Ira Fay

I'm a Learning Game Designer in The Education Arcade at MIT, CEO of Fay Games, and an Affiliated Scholar at Hampshire College. From 2013 - 2020, I was an Associate Professor of Computer Science and Game Design at Hampshire, where I founded the game design and development program, which Princeton Review consistently rated in the Top 10 undergraduate programs in the US. In October 2011, I founded a game company (Fay Games) to design fun games for educational impact. I previously co-founded the Game Design and Development program at Quinnipiac University, where I was an Assistant Professor of Game Design and Development.

Before becoming a professor and starting my own company, I was a Senior Game Designer at Electronic Arts, working within the Pogo division for 5 years. I designed several top web games and led Pogo's Mobile Games team, which created games for iPhone, iPad, and Android. Prior to Pogo, I worked at Activision, Disney, and Maxis. I also worked on several graduate level projects at the Entertainment Technology Center, where I earned my master's degree in 2004. I've been a speaker at GDC, G4C, GLS, GenCon, PAX East, Casual Connect, and various universities worldwide.

I have also enjoyed designing, co-designing, and developing several published boardgames, including two expansions to Xia: Legends of a Drift System; an abstract strategy game named Ouroboros; Arcade Mode in the Tides of Ruin expansion for Sleeping Gods; three expansions for Agricola; and Arydia: The Paths We Dare Tread with Epic Hunt. I've also designed puzzles, including a permanent installation in a building and an ongoing puzzle column in the boardgame magazine Senet.

