Meet Noel: The creative mind behind Nordaurai’s characters
For Noel, Nordaurai isn't just his first job it's a place where his personal and professional values align
Hi, I am Noel
I am a 21 year old intern who works on characters and narrative designs for Nordaurai. I live together in Helsingborg with my mom, dad, little brother and family dog, and I identify as non-binary. I’ve had a love for games since I was nearly 3 years old, and have played through plenty of different genres throughout the years. When I play games, I feel as though I can achieve so many different experiences within them, from their designs, to their stories, to the gameplay. To me, games are also closely related to my wellbeing and mental health today. There are many stories and experiences which shaped my life and how I think that I simply wouldn’t have seen for myself if it weren’t for games
Why I chose a wellbeing game studio/company for my first job
In my younger years of going through middle school and high school, I was incredibly introverted and unsure of how to share my interests with others. It wasn’t until I discovered games that talk about mental health and real life experiences that I started understanding myself and my problems. My mental health wasn’t “fixed”, but I gained new perspectives that helped me make better judgments on what I wanted to do and change within my life. I feel incredibly fortunate to have had such experiences, and so I want to share similar stories with others who might be dealing with their own struggles.
How we design wellbeing games and what skills I bring to Nordaurai
Moving on, I work closely with the Nordaurai team to bring in creative ideas and artworks that suit the company’s aesthetics. My skills are mainly found within 2D art, 3D modelling, UI design and promotional art. It has been an interesting journey so far learning about how to create games that tackle wellbeing and mental health, as well as making them work for groups of people in the corporate industry. There aren’t a lot of other companies that are doing what we are doing, and so we have to discuss and experiment together to create the best experience possible. We often had to think about how to balance fun gameplay with a more serious outlook to make sure that the message of our games come through first and foremost
At Nordaurai, I am hoping to design mascots and characters that embody what Nordaurai is all about, as well as learning how to step out of my comfort zone. It’s been very engaging to share ideas with others in the game industry and create experiences that players will find to be engaging and helpful.
Would you like to see what kind of wellbeing games we are producing for you and for your organization, to make wellbeing engaging and drive effective, positive behavior change?
Thank you for reading,
Noel Wik
Character Designer Intern at Nordaurai
