Play My Resume
Exploring Resume and CV Differentiation Through Personalized Web-Based Games
Abstract
Since the 1980s, creative job seekers have turned to nontraditional and interactive resume formats to help set themselves apart from other candidates. The “game resume” is one such example that continues to garner praise eleven years after the first publicly available example by graphic designer Robby Leonardi. This study investigates: a) the history of nontraditional and interactive resumes leading up to resumes that are playable; b) a do-it-yourself (DIY) game development culture setting the conditions for short, personal games; and c) the characteristics of an ever-expanding game resume collection on the itch.io games sharing platform. Thirty-three game resumes were isolated and manually reviewed against a comprehensive playtesting protocol, examining key design choices and features. A qualitative analysis of findings was conducted, leading to a more complete understanding of this online phenomenon, and beginning the process of characterizing and solidifying it as an emerging practice. We may reasonably conclude that: a) game resumes are almost always created by game designers, developers, and adjacent creative personalities seeking employment in the games industry; b) common game conventions such as scoring, power-ups, health bars, and inventory systems are intentionally kept light or even omitted altogether; and c) game resumes are designed to be short (less than five minutes of gameplay) and easy (player immortality) to enable an uninterrupted single playthrough.
References
Akter, A. (2017). Factors to improve the quality of higher education in the non-government universities in Bangladesh. International Journal of Education, Culture and Society, 2(4), 132–142. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijecs.20170204.15
Ali, A., Mohamed, A., Karim, N., Ismail, N., & Aziz, A. (2022). Redesign of active learning with using digital tools to develop student soft skills. Studies in Educational Management, 12, 10–25. https://doi.org/10.32038/sem.2022.12.02
Ariano, R. (2021). Raffaele Ariano resume by Raffaele. Itch.io. https://batraf.itch.io/raffaele-ariano-resume
Barba, A. (2020). Antonio Barba resume the game by Barbonz. Itch.io. https://barbonz.itch.io/antonio-barba-resume-the-game
Bercuci, L. (2017). Trauma in autobiographical videogames: The case of Father and I (2012). [Inter]sections, 20, 16–39.
Bernazzani, S. (2022, September 22). Best personal websites: 35+ examples to blow your mind. HubSpot. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/best-personal-websites
bitsy. (2018). A RESUME by bitsy. Itch.io. https://bitsy.itch.io/a-resume
Bogost, I. (2008). The rhetoric of video games. In K. Salen (Ed.), The ecology of games: Connecting youth, games, and learning (pp. 117–140). MIT Press.
ChenQQ. (2022). Resume by ChenQQ. Itch.io. https://chenqq.itch.io/resume
Chia, A., & Ruffino, P. (2022). Special issue introduction: Politicizing agency in digital play after humanism. Convergence: The International Journal of Research Into New Media Technologies, 28(2), 309–319. https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565221100135
Clawson, M. (2015). iPhoneography: How to create inspiring photos with your smartphone (pp. 3–13). Apress.
clementineg. (2019). You always need a French marketer by clementineg. Itch.io. https://clementineg.itch.io/you-always-need-a-french-marketer
Cober, Z. (2017). Zachary Cober playable resume by Zachary Cober. Itch.io. https://zachary-cober.itch.io/zacharycoberresume
Cole, D., Maragliano, A., & Werning, S. (2020). Playable personas: Using games and play to expand the repertoire of
learner personas. Persona Studies, 6(2), 38–53. https://doi.org/10.21153/psj2020vol6no2art965
Collins, F. (2008). Digital selves: Preparing graduates for the virtual workplace. EdMedia + Innovate Learning, 5853–5858. https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/29195/
containedx. (2023). interactive resume by containedx. Itch.io. https://containedx.itch.io/interactive-resume
Cook, M. (2018). The road less travelled: Trying and failing to generate walking simulators. Woodstock ’18: ACM Symposium on Neural Gaze Detection, June 03–05, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2104.10789
Crowther, W. (1976). Colossal cave adventure [PDP-10]. Crowther.
Cyan, Inc. (1993). Myst [Macintosh]. Broderbund.
