THOMAS PAGANI
Writer, Narrative/Game Designer
I started to approach the idea of “developing things” during highschool, while
studying traditional drawing and paintings at the Liceo Artistico Boccioni, in Milan.
At first my intention was to be a comic book artist, but I soon realized it wasn’t
enough and that, after a while, none of the seven arts really were enough for me
and that I could find what I was looking for only in the gaming world, a realization
that led me to study game design at Event Horizon School.
VIA G. B. MORONI,- - MILANO
(MI) - ITALY
--Rinkaku#3160
Thomas Doc Pagani
@Rinkaku382
Rinkaku382
At first, I knew almost nothing about game design: I played lots of different games,
had a strong admiration for Kojima Hideo and Suda51, and wanted to develop
my own games through that same media, but never found myself studying games
and since my intention was to detach myself from the world of traditional arts and
shift to digital, I instantly felt how big that challenge was.
But from the very beginning I discovered how much those two worlds can be
related and help each other: during my path across game development I’ve
often found useful the ability to make quick storyboards to better show my ideas
to others, for example.
During the time I spent at Event Horizon, I worked on different types of games that
gave me the possibility to understand my limits and knowledge, before finding
what I'm most interested in: narration through systems and mechanics.
While working on those projects, I had to challenge myself as a Game, UI, Level
Designer, and Team leader.
These roles taught me how to develop my approach to game design and to
handle the communication with different departments.
When I develop games, I follow a precise dogma: game-making involves
everything. It can be drawing pictures to make a concept clearer, using dialogues
or interactions to reinforce a theme or guiding players through sound.
When developing, I find myself captivated by stories that could go beyond the
traditional narrative, with more than one linear story:
Who are the characters? What do they most desire?
Game-making became, for me, a way to answer these questions, which led me
to the development of various visual novels intended as narrative experiences
that glean from everyday life to deliver current and universal themes.
At the same time, though, I followed a parallel path: as a cinema-addict I had the
possibility to independently study different directors and approaches to this
media, all knowledge that I had the occasion to expose through different articles
and lectures in various libraries here in Milan.
When it comes to development, be it for a story or for a game mechanic, I always
use the environment around me or my artistic knowledge to find ideas that could
be particularly original or not often seen.
My knowledge of cinema and art in general often helps: even single images,
dialogues, or entire scenes could give life to concepts.
As a newly graduate, it helps me understand how other creators work or worked
and, so, what are the possibilities I have and how I can use them.
This helped me conceive almost every concept or mechanics of the games I
worked on.
I really hope we’ll work together soon!
With best regards,
Director of
Thomas Pagani
Team SolEtude
Italian, English, French
EDUCATION and EXPERIENCES
- Traditional painting and sculpture at Liceo Artistico Umberto Boccioni, Milan -)
- Game Design at Event Horizon School of Digital Arts -)
- Lectures on creative writing at Liceo Artistico U. Boccioni (April 2018)
- Assistant at Libraccio, Milan (July - September 2018)
- Lectures on Japanese cinema and narrative games at Liceo Artistico U. Boccioni -)
- Lectures on Japanese cinema at Biblioteca Comunale Sicilia (February 2019)
- 5 games released between March 2020 and January 2021 with Team SolEtude
THOMAS PAGANI
Writer, Narrative/Game Designer
Projects made with Team SolEtude
HOMUNCULUS HOTEL (TBA)
A series of interactive short-stories about dreams and nightmares.
TEAM SOLETUDE
VIA G. B. MORONI,- - MILANO
(MI) - ITALY
- Director, Character and Storyboard Artist
- Writer
- Game and Narrative Designer
- Programmer
Project Link
? MONTHS
4 MEMBERS
--Rinkaku#3160
Thomas Doc Pagani
@Rinkaku382
NEW YEAR’S MORNING (December 2020)
A conversation between two lovers on the new year’s first morning.
TEAM SOLETUDE
Rinkaku382
- Director, Character and 2D Artist
- Writer
- Narrative Designer
- Programmer
Project Link
2 DAYS
1 MEMBER
https://team-soletude.itch.io/new-years-morning
ASOBI (October 2020)
The encounter between a taxi-driver, a sex-worker and her dreams.
TEAM SOLETUDE
Director
@Team SolEtude
- Director, Character and Storyboard Artist
- Writer
- Narrative Designer
- Programmer
Project Link
https://team-soletude.itch.io/asobi
1 MONTH
Italian, English, French
3 MEMBERS
THOMAS PAGANI
Writer, Narrative/Game Designer
Projects made with Team SolEtude
HAVE I SEEN YOU SOMEWHERE BEFORE? (February 2021)
A Dating-Sim about finding love through speed-datings.
TEAM SOLETUDE
VIA G. B. MORONI,- - MILANO
(MI) - ITALY
- Director
- Writer
- Game and Narrative Designer
- Programmer
Project Link
https://team-soletude.itch.io/have-i-met-you-somewhere-before
2 DAYS
3 MEMBERS
--Rinkaku#3160
Thomas Doc Pagani
@Rinkaku382
BEYOND THE WINDOW (August 2020)
A Visual Novel divided in 4 short stories about apartments and love.
