rosiegao.com  


Rosie Haoyu Gao


LinkedIn Itch.io 
  • Technical Narrative Designer
  • Interactive Storyteller
  • Cross-discipline Coordinator
Résumé Request Full Version
Education University of Southern California 
M.F.A in Game and Interactive Media
2022 - 2025 

New York University
B.S. in Interactive Media Arts,
Minor in Creative Writing
2017 – 2021 


Project Experience Lead Narrative Designer
Desol
Present

Creative Director 
Alibi
2024 - 2025

Associate Director, UIUX Designer
How to Pet Your Cat
2024

Associate Director, Level Designer
InSync
2024 - 2025

Design Lead, Quest Designer
Abort: The Exile
2023 - 2024

Narrative Designer, Writer
Installation Wizard
2023 - 2024

Narrative Designer, Writer
Grandma Green
2022 - 2023

Narrative Designer, Writer
Machine Heart
2022 - 2023



EmploymentCinematic Production Intern
SEASUN GAMES
2021 - 2022

UIUX Student Designer
Alipay (Shanghai)
2021

User Research Intern
Microsoft (Chengdu)
2020

Manager Assistant Intern
Microsoft Professional Program
2018

 Academic RolesStudent Assistant
Game Development Principle, Tabletop RPG, Game System Design
USC Games
2023-2025


Information Assistant
NYU Academic Resource Center
2018
Awards




 IGF alt.ctrl.GDC Finalist 
2025

MUSE Creative Awards Silver Winner 2024
Exhibition GDC 2025
Day of the Devs 2025,
IGN Live 2025,
CatCon 2025,
USC Games Expo (2023, 2025)





Last Updated 25.11.05
Selected WorksMore Games Other Projects About  Me

Alibi

Director, Art Producer
Content Warning: depictions of bullying, psychological trauma, and systemic violence within a school setting.

A 2D mystery game that tells a collective story of school bullying across conflicting memories and lingering trauma.

Info

  • Duration: May 2024 – present
  • Genre: Narrative Adventure, Puzzle, Side-scroller, Serious Game, Games for Empathy, Indie
  • Platform: PC and Mac
  • Engine: Unity
  • Team Size: ~40
  • Role: Director, Art Producer




As Jiang, a “therapist detective,” players return to her hometown to investigate a best friend’s disappearance from a decade ago. By entering the memories of three former classmates, she uncovers a history of bullying and survival in a 2004 Chinese high school.
Alibi moves between present-day investigation and memory embodiment: players collect clues through point-and-click puzzles and choice-based dialogue, then relive high school memories in side-scrolling exploration.

Guided by Mentalization-Based Therapy (MBT), the game loop explores how limited agency in changing perspectives can foster cognitive and affective empathy.

As my MFA thesis game, Alibi was premiered at the USC Games Expo 2025, where it was met with strong enthusiasm from judges and audience alike.



Info

  • Duration: May 2024 – present
  • Genre: Narrative Adventure, Puzzle, Side-scroller, Serious Game, Games for Empathy, Indie
  • Platform: PC and Mac
  • Engine: Unity
  • Team Size: ~40
  • Role: Director, Art Producer


    Contributions

    • Led a team of 40 across narrative, design, art, audio, and engineering, maintaining a consistent creative vision while mentoring emerging leads.

    • Created the worldbuilding framework and early script, later co-led the narrative team to deliver six interconnected character arcs spanning adolescence and adulthood as the foundation for character-driven levels.

    • Pioneered the application of MBT principles in game design, directed and prototyped 10 narrative-integrated levels where mechanics reinforce character psychology and environmental storytelling,  validated through playtests.

    • Produced initial art concepts and coordinated with the Art Director to manage ~15 artists, delivering a large library of assets and establishing two distinct art styles for present and memory scenes, praised for nostalgic and immersive tone.