Writer · Game Designer · Illustrator

Cydney Monroe

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Photo of Cydney Monroe

About me

Hi, I'm Cydney.

Science fiction writer, game designer, and illustrator who builds interactive stories that encourage curiosity, empathy, and reflection.

Co-founder of Turtle Goat Games. Creator of Shiya.

View résumé ↓

Projects

Things I've made

Shiya logo
Shiya your intentions, made visible
Published App PWA
Shiya app screenshot

A vision board tool for mobile and desktop wallpapers. Add images, affirmations, and tarot cards, then export or save to your home screen.

shiyaapp.netlify.app →
Turtle Goat Games banner
Turtle Goat Games logo

Turtle Goat Games

Indie game studio · Game design, level design & 2D illustration

Play our games! →
Fremandi cover art

Fremandi Play on itch.io ↗

2.5D escape · Unity · Climate narrative
Forget-Me-Not Inn cover art

Forget-Me-Not Inn

Match-3 mystery · GameMaker · Story-driven

Kaizen Daido cover art

Kaizen Daido

Cozy RPG · RPG Maker · Language learning

HausKeepr cover art

HausKeepr Play now →

Branching thriller · Twine · AI ethics

HausKeepr

A branching narrative thriller · exploring AI ethics & corporate responsibility

📄

Résumé

Professional background — skills, experience & education.

See my résumé →

Cydney Monroe

Game Design · Narrative Design · Creative Consulting

Creative Writing BFA graduate and current Game Design student focused on interactive storytelling, player-driven progression, and UX-aligned writing. Combines creative writing with systems thinking to support both player experience and development workflows.

[email protected] · LinkedIn · Richmond, VA

Experience

Game Designer — Turtle Goat Games

May 2026 – Present · Richmond, VA

UnityRPG Maker MZGameMakerGDDsNarrative DesignWorldbuilding2D Art & Branding
▾
  • Built interactive prototypes in Unity, RPG Maker MZ, and GameMaker to test gameplay mechanics, player progression, and user experience.
  • Created comprehensive Game Design Documents, production roadmaps, and design specifications for multiple original game concepts.
  • Designed and documented Kaizen Daidō, a language-learning RPG combining interactive storytelling, exploration, and educational gameplay systems.
  • Developed complete narrative design, dialogue structure, worldbuilding, and gameplay documentation for Forget-Me-Not Inn, a story-driven mystery match-3.
  • Designed and prototyped Fremandi, a climate-focused adventure game created during Indie Game Clinic's CollabJam 2026.
  • Produced original game art, UI concepts, branding materials, and assets, including logo design and visual identity development.

Creative Consulting — Freelance

Mar 2019 – Present · Hybrid

Story DevelopmentProduction PlanningNarrative FeedbackBusiness SystemsCoaching
▾
  • Created customizable templates to organize story development, asset tracking, and production planning.
  • Provided narrative and structural feedback for 5+ projects across writing, visual media, and music to improve clarity, pacing, and direction.
  • Brought a tattoo studio into health department compliance within 30 days; enabled expansion to 3 additional locations.
  • Advised 20+ tattoo artists on budgeting, tax preparation, and financial planning for independent work.
  • Coached 5+ independent artists on structuring creative work, addressing creative blocks, and organizing project timelines.

Test Publishing Administrator — Pearson

Jul 2024 – Feb 2026 · Remote, Richmond, VA · Promoted from Test Development Technician

JiraConfluenceSmartsheetScrumDocumentationTraining
▾
  • Introduced Scrum ceremonies and advised teams on breaking down silos, increasing cross-team communication and reducing problem-resolution time.
  • Led consolidation of multiple workflows into Jira across 23 programs — configuring projects, dashboards, and reports to streamline tracking.
  • Revived a department-wide single-source-of-truth initiative; identified Smartsheet DataMesh + Jira Connector as optimal architecture and led cross-team gap analysis, presenting findings to executive leadership.
  • Produced 40+ documentation resources (workflows, SOPs, use cases) in Confluence to support onboarding and knowledge transfer.
  • Designed and delivered training sessions and quick-start guides to accelerate Jira and Confluence adoption.

Managing Owner — Speakeasy Tattoo Lounge

Dec 2018 – Dec 2023 · Springdale, AR

OperationsTraining ProgramsAgile PracticesConflict ResolutionMarketing
▾
  • Navigated complex operational challenges during the pandemic, driving 380% YoY revenue growth through adaptive planning and lean practices.
  • Designed and led an $80K apprenticeship program in partnership with the University of Arkansas Art Department — graduating 16 apprentices with a 94% success rate; 8 now run their own studios.
  • Introduced 30+ structured training, compensation, and policy programs, increasing retention by 60%.
  • Scaled business visibility 149% on social platforms through strategic marketing campaigns and engagement analytics.
  • Fostered a high-performing, psychologically safe workplace using restorative-based ADR and continuous-improvement feedback loops.

Director / Photographer — Cydney Bergdorf Photography

Jun 2007 – Dec 2023

Visual StorytellingArt DirectionClient DirectionThemed Shoots
▾
  • Captured candid, expressive portraiture focused on guiding clients from discomfort into authentic, natural moments.
  • Built themed shoots, curated looks, and designed scenes to match the tone of each visual story.
  • Specialized in first-time subjects — helping people with no modeling experience build confident, authentic portfolios.

Education

Creative Writing, BFA

Full Sail University · Focus: Game Design · 2026

Game Studies & Design, BS

Old Dominion University · 2027

Digital Cinematography, AA

Full Sail University

Certifications & Languages

CAPMCertified ScrumMaster (CSM)English (Native)Spanish (Limited Working)Japanese (Elementary)

Contact

Let's work together

Open to hiring, contract, and collaboration inquiries. Reach out and let's chat.

Send me an email

Cydney Monroe

Richmond, VA | [email protected] | linkedin.com/in/cydneymonroe

Creative Writing BFA graduate and current Game Design student focused on interactive storytelling, player-driven progression, and UX-aligned writing. Combines creative writing with systems thinking to support both player experience and development workflows.

Experience

Game Designer, Turtle Goat Games

May 2026 - Present | Richmond, VA

Creative Consultant, Freelance

March 2019 - Present | Hybrid

Test Publishing Administrator, Pearson (promoted from Test Development Technician)

July 2024 - February 2026 | Remote, Richmond, VA

Managing Owner, Speakeasy Tattoo Lounge

December 2018 - December 2023 | Springdale, AR

Director and Photographer, Cydney Bergdorf Photography

June 2007 - December 2023

Skills

Narrative Design: Branching Dialogue, Interactive Storytelling, Narrative Systems, Character Tone and Voice. Game Writing: NPC Dialogue, Tutorial Writing, UI Copy, Event Narrative Design. Tools: Unity, RPG Maker MZ, GameMaker, Twine, Jira, Confluence, Smartsheet, Lucidchart, Adobe Creative Suite, SharePoint, Microsoft 365. Methods: Agile, Scrum, Documentation and Flow Mapping, Cross-functional Collaboration, Stakeholder Communication.

Education

Creative Writing, BFA - Full Sail University, Focus: Game Design, 2026
Game Studies and Design, BS - Old Dominion University, Expected 2027
Digital Cinematography, AA - Full Sail University

Certifications and Languages

Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM); Certified ScrumMaster (CSM). English (Native), Spanish (Limited Working), Japanese (Elementary).