photography by Maxwell Lander
banner image by Anna Wolff
Lucas J.W. Johnson (he/him) is a writer, game designer, and entrepreneur. He is the author of several works of fiction including his 2022 debut novel THE CLOCKWORK EMPIRE, and the Founder and Studio Director of Silverstring Media Inc., a narrative design and videogame studio.
Lucas has experimented with interactive narratives, game design, and emergent storytelling for his whole life, writing stories and running tabletop roleplaying games since he was young. With Silverstring Media, he creates queer and feminist work that explores deep narratives, pushes the boundaries of what interactive experiences can be, and constructs vast and meaningful storyworlds. Diverse and queer stories are core to all of his writing.
He has written several critically-acclaimed and award-winning games including Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between, Glitchhikers: First Drive (finalist for Best Indie Game of 2014 at the Canadian Videogame Awards), Extrasolar (Indiecade finalist), and Timespinner. He’s spoken at conferences across North America about game and transmedia design, education, and business practices.
Lucas lives with his husband and cats in Vancouver, BC.
The Clockwork Empire
It is the height of the industrial revolution, and the Roman Empire has stood for thousands of years. Airborne fortresses and mechanically remade soldiers guard against threats outside the empire’s vast borders—even as it rots from the inside.
My debut novel, steampunk alt-history about queer found family fighting fascism.
Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between
What do you see when you look up at the night sky? We are all children of the stars.
With Silverstring Media, Lucas wrote and produced this introspective game about journeys both physical and personal.
Silverstring Media
Lucas is the founder of game and narrative design studio Silverstring Media Inc., with which he’s created many interactive story projects.