Published Games

	Arydia: The Paths We Dare Tread, an open world, campaign-based, cooperative, fantasy themed boardgame. Forthcoming April 2024. Raised $1,358,000+ via a Kickstarter campaign. Role: Developer, and co-designer of the Combat System. Team Size: ~5
	Arydia: Epic Hunt, a mini-expansion to the boardgame Arydia: The Paths We Dare Tread. Forthcoming April 2024. Raised $1,358,000+ via a Kickstarter campaign. Role: Co-designer. Team Size: ~2
	Illuminator, an educational game designed to help students learn about sensing applications of integrated photonics. Released September 2022. Funded by a ~$3,000,000 MEEP grant. Role: Lead Designer. Team Size: ~5
	Tides of Ruin, an expansion to the boardgame Sleeping Gods. Released January 2021. Raised $1,140,000+ via a Kickstarter campaign. Role: Arcade Mode Designer, and Developer. Team Size: ~4
	Primeval Peril, a print-and-play expansion to the boardgame Sleeping Gods. Released October 2020. Raised $1,140,000+ via a Kickstarter campaign. Role: Consultant. Team Size: ~4
	Xia: Missions and Powers, a mini-expansion to the boardgame Xia: Legends of a Drift System, doubling the available ship powers and adding 4 new mission types. Released January 2019. Raised $504,000+ via a Kickstarter campaign. Role: Lead Designer. Team Size: ~4
	Crime and Villainy in Pioneer City, a supervillain-themed heist escape room, where the players were henchpeople trying to steal a secret device. Designed and built in ~12 weeks. November - December 2018, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA. ~40 sessions with ~200 total players during a 2 week run. Role: Executive Producer. Team Size: ~34 (mostly students, working part time)
	Project IONA, a single player puzzle game where players fit Tetris-like pieces together to make perfect 3x3 squares. The game is untimed, and difficulty increases by changing piece shapes and adding obstacles to the board. Open source, free. Released on iOS and Android, December 2017 Role: Executive Producer. Team Size: 28 (mostly students, working part time)
	Xia: Embers of a Forsaken Star, the first expansion to the sandbox-style, space-themed board game, Xia: Legends of a Drift System, adding a solo variant and many more features. Released June 2017. Raised $459,000 via a Kickstarter campaign. Role: Lead Co-Designer. Team Size: ~5
	Can You Solve This Building?, ten puzzles permanently embedded in the R.W. Kern Center at Hampshire College in Amherst, MA. The hint website is here. Completed in December 2016 Role: Lead Designer. Team Size: ~4, but lots of people built the building!
	Tak Puzzles, eleven puzzles for the abstract game Tak, published in Tak: A Beautiful Game - Companion Book. Published December 2016. Raised $1.35 million via a Kickstarter campaign. Role: Lead Designer. Team Size: ~2
	Ouroboros, a 2-3 player abstract strategy game. Released April 2016 Role: Lead Designer. Team Size: 1
	Word Snack, a single player word game with a space diner theme, where players feed words to aliens and satisfy their eclectic tastes. Sample alien tastes include "Words that start with a vowel" or "Three letter words." Released on iOS and Android, December 2014, by Fay Games Role: Executive Producer. Team Size: 34 (mostly students, working part time) Dev Time: ~13 weeks
	Logic Quest, a single player logic puzzle game with high replayability and a diverse cast of characters. The game was designed for undergraduate college students to help them learn about deductive logic. Released on the web, August 2014 Role: Executive Producer. Team Size: ~6 Dev Time: ~8 weeks
	Food Web, an infinite runner maze game with a rainforest theme where players eat prey, avoid predators, and unlock new animals and upgrades. The game was designed for 6th grade students to help them learn about the food web and rainforest ecosystem. In public school pilot tests July 2013 by Touch Press Games (previously Amplify) with Fay Games Role: Lead Game Designer and Producer. Team Size: ~6
	The Tomes, a choose-your-own-adventure graphic novel game designed to help 6th grade students learn English vocabulary. Presented at Games for Change 2013. In public school pilot tests December 2012 by Touch Press Games (previously Amplify) with Fay Games Role: Lead Game Designer and Producer. Team Size: ~6
	Unearthed, a casual game with an archaeology theme designed to help 6th grade students learn English subject-verb agreement. In public school pilot tests December 2012 by Touch Press Games (previously Amplify) with Fay Games Role: Lead Game Designer and Producer. Team Size: ~6
	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Ninja Slide, a puzzle game using multiple Sifteo cubes with innovative tilt, touch, and rotate interactions. Released November 2012 by Sifteo with Fay Games Role: Level Designer. Team Size: ~7
	Pogo Games, five of the most popular Pogo games customized for iPhone and iPod touch in a single free app. Released December 2010 by Pogo.com (EA) (free app, peak rank on App Store: #1). Released on Android April 2012 Role: Lead Game Designer and Producer. Team Size: ~30
	Poppit Sprint, an original fast-paced puzzle game. Unique powerups on each level. Released October 2010 by Pogo.com (EA) (free web game, #1 game in Pogo Games app on Facebook) Role: Lead Game Designer and Producer. Team Size: 4
