how I feel! 😁 #IndieDev #GameDev #NarrativeWriter
Me, reaching over 1000 profile views on itch
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
The awesome South African indie dev @nicolaasdebruyn.bsky.social is bringing his arena shooter Rapid Escalation to Steam! Wishlist it and keep an eye out for the planned demo. store.steampowered.com/app/4411170/... #IndieDev #GameDev
store.steampowered.com
Rapid Escalation on Steam
A fast-paced incremental space shooter where short battles fuel permanent upgrades and exponential growth.
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
GitHub Issues is a really good idea! I started getting so overwhelmed checking out software I haven't used - and revisiting older stuff like Asana - but Github makes the most sense for now. Thanks!
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Hey #IndieDev peeps, what project management system are you using for personal projects? Looking for something new, and I don't want to use anything from Atlassian (no Trello!) or Notion. Just need to segment projects, create tasks, assign people, and divide into departments with notes.
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Graham | Narrative Designer | Indie Dev @thegrahamza.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Notion really tries to be both everything and unusable at the same time
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