I’ve spoken about escape room games, puzzle design, player behavior, and environmental storytelling at conferences, festivals and workshops around the world.
Interested in inviting me to give a keynote, provide expertise on escape rooms and immersive work, or speak at your organization? Please email me for my availability.
Short bio (32 words):
Laura E. Hall is an artist, writer, puzzle-maker, immersive environment and narrative designer living in Portland, Oregon. Her work focuses on the intersections between arts, culture, and technology, especially in gaming.
Longer bio (127 words):
Laura E. Hall is an artist, writer, puzzle-maker, immersive environment and narrative designer living in Portland, Oregon. Her work focuses on the intersections between arts, culture, and technology, especially in gaming.
Hall is a co-founder of Portland’s first escape the room game company, the award-winning 60 Minutes to Escape, and the author of Katamari Damacy for Boss Fight Books. She now creates exciting adventures for the curious at heart with Timberview Productions and Meridian Adventure Co. Her upcoming book “Planning Your Escape: Strategy Secrets to Make You an Escape Room Superstar” will be published by Simon & Schuster’s Tiller Press in 2021. 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.
My headshots:
Coming soon
Selected Interviews
Gamasutra
Script Lock podcast
Oregon Business
Feminist Frequency
Portland Mercury Spring Arts Guide
Voices of VR podcast
Public Speaking
2019
- 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”