Deitz, L. (2015, January 29). Professionalism is a lie. Linkedin. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/professionalism-lie-luke-deitz/?trk=public_profile_article_view
deVilla, J. (2017, June 13). A sneak preview of my experimental videogame résumé. Global Nerdy. https://www.globalnerdy.com/2017/06/13/a-sneak-preview-of-my-experimental-videogame-resume/
divine1123. (2023). My resume game by divine1123. Itch.io. https://divine1123.itch.io/my-resume-game
Eken, S. (2020). An exploratory teaching program in big data analysis for undergraduate students. Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Humanized Computing, 11(10), 4285–4304. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12652-020-02447-4
Farber, M., & Schrier, K. (2021). Beyond winning: A situational analysis of two digital autobiographical games. Game Studies, 21(4). https://gamestudies.org/2104/articles/farber_schrier
Ford, R. (2013, December). The making of Robby Leonardi’s interactive resume. The FWA. https://thefwa.com/article/the-making-of-robby-leonardi-s-interactive-resume
Gallagher, R. (2019). The uses of ludobiography: Life writing and game studies. Proceedings of DiGRA. http://www.digra.org/wp-content/uploads/digital-library/DiGRA_2019_paper_155.pdf
Gallagher, R. (2022). Humanising gaming? The politics of posthuman agency in autobiographical videogames. Convergence: The International Journal of Research Into New Media Technologies, 28(2), 359–373. https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565221083485
Glenn, M. (2022, October 24). Is a nontraditional resume right for you? Another Source. https://anothersource.com/is-a-nontraditional-resume-right-for-you/
Goldsmith, L., & Martin, G. E. (2009). Developing and implementing an effective online educational leadership internship. International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, 4(1), 1–12. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1068484
groovyMobb. (2021). Interactive Resume by groovyMobb. Itch.io. https://groovymobb.itch.io/interactive-resume
Haggis, M. (2016). Creator’s discussion of the growing focus on, and potential of, storytelling in video game design. Persona Studies, 2(1), 20–26. https://doi.org/10.21153/ps2016vol2no1art532
HeliusCarthaxis. (2020). Building blocks—A playable resume by HeliusCarthaxis. Itch.io. https://heliuscarthaxis.itch.io/pr
Heriot, C. (2018). Cooper Heriot resume by ADiggins. Itch.io. https://adiggins.itch.io/cooper-heriot-resume
Iim. (2017). my Resume by Iim. Itch.io. https://iim.itch.io/my-resume
ishfulthinking. (2019). ResuméBound by ishfulthinking. Itch.io. https://ishfulthinking.itch.io/resumebound
KavikaSharma. (2023). Resume game by KavikaSharma. Itch.io. https://kavikasharma.itch.io/resume-game
Kovacs, B. (2017). Interactive resume Ben Kovacs by Ben. Itch.io. https://benkovacs.itch.io/iresume
Laudon, K. (2001). The interactive computing series: Office XP vol I. Career Education.
Leonardi, R. (2013). Robby Leonardi—Interactive resume. Robby Leonardi. http://www.rleonardi.com/interactive-resume/
LevyZhang. (2023). MeTerminal by LevyZhang. Itch.io. https://dodio12138.itch.io/me-terminal
LucasArts. (1990). The secret of Monkey Island [PC]. LucasArts.
lucspinto. (2022). Resume by lucspinto. Itch.io. https://lucspinto.itch.io/resume
lvl_up. (2023). my digital resume by lvl_up. Itch.io. https://lvl-up.itch.io/my-digital-resume
manaki_senpai. (2023). RESUME by manaki_senpai. Itch.io. https://manaki-senpai.itch.io/resume
Margarida, J. (2022). Joana Margarida’s resume by joanamargarida. Itch.io. https://joanamargarida.itch.io/joana-margarida-resume
Matthieu. (2023). ThePirateAdventure (Resume—CV) by Matthieu. Itch.io. https://matthieuworldtraveler.itch.io/cv-interatif
Maxime C. (2023). Maxime’s virtual resume by Maxime C. Itch.io. https://maxjuco.itch.io/maximes-virtual-resume
Mcneil, P. (2014). The web designer’s idea book. Volume 4: Inspiration from todays best web design trends, themes, and styles. How Books.
MoisesC. (2020). Moises CV by MoisesC. Itch.io. https://moisesc.itch.io/moises-cv
Montagut, I. (2016). Resume by Ignacio Montagut. Itch.io. https://guttymon.itch.io/resume
Mostyn, P. (2016). DEC 2016 resume by patrick.mostyn. Itch.io. https://patrickmostyn.itch.io/dec-2016-resume
Ms .45. (2016). Dwarva for hire—A resume in Twine by Ms .45. Itch.io. https://ms45.itch.io/dwarva-for-hire
Mulla, T. (2017). Market yourself for the job you want. International Journal of Family Business and Management, 1(2), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.15226/2577-7815/1/2/00103
Neristhyra. (2021). The resume game by Neristhyra. Itch.io. https://neristhyra.itch.io/the-resume-game
Nintendo. (1985). Super Mario Bros. [Nintendo Entertainment System]. Nintendo.
Nintendo R&D4. (1987). The legend of Zelda [Nintendo Entertainment System]. Nintendo.
