Reel Big Phishing Trainer is an educational game created by the Gamma Space Co-op for Humber and Seneca Colleges in Toronto. Designed to teach College faculty and staff how to detect and report phishing scams, the game takes place at the fictional Husen College. Players navigate a stylized email interface and report or reply to emails from colleagues and strangers.
I served as the narrative designer and writer for this project in 2021 and 2022. In 2021, I outlined and wrote over two dozen emails, as well as reply trees. I communicated with the client to ensure the tone and content of each email fit with their vision for the project. I drew from my own experience working in University settings to craft content that would feel familiar and funny to the staff at Humber/Seneca.
I developed this game as part of the Gamma Space Co-op, including an artist, programmer and a producer. I worked in close communication with the team to complete the game within the tight time limit required by our client. We completed and delivered this project in about three months.
In 2022, we produced a second season of content that followed up on the characters and storyworld of the original game, while also being accessible to new players. Once again I designed the narrative, implemented new mechanics according to the revised pedagogical goals of the client, and provided all of the writing – about thirty emails plus reply trees.
Kaelan 