TEAM SOLETUDE
Rinkaku382
- Director
- Writer
- Game and Narrative Designer
- Programmer
https://team-soletude.itch.io/beyond-your-window
Project Link
7 MONTHS
2 MEMBERS
REMINISCENCE IN THE NIGHT (December 2020)
A point-and-click adventure on the link between past and present.
TEAM SOLETUDE
Director
@Team SolEtude
- Director
- Writer
- Game and Narrative Designer
- Programmer
https://team-soletude.itch.io/reverie
6 MONTHS
4 MEMBERS
Project Link
Italian, English, French
THOMAS PAGANI
Writer, Narrative/Game Designer
Other projects made
STAR WARMER (July 2020)
Top-down shooter with action combos.
PINI SU PINI SUPINI
VIA G. B. MORONI,- - MILANO
(MI) - ITALY
- Team Leader
- UI Designer
- Game Designer
Project Link
https://eventhorizonschool.itch.io/star-warmer
8 MONTHS
14 MEMBERS
--Rinkaku#3160
Thomas Doc Pagani
COLLISION (July 2018)
@Rinkaku382
Strategic turn-based focused on board rotation.
UTOPY GAMES
Rinkaku382
- UI Designer
- Game Designer
7 MONTHS
20 MEMBERS
Project Link
https://eventhorizonschool.itch.io/collision
SWITCHING MASKS (February 2021)
Casual action game for Android.
PINI SU PINI SUPINI
Director
@Team SolEtude
- Team Leader
- Game Designer
- UI Designer
Project
SwitchingMasks&gl=IT
ls?id=com.PinoSuPinoSupi10no.MEMBERS
4 MONTHS
e.com/store/apps/detai
//play.googlLink
https:
Italian, English, French
Aeroplane on a sunset sky (short piece for a Grasshopper Manufacture zine)
Incipit: Based upon Suda51’s Flower, Sun and Rain, this short piece focuses on Sumio Mondo’s
umpteenth try to reach the airport and escape from the Lospass island before the day repeats once
again.
You’re running.
The hotel is now far behind you, just a distant building that watches you as you proceed. Its lights
start to shine while the evening’s darkness slowly falls above the sea.
Strangely, you feel as if it’s calling you.
As if you belong to it.
You’re running.
The sea to your left is calm.
The shining sun is crashing over the horizon, projecting red and violet shades on the waves and the
sky.
The silence is all around you, broken only by the sound of your footsteps.
You’re running.
The air gets colder as you proceed. You hold on tight on Catherine, the only one left beside you.
The faces of all the people you’ve met during your journey rapidly pass by through your mind.
You’ll miss most of them. Not that damn kid, though.
You’re running.
The blacktop below you seems to extend towards infinity.
Will it ever reach an end?
Will you ever arrive at the airport?
The step counter’s alarm clocks as it marks a million steps and distracts you from these questions.
You don’t even know for how long you’ve been running, now.
The only thing you know is that the airport still seems an eternity ahead.
Slowly, it appears in front of you, beyond the line traced by the asphalt. A black building with shining
windows that almost blinds you from afar.
You stop to admire that bright palace in front of you.
Now that you find yourself at the end of your journey, you feel something strange.
As if everything won’t end here.
As if you’re about to start from the beginning, once again.
You ask yourself if any of this makes sense at all, but can’t come to a conclusion.
All around you, the lights have become darker. The shades of red, orange and violet are mixed in a
melancholic sunset.
The island, or even the world itself, is saying goodbye.
Enchanted by the landscape, you don’t see the aeroplane flying above your head.
And as it reaches the centre of the sky, it explodes.
The telephone in your room wakes you up.
You feel as if you just escaped from a nightmare.
You get up and answer the phone.
-Mr. Sumio, could you stop by the reception as soon as you can?Maybe that nightmare isn’t finished, after all.
Beyond Your Window (narrative game) - The student is talking with Laura
Incipit: As a consequence of choices made previously in the story, a young student and his
ex-girlfriend are back together, and they talk about their fears towards love and their future.
Laura: You know…
When I try to think about why we left each other…
Nothing comes to my mind.
It just seems so…
Stupid?
I don't know…
Student: I think I understand what you mean.
It seems strange to me too.
Laura: Yeah…
I mean, why did we hurt each other so much?
What was the point?
Student: Hmm, I really don't know.
It's so strange…
All we want is to love but…
When we finally have it, we throw it away.
Without thinking about it twice.
Student: It's true.
But it's also true that sometimes love fades.
Maybe we fall in love with someone else.
Or maybe the person we share our feelings with, just…
Isn’t the right fit anymore.
And so we look for someone else.
Laura: It sounds like an endless quest.
If someone gets lost in it, it will just never end.
Student: Maybe you're right.
But I think that, at least for now, we can be happy we've found each other again.
Laura: But what if we'll leave each other once more?
What if we'll end up losing each other, in the future?
Student: What if it won't happen?
Laura: I know, it's stupid to think about that, but…
Loneliness makes me feel bad.
I don't want to feel like that anymore.
Student: I know, it's the same for me…
I realized how lost I am, without you.
A soft, sweet kiss and they hug each other...
Before sleep possesses them, gently.
