In an ambitious adaptation of a popular narrative role-playing game, a team of Master of Digital Media (MDM) students has helped an indie game studio take its first steps into a digital reimagining of Monsterhearts, a game known for its rich storytelling and emotional complexity.
The collaboration with Ludic Lemur, an indie game studio based in Vancouver, marked the studio’s first project with a student team, drawing top talent from around the world. From early virtual meetings to in-person sessions at the Centre for Digital Media (CDM) campus, both Ludic Lemur and the MDM students navigated new terrain in real time.
“We knew the quality of the work would be great given CDM's track record, and we were not at all disappointed,” said Wren Handman, Creative Director at Ludic Lemur.
From Cards to Characters
At the center of the project was a complex design challenge: transforming a multiplayer, improvisational tabletop experience into a single-player, card-based digital prototype.
The student team sought to maintain the spirit of improvisation by embedding emotional nuance and character memory into the card mechanics themselves. “Cards became more than just tools,” explained MDM student Praveen Namasivayam, the game and narrative designer who also took on the responsibilities of a product manager. “They represented the player character’s mood, memories, and story arcs on the narrative side, as well as usable tokens with value that created a direct connection between gameplay and narrative.”
Drawing from methodologies introduced during their MDM coursework, such as the 4-Step Sketch and Crazy 8s, the team generated and refined ideas collaboratively, integrating perspectives from artists, designers, and developers.
Learning by Leading
The team employed a hybrid “watergile” methodology—combining agile development sprints with waterfall-style planning—to stay responsive to client feedback while ensuring deliverables remained on track. Weekly check-ins helped keep the team aligned with Ludic Lemur’s vision, while also encouraging broader discussions on design priorities and project scope.
One breakthrough moment came when MDM student Ayu Singh, the 2D artist on the team, developed an art workflow that standardized the visual style of the project, enabling the team to produce consistent and reusable game assets. “It changed the way we worked,” said Amy Fox, CEO and Artistic Director at Ludic Lemur. “Ayu’s approach elevated the visual coherence of the entire game.”
Rising to the Challenge
When presented with five potential innovation challenges, the students responded by attempting to solve all of them—a decision that surprised Ludic Lemur and demonstrated their ambition and capability.
“Rather than focusing on one vertical, they built a simple, working prototype of our game’s encounter mechanics that touched every area,” said Kalev Tait, Design Director at Ludic Lemur. “It wasn’t completely polished, but it showed us just how versatile and effective the students could be.”
A Gateway to Industry
The collaboration also laid the foundation for future professional opportunities. With funding support from Mitacs—Canada’s leading innovation organization—Ludic Lemur hired Jiahui Li as a sound editor and sound designer for Calm the Storm, an interactive podcast game available on Steam.
“Partnering with MDM students offers an excellent way to bring skilled, motivated individuals into the fold,” Wren said. “It’s a solution that works for indie developers both creatively and financially.”
For the students, the experience served as both a proving ground and a capstone, integrating months of interdisciplinary learning with the complexities of a real-world client engagement.
“This was our first time working with an indie studio as a client,” said MDM student Jiahui Li, audio designer and project manager on the team. “It pushed us to grow, to compromise, and ultimately to create something meaningful.”
Meet the Team
- Jiahui Li
- Kian Hosseinkhani
- Ayushi Singh
- Praveen Namasivayam
- Leonard Hjuler Baungaard
- Anning Wang
- Jiaqi Jing
Faculty Supervisor
About Ludic Lemur
Ludic Lemur is an independent game studio dedicated to crafting imaginative, story-rich experiences that blend playful mechanics with emotional depth. With a focus on original IP and thoughtful world-building, the studio creates games that spark curiosity, creativity, and connection.