1.
Page 1
Home Address: Michel Sabbagh Contact Information:
65 St. Paul West #204 southernreviewofbooks.com/author/michformer michelsabbagh2003@msn.com
Montreal, Quebec +1 (514) 473-1995
Canada,H2Y 3S5 linkedin.com/in/sabbaghmichel
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
 Southern Review of Books Charlotte, NC
Contributing Writer May 2020 – Present
o Authored book reviews and interviewed authors abouttheir work.
o Worked closely with editorial staff to polish articledrafts for final publication.
o Reached out to publishingagencies to request advance review copies and interviews with authors.
 Qu Literary Magazine Charlotte, NC
Editorial Fiction Assistant January 2020 – Present
o Reviewed submissions (shortstories,novel excerpts, flash fiction,etc.)
assigned by genre editors for Issues #12,#13, and #14.
o Scored pieces in terms of characterization,pacing,thematic potency, world-building,and writingstyle.
o Penned comments and feedback sheets relayed to writers whose submissionswererejected.
 Bethesda Softworks Rockville,MD
Contract Quality Assurance Tester July 2017 – May 2018
o Fulfilled test assignments,reported functionality issues and regressed bug fixes for:
 The Evil Within 2 (credited in official gamerelease)
 Prey: Mooncrash (credited in official gamerelease)
 Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
 Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
 Quake Champions
 The Elder Scrolls: Legends
o Traveled to the 2018 Game Developers Conference to represent Bethesda’s parent company, ZeniMax
Media Inc.,at a meet & greet event. Interacted with gaming enthusiasts and developers by detailing the
work culture and sharingadviceon how to break into the interactiveentertainment industry.
 Bethesda Softworks Rockville,MD
Quality Assurance Intern May – July 2016
o Ran assigned tests,reviewed technical fixes,filled feedback surveys and
identified game issues for Skyrim: Special Edition (credited in official gamerelease).
PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS(* denotesafeaturedplacement)
 “Wrestlingwith Reality in ‘The Big Door Prize.’” Southern Review of Books, 31 Aug. 2021. Web.*
 “The StorytellingLayers of Literary Merit.” The Artifice, 30 Aug. 2021. Web.*
 “Loren C. Steffy’s Debut Novel Highlights the Tug-of-War Between Tradition and Progress.”Southern Review of
Books, 21 June 2021.Web.*
 “’How Lucky’: A Novel About FindingPurposein the World.”Southern Review of Books, 18 June 2021. Web.*
 “KT Sparks on Cowboy Poetry and ‘Four Dead Horses.’” Southern Review of Books, 31 May 2021. Web.*
 “Stubborn Rigidity and Self-Reformation in ‘A Wall of BrightDead Feathers.’” Southern Review of Books, 26 Apr.
2021.Web. *
 “Artistic Merit in Video Games.” The Artifice, 28 Mar. 2021. Web.*
 “A Tale of Two Realities in ‘WorkingItOff in Labor County.’” Southern Review of Books, 15 Feb. 2021.Web.*
 “A Golden Ticket to Prosperity in ‘The Fortunate Ones.’” Southern Review of Books, 3 Feb. 2021. Web.*
 “‘Naked Came the Florida Man’:A Love Letter to Florida.”Southern Review of Books, 22 Jan. 2021. Web.
 “Why We Seek Out Video Games.” The Artifice, 2 Dec. 2020.Web.*
 “A Community Defined by Fear and Suspicion in ‘How FireRuns.’” Southern Review of Books, 23 Nov. 2020.Web.*
 “The Pillarsof OutstandingStories.”The Artifice, 25 Sept. 2020. Web.*

2.
MICHEL SABBAGH
Page 2
 “‘House of the RisingSun’ Characters LiveA FragileDystopian Existence.” Southern Review of Books, 31 July 2020.
Web.*
 “‘The Gifted School’Channels the Hilarity and Pettiness of a Society of Appearances .” Southern Review of Books, 15
July 2020. Web.*
 “Eerie and Enchanting,‘Things You Would Know’ Honors the Will of the Land.” Southern Review of Books, 2 June
2020.Web.*
 “Hail to the Queen: Guide-nines for SuperlativeFemale Characterization.” Gamasutra, 4 Mar. 2019. Web.
 “Spread Your Wings:Forginga DistinctiveBrand and Identity as a Creative Talent.” Gamasutra, 24 Jan. 2019. Web.
 “Take It All In: ImbuingVideo Games with a Potent Atmosphere.” Gamasutra, 21 June 2018. Web.*
 “Here Be Monsters: ProducingTangibly Minatory Creatures in Video Games.” Gamasutra, 21 May 2018. Web.*
 “Mind Games: Dissecting Get Even's Narrative-Mechanics Synergy.” Gamasutra, 13 July 2017.Web.*
 “Nitty Gritty: Weaving a Fetching Environmental Narrativein Games.” Gamasutra, 19 June 2017. Web.*
 “The Makingof Streams of Nurture - Part V: Lessons & Takeaway.” Gamasutra, 30 May 2017. Web.*
 “The Makingof Streams of Nurture - Part IV: General Development.” Gamasutra, 16 May 2017. Web.*
 “The Makingof Streams of Nurture - Part III:Audiovisuals.”Gamasutra, 8 May 2017. Web.*
 “The Makingof Streams of Nurture - Part II:Narrative.” Gamasutra, 2 May 2017.Web.*
 “The Makingof Streams of Nurture - Part I: Introduction.” Gamasutra, 27 Apr. 2017.Web.*
 “Thief: Tense NarrativeThrough Level Design and Mechanics.” Gamasutra, 6 Mar. 2017. Web.*
 “Getting Off on the Right Foot: 15 Tips from a Young Game Developer.” Gamasutra, 11 Jan. 2017. Web.*
 “A Tale of Two Open-Worlds:Comparing‘Exploration’ and ‘Activity’ Sandboxes.” Gamasutra, 10 Aug. 2016.Web.
