Hi! I’m Katie, a game designer developing games under the name fakehiking.
As a lifelong lover of games featuring narrative-driven gameplay, a stylized, atmospheric art direction, and memorable, evocative scores (think Life Is Strange, Pokémon Platinum, or Zero Escape: The Nonary Games), learning how to create games of my own was the logical next step.
I started making games in 2022 after taking an interactive narrative course at the UCLA extension school, and have been actively participating in game jams, freelance projects, and long-term solo development endeavors ever since. My main design areas include narrative design, music composition, and sound design. I’ve also dabbled in 2D art, UI design, and programming in engines including Ren’Py and Twine.
My games have been recognized by Cinereach, Anima Interactive, and Budding Game Devs. In 2024, Juniper’s Understory, a visual novel I co-created with my collaborator Julia, was selected as a finalist for Just Play: A Game Jam for Climate Futures hosted by Cinereach. The game was subsequently showcased at the Hollywood Climate Summit, which I had the opportunity to attend in person.
Tender
Tend to your missing parents’ terrarium in an intergalactic research station. Discover symbioses between terrestrial and extraterrestrial plants. Watch meteor showers.
Tender is an interactive fiction and puzzle game I developed in two weeks in collaboration with a 2D artist and programmer for Buddy Up Jam: Winter 2024. I led narrative design and sound design efforts and composed the original soundtrack.
Tender won #1 overall out of 52 submissions and 505 ratings and was named Community Favorite.
tender.exe
tender.mov
on
Coming soon…
Mount Misery
Mount Misery is a horror game set in the New Jersey Pine Barrens with a 3D low-poly art style and a nostalgic, analogue PSX feel. It is currently in development and the prototype is set to launch in October 2026.
The prototype will feature a short, eerie narrative with interactive dialogue choices, a driveable, open-world level in the middle of the woods, and original voice acting and music.
Think Fears to Fathom, Chilla’s Art, and Silent Hill 2.
I am the creative director, narrative designer, composer, sound designer, and UI designer for this project, working in collaboration with a programmer/level designer, a 3D Blender artist, and voice actors.
Plushie Panic!
Plushie Panic! is the product of my first ever game jam, created in two weeks with a team of eight designers (myself included). I composed the original soundtrack and co-led narrative design efforts.
Plushie Panic! is a short role-playing game following Olive, an anxious child navigating their first sleepover. Fight animated plushies and face the monsters of the dark in this adventure through a child’s dreams.
Created in two weeks for Buddy Up Jam: Winter 2023.
plushie_panic.exe
plushie_panic.mov
on
Juniper’s Understory
Join Juniper as she tells her grandchild about her strange stint as a forester in the Pacific Northwest, c. late 1970s.
Juniper’s Understory is a visual novel I developed in two weeks in collaboration with a 2D artist for Just Play: A Game Jam for Climate Futures. I led narrative design and music composition efforts for this game.
Juniper’s Understory was selected as one of five finalists for the jam and was subsequently showcased at the 2024 Hollywood Climate Summit.
junipers_understory.exe
hollywood_climate_summit_2024.exe
junipers_understory.mov
on
Interested in collaborating on a game project? Fill out the form here or DM me on Discord!
discord.exe