Sirlin on Game Design

I think of myself as a game designer, though I'm also a graphic designer and business owner. I started working full time as President of Sirlin Games in 2009, and released my first tabletop games in 2010.

I was a gamer from a young age, and was also into writing and scientific thinking. I later became interested in game design and psychology. After that, graphic design became more and more important to my projects. Graphic design is such a large and time-consuming part of what I do now that I included a gallery on this site of the visuals I created myself. Any character illustrations you see aren't from me, but the rest is.

I've worked mostly on competitive multiplayer games, the kind that have to remain interesting and balanced even when played thousands of times by experts. I also really like asymmetric games, meaning games with different characters or sides.
Ancient History

Before Sirlin Games, I was lead designer of Street Fighter HD Remix, Puzzle Fighter HD Remix, and Kongai. I was also a tournament player in Street Fighter and other fighting games. I was part of Street Fighter Team USA at the Super Battle Opera tournament in Japan. I helped run the Evolution Fighting Game Championships for years. I graduated from MIT in business and math.