 “The Video Game That Helped PopularizeJapaneseMecha in the West.” Kill Screen, 25 July 2016. Web.*
 “Mutual Engagement: How to Craft CompellingCharacter Interactions.” Gamasutra, 13 July 2016. Web.
 “The Devil’s in the Details:Analyzing Doom’s Design Elements and Nuances.” Gamasutra, 26 May 2016. Web.*
 “The Importance of Presentation in Games and How to Strengthen It.” Gamasutra, 18 Apr. 2016. Web.*
 “Creating Effective and Memorable Video Game Stories.” Gamasutra, 3 Feb. 2016. Web.*
 “Out of Character: How to Design Good Game Characters.” Gamasutra, 25 Aug. 2015. Web.
EDUCATION
 Queens University of Charlotte Charlotte, NC
Master of Fine Arts, Creative Writing – Fiction January 2022
 Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Worcester, MA
Bachelor of Science, Interactive Media & Game Development May 2017
o Graduated with High Distinction,GPA3.84/4.00.
WRITING PROJECTS
 Flash Book Review List: Litbazaar (Goodreads) March 2020 – Present
o Composed flash reviews for 150 works of fiction and nonfiction.
o Graded fiction in terms of characterization,pacing,writingstyle,and thematic potency.
o Rated nonfiction in terms of narrativeflow,research depth, research breadth, and subject appeal.
 Game Writing and Narrative Design: Cathnoquey; The Fractured Isles (MobDB) March 2020 – Present
o Wrote character,location,and dialogsheets for a Skyrim modification.
o Became Lead Writer in June 2021.
o Provided feedback for other writers’ works and assigned specific tasksto writingteam via Trello.
 Short Story: The Phandame’s Pain (The ScarletLeaf Review) June 2020
o Authored a shortfantasy story about a ghost trapped on an island and in a time loop,
trying to help a stranded pilotflee a monster chasingher around the island.
 Documentary Video: Embracing F.E.A.R. (GVMERS) June 2017
o Penned and edited the scriptof a documentary video analyzingthegameplay and horror
aspects of the 2005 Monolith Productions game. Received over 460,000 views on YouTube.

3.
MICHEL SABBAGH
Page 3
 Visual Novel: Streams of Nurture (WPI Major QualifyingProject) May 2017
o Produced, wrote and scripted a visual novel based on sustainableaquaculture in
collaboration with visual artistLiamMiller and sound designer David Allen.The game
was builtusing Ren’Py, with sourcecontrol managed by SourceTree/BitBucket.
o Game was noted in The Telegraph (Parlock,Joe. “How Independent
Video Game Developers areExploringthe World’s Environmental Issues.” The Telegraph,
24 July 2017. Web).
o The project also earned WPI’s 2017 Kranich Prize(HonorableMention), an award honoring
“students majoringin engineeringor sciencewho best exemplify excellence in the humanities
and arts and the integration of these disciplines into their undergraduate experience.”
 Academic Paper: Effort Upon Effort: Japanese Influences in Western First-Person Shooters December 2015
(WPI Interactive QualifyingProject)
o Authored an in-depth study of Japanese-influenced Western first-person shooters.
o Lectures based on this paper were presented by invitation atthe ReplayingJapan
Conference (Strong Museum of Play,Rochester, NY, August 2017) and the Canadian
Game Studies Association Conference (Ryerson University,Toronto, ON, May 2017).
o An excerpt of Effort Upon Effort was featured on the Summer 2016 edition of the
Worcester Journal and officially endorsed by Warner Bros.game developer Monolith Productions.
AWARDS & HONORS
 Appearance on game design podcasts and interviews including: May 2017 – Present
o “The Gamers Narrative.” YouTube, 22 Apr. 2019. Web.
o “ExaminingFirstPerson Shooter Design.” Game Wisdom, 7 July 2017. Web.
o “How Immersion Elevates Emergent Game Design.” Game Wisdom, 27 May 2017. Web.
 Gold Award recipient in the NarrativeReview Competition at the Game Developers Conference March 2017
in San Francisco for an analysisof Thief: The Dark Project.
 First-placewinner in the Lightning Pitch Contest, Worcester Game Pile. October 2015
SKILLS
 General Software: MicrosoftOffice,Hemingway Editor, ProWritingAid,Outlook,Google Docs/Slides/Sheets
 Languages: English (Native Proficiency),French (Limited WorkingProficiency)
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
 Association of Writers & WritingPrograms August 2019 - Present
 Quebec Writers’Federation December 2018 – Present
 International Game Developers Association September 2015 – Present
REFERENCES
 Chelsea Risley, Editor-in-Chief, Southern Review of Books
chelsea.risley@gmail.com
 Jonathan Dee, Associate Professor, Syracuse University
jrdee100@syr.edu
 Don Rath, Adjunct Professor, Golden Gate University
don_rath@yahoo.com
 Brian Moriarty, Professor of Practice, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
bmoriarty@wpi.edu