	G.I. Joe: Renegades, a complex and detailed tactics game using the G.I. Joe license. Released October 2010 by Pogo.com (EA) (free web game, top game on Hasbro's Hubworld) Role: Lead Producer. Team Size: ~8
	Battleship, the classic Hasbro game with added powerups and new game modes. Released October 2009 by Pogo.com (EA) (free web game, top 10 game) Role: Lead Game Designer and Producer. Team Size: 5
	Lottso! Express, a bingo-plus-lottery-scratchers game. Released April 2009 by Pogo.com (EA) (free web game, top 10 game) Role: Lead Game Designer and Producer. Team Size: 5
	Operation Mania, a time management game based on the classic Hasbro boardgame Operation. Released August 2008 by Pogo.com (EA) (downloadable and retail for PC) Role: Lead Producer. Team Size: ~10
	Mahjong Safari, a tile matching game with a safari theme, unique match mechanic, and collectible tiles. Released March 2008 by Pogo.com (EA) (free web game, 3.8 million lifetime unique players as of May 2009) Role: Lead Game Designer and Producer. Team Size: 5
	Word Whomp Widget, a Flash version of Pogo's popular Word Whomp game, released on all major social networking sites, including Facebook and MySpace. Released January 2008 by Pogo.com (EA) (free Flash game) Role: Lead Producer. Team Size: 5
	Bingo Luau, a bingo game with a prediction feature, team bonus, and extra balls. Released July 2007 by Pogo.com (EA) (free web game, 5.8 million lifetime unique players as of May 2009) Role: Lead Game Designer and Producer. Team Size: 5
	Tumble Bees, a word game that's a mix of Tetris and Boggle. Released February 2007 by Pogo.com (EA) (free web game) Role: Lead Game Designer and Producer. Team Size: 5
	Agricola: Gamers' Deck, a collaboratively designed expansion to the boardgame Agricola. Released December 2010 by Z-Man Games (#3 game on boardgamegeek.com as of Feb 2013) Role: Co-Lead Game Designer. Team Size: ~30
	Agricola: World Champion Deck, a collaboratively designed expansion to the boardgame Agricola. Released November 2011 by Z-Man Games at the Austrian Spielfest for the first Agricola World Championship. Role: Game Designer. Team Size: ~30
	Agricola: Pi-Deck, a collaboratively designed expansion to the boardgame Agricola. Released October 2012 by Z-Man Games at Essen. Role: Game Designer. Team Size: ~30
	X-Men: The Official Game, a 3rd person action game released simultaneously with the X-Men 3 movie. Released May 2006 by Z-Axis (owned by Activision) Role: Associate Producer. Team Size: ~120
	Jam-O-Drum, a multiplayer audio-visual gaming table for four players. Entertainment Technology Center, Carnegie Mellon University, Spring 2004 Role: Game Designer, Producer, Programmer. Team Size: 5
	The Sims 2, the second installment of the famous life management simulation game. Maxis (EA), Fall 2003 Role: Assistant Producer (Intern). Team Size: ~150
	ToonTown Online, a massively multiplayer game for kids, by Disney. Disney VR Studios, Summer 2003 Role: Programmer (Intern). Team Size: ~25
	BioHazard, a real-time 3D simulation designed to train firefighters how to respond to a chemical attack in a mall, using the Unreal Engine. Entertainment Technology Center, Carnegie Mellon University, Spring 2003 Role: Game Designer, Producer, Programmer. Team Size: 6
	Dinosaurs Alive, an interactive exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in a five-screen panoramic theater using a real-time 3D engine, video capture, and 7 networked computers. Entertainment Technology Center, Carnegie Mellon University, Fall 2002 Role: Game Designer, Producer, Programmer, Assistant Electrician. Team Size: 5

Other Stuff

I might someday prioritize the task of organizing the links below; until then, here are some other random things that might be of interest:

I organized the first-ever Global Game Jam site in Connecticut in 2012, and I made this game. In 2013, we participated again and I made another game. In 2014, I participated at Mount Holyoke College and made Dragon Words.

I gave a talk at GDC 2014 called Spreadsheet Skills for Game Designers. A variety of supporting material is available. I also wrote an article for Game Developer magazine on Excel with some similar supporting files.

I gave a talk at PAX East in 2013 and I put together lots of supporting material. I gave a similar talk at GenCon 2013.

My business cards have puzzles on the back, so I included some hints. The hints probably won't make much sense unless you actually have my business card, though.

I made some interactive probability puzzles for my Introduction to Game Design class based on real-world game design issues I've experienced.

I submitted a boardgame to IndieCade 2013.

I've made a lot of PHP scripts for random reasons:

In 2006, I applied for (and got) a job at Pogo that turned out to be incredibly rewarding and a great career move. I had to complete a design challenge.

Here are some awesome ambigrams that my brother made.

I rated movies I watched for a couple of years in the early aughts.

I spend most of my free time playing Ultimate Frisbee, playing native american flute, and of course playing games.

Feel free to contact me.