Valparaiso University Students Take First and Third Place in International Game Design Competition
Two Valparaiso University students have won top honors in an international role-playing game (RPG) writing competition. Nolan Brezina took first place with his Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC)-compatible adventure Creeping Dread, and Bryanna Bass was awarded third place for The Sirens of Huntby Gulf. Both adventures were assignments written for the English 280: Writing Roleplaying Games course led by Martin Buinicki, professor of English and Richard P. Baepler Distinguished Professor in the Humanities.
The contest was organized by Philippe Lépinard of the Université Paris-Est Créteil, and included participants from France, Spain, and the United States. Judges included the French translator of Dungeon Crawl Classics Emmanuel Bouteille and Michael Curtis, the Director of DCC Product Development for Goodman Games.
“As part of the EdUTeam research project on game-oriented learning, conducted at the Institut de Recherche en Gestion, we are implementing RPGs in various language and management courses at IAE Paris-Est, the university management school of Université Paris-Est Créteil.” Professor Lépinard said. “Thanks to some inspiring encounters—particularly with Martin Buinicki and Rodrigo Garcia Carmona—and the warm welcome from the Goodman Games and Akileos teams, we have decided to offer students this contest centered around the DCC game, giving them the opportunity to further explore role-playing games and take part in an international-level challenge.”
Professor Buinicki, who has offered his course on writing roleplaying games for the past three years, also believes that games offer a powerful and engaging way to teach communication skills.
“To write an effective RPG adventure, students must combine technical and creative writing to provide clear instructions to the game master and an exciting world for the players,” Professor Buinicki said. “Sharing the final product with others is a critical part of the learning process, and I’m delighted that these students had the opportunity to take part in this competition. And I’m very proud of their accomplishments!”
ENGL 280: Writing RPGs is part of Valparaiso University’s minor in Game Narrative and Design. Goodman Games has been involved in several of the University’s other initiatives in the gaming space, including the opening of a Center for Games and Interactive Entertainment and internship opportunities for students looking to enter the industry. Courses in video game design and video game music were also launched at Valpo in the spring of 2025.