More about
Ryan Wolohan
My whole life I’ve loved games. They have a real power to bring people together - be it a game night with a group of friends or a massive community, extending far beyond just one game or session. In my early years, games brought my family and I together despite the 18 year difference from youngest to oldest, they became our universal language and the easiest way for us kids to come together to build the foundations of relationships that we share. Eventually, gaming helped me move outside my comfort zone and make larger, long-lasting groups of friends. As a designer, I strive to create experiences that foster these feelings of community and joy that I felt so strongly growing up and still feel to this day.
My passion for competitive gaming started with Hearthstone and Star Wars: Destiny. As my skills grew, I began regularly playing at the highest levels available to me, from ranked ladders to actual tournaments. Naturally, this success led me to explore my passion in the working world, where I landed an internship at Fantasy Flight Games. There, I had a hands-on role in just about every step of the production process. I loved every moment of it, and this is really where my love for the medium and my drive to build a career within it was fully cemented. Since then, I’ve continued my competitive play in games such as Flesh and Blood and the One Piece TCG, all while achieving my Master’s Degree in Game Design from Michigan State University.
My competitive accomplishments include:
Collegiate-level play of Hearthstone at the University of Notre Dame
Multiple Star Wars: Destiny tournament wins and finals appearances, including the opportunity to play at the World Championships
Most recently, a number of Flesh and Blood tournament wins, in addition to earning the opportunity to play in the Baltimore Pro Tour
As a working professional,
I have been fortunate enough to work on a number of projects with Fantasy Flight Games as a development intern. Most notably, I was responsible for two full sets and two starter decks for Star Wars: Destiny. While working on these, I had a direct hand in the design of a number of cards and completed over 100 art descriptions, all of which eventually became the art for the remainder of the game’s lifespan. Other games I contributed play testing, research, design feedback, and art direction to include Mansions of Madness, Star Wars: Imperial Assault, Star Wars: Outer Rim, Keyforge, The Lord of the Rings LCG, Android: Netrunner and the Arkham Horror LCG.
Despite all this work with FFG, my proudest achievement has to be the creation of my very own game: Lance-A-Little. I made this game from the ground up as a solo developer, working with student artists and Michigan State University to achieve my artistic vision. The process of initially pitching my idea to bringing in my first playable prototype was exhilarating. I knew from my very first play test that I’d created something special just by the looks of joy on the players’ faces. That’s what designing is all about to me; there’s nothing quite like knowing that someone’s excitement or passion is the result of something you’ve created.
I attribute my success in the gaming world to my passion for the space and my dedication to being a part of it. I believe that entertainment isn’t a mere luxury; it’s a vital resource, and gaming is perhaps a better medium than any other to allow us to fully experience it. My only hope is that my work truly entertains people and gives them that same feeling of community and joy that I felt on game nights with my family. If I can help even one family or group of friends come together the way other designers have done for me and my family, I’ll have achieved success.