Laura has spoken about escape room games, puzzle design, player behavior, and environmental storytelling at conferences, festivals and workshops around the world.
Interested in inviting Laura to give a keynote, provide expertise on escape rooms and immersive work, or speak at your organization? Please email for availability: LEHALL at GMAIL
Short bio (48 words):
Laura E. Hall (they/she) is an artist, writer, puzzle-maker, immersive environment and narrative designer living in Portland, Oregon, where she creates video games, immersive experiences, and escape rooms. She is the author of Katamari Damacy for Boss Fight Books and Planning Your Escape for Simon & Schuster.
Longer bio (116 words):
Laura E. Hall (they/she) is an artist, writer, puzzle-maker, immersive environment and narrative designer living in Portland, Oregon, where she creates video games, immersive experiences, and escape rooms.
Hall is a co-founder of Portland’s first escape the room game company, the award-winning 60 Minutes to Escape, one of the first escape rooms in the United States, and the author of KATAMARI DAMACY for Boss Fight Books and PLANNING YOUR ESCAPE for Simon & Schuster. She now creates exciting adventures for the curious at heart with Timberview Productions and Meridian Adventure Co. She proudly serves on the board of the Portland Indie Game Squad (PIGSquad), a non-profit organization supporting game development and indie game enthusiasts in Portland.
Headshots
Selected Talks and Interviews
Gamasutra
Script Lock podcast
Oregon Business
Feminist Frequency
Portland Mercury Spring Arts Guide
Voices of VR podcast
Public Speaking
2022
- Concordia University Technoculture, Art and Games (TAG) research center, “Level Up: Puzzle Design Workshop”
2021
- Arcadia Night 2021 Microtalk
2020
- LudoNarraCon panel, “Storytelling Without Dialogue”
- Tinderbox Collective, “Mixed Realities: Virtual and Physical Interaction”
2019
- Melbourne International Games Week, Superconductor 19, “A Sense of Adventure”
- NarraScope
- Game Developers Conference (GDC), “Environmental Narrative: Telling Stories in Spaces Without Saying Anything Aloud”
- Immersive Design Summit, Narrative Panel
2018
- Immersive Design Summit, “Environmental Narrative: Telling Stories In Spaces Without Saying Anything Out Loud”
- Game Developers Conference (GDC), “Narrative Innovation Showcase”
- Design Week Portland, “You + Me = Us: A Talk About Collaboration”
- Freeplay Independent Games Festival (Melbourne), “Get In, Get Out: A Conversation on Escape Room Games”
- Strange Tales x Wonderbly 2018
- Location-Based Games for PIGSquad’s Summer Slow Jams
- UX Week 2018, “Caring for Players in Real World Spaces: Lessons from Escape Room Games” (August 2018)
2017
- Game Developers Conference (GDC), “Lessons from Escape Rooms: Designing for the Real World and VR”
- Intel Buzz Workshop for Game Developers, “Human Behavior in VR”
- PAX Prime, “Boss Fight Books”
2016
- Oregon Game Studies Conference
- Alt Ctrl Workshop for PIGSquad’s Summer Slow Jams
- GaymerX 4, “Alternate Controllers: Designing for the Real World”
2015
- IndieCade East, “Environmental Storytelling and Real-Life Escape the Room Games”
- IndieCade LA, “Analogue Games”
- Portland Film Festival, “Indies Creating Immersive Stories”
2014
- Adventure Design Group, “Spark of Resistance”
Laura E. Hall 