Poirier-Poulin, S. (2020). Memory, autofiction, and identity in video games: The case of Looking Back. An interview with Kristopher Poulin-Thibault. Loading: The Journal of the Canadian Game Studies Association, 13(21), 77–90. https://doi.org/10.7202/1071453ar
Poremba, C. (2007). Play with me: Exploring the autobiographical through digital games. Proceedings of DiGRA 2007 Situated Play Conference, 4, 24–28. http://www.digra.org/digital-library/publications/play-with-me-exploring-the-autobiographical-through-digital-games/
Sharp, K. (1995). Refining a traditional document: Resumes are presented in different ways but the message is still the same. EEO Bimonthly, 26(4), 1–5.
shi-yh. (2023). Resume by shi-yh. Itch.io. https://shi-yh.itch.io/resume
Siddall, L. (2013, October 21). Animation: Best CV ever? Check out the world’s first interactive platform résumé from Robby Leonardi. Itsniceofthat. https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/animation-robby-leonardi
Simms, B. (2020). Benjamin Simms—Interactive resume by bwsimms. Itch.io. https://bwsimms.itch.io/benjamin-simms-interactive-resume
Square. (1987). Final fantasy. [Nintendo Entertainment System]. Square.
TheDankZebra. (2019). My resume game by TheDankZebra. Itch.io. https://thedankzebra.itch.io/resume-game
Theodorou, M. (2021, September 23). Résumé examples: 20 creative ideas to stand out. Carreeraddict. https://www.careeraddict.com/creative-cv-examples
Thompson, A. (2021). Allegra Thompson interactive resume by theskymapper. Itch.io. https://theskymapper.itch.io/allegra-thompson-interactive-resume
TKG Studios. (2022). Interactive resume v1 by TKG Studios. Itch.io. https://tkgstudios.itch.io/interactive-resume-v1
Volk, L., & Currier, D. (2020). No plastic sleeves: The complete portfolio and self-promotion guide (3rd ed.). Routledge.
Wang, S., & Shyu, F. (2014). Study on parallax scrolling web page conversion module. In J. Pan, V. Snasel, E. Corchado, A. Abraham, & S. Wang (Eds.), Intelligent data analysis and its applications, volume I (pp. 235–243). Springer.
Werning, S. (2017). The persona in autobiographical game-making as a playful performance of the self. Persona Studies, 3(1), 28–42. https://doi.org/10.21153/ps2017vol3no1art650
Youkos. (2019). Resume by Youkos. Itch.io. https://youkos.itch.io/resume
Ali, A., Mohamed, A., Karim, N., Ismail, N., & Aziz, A. (2022). Redesign of active learning with using digital tools to develop student soft skills. Studies in Educational Management, 12, 10–25. https://doi.org/10.32038/sem.2022.12.02
Ariano, R. (2021). Raffaele Ariano resume by Raffaele. Itch.io. https://batraf.itch.io/raffaele-ariano-resume
Barba, A. (2020). Antonio Barba resume the game by Barbonz. Itch.io. https://barbonz.itch.io/antonio-barba-resume-the-game
Bercuci, L. (2017). Trauma in autobiographical videogames: The case of Father and I (2012). [Inter]sections, 20, 16–39.
Bernazzani, S. (2022, September 22). Best personal websites: 35+ examples to blow your mind. HubSpot. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/best-personal-websites
bitsy. (2018). A RESUME by bitsy. Itch.io. https://bitsy.itch.io/a-resume
Bogost, I. (2008). The rhetoric of video games. In K. Salen (Ed.), The ecology of games: Connecting youth, games, and learning (pp. 117–140). MIT Press.
ChenQQ. (2022). Resume by ChenQQ. Itch.io. https://chenqq.itch.io/resume
Chia, A., & Ruffino, P. (2022). Special issue introduction: Politicizing agency in digital play after humanism. Convergence: The International Journal of Research Into New Media Technologies, 28(2), 309–319. https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565221100135
Clawson, M. (2015). iPhoneography: How to create inspiring photos with your smartphone (pp. 3–13). Apress.
clementineg. (2019). You always need a French marketer by clementineg. Itch.io. https://clementineg.itch.io/you-always-need-a-french-marketer
Cober, Z. (2017). Zachary Cober playable resume by Zachary Cober. Itch.io. https://zachary-cober.itch.io/zacharycoberresume
Cole, D., Maragliano, A., & Werning, S. (2020). Playable personas: Using games and play to expand the repertoire of
learner personas. Persona Studies, 6(2), 38–53. https://doi.org/10.21153/psj2020vol6no2art965
Collins, F. (2008). Digital selves: Preparing graduates for the virtual workplace. EdMedia + Innovate Learning, 5853–5858. https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/29195/
containedx. (2023). interactive resume by containedx. Itch.io. https://containedx.itch.io/interactive-resume
Cook, M. (2018). The road less travelled: Trying and failing to generate walking simulators. Woodstock ’18: ACM Symposium on Neural Gaze Detection, June 03–05, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2104.10789
Crowther, W. (1976). Colossal cave adventure [PDP-10]. Crowther.
Cyan, Inc. (1993). Myst [Macintosh]. Broderbund.
Deitz, L. (2015, January 29). Professionalism is a lie. Linkedin. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/professionalism-lie-luke-deitz/?trk=public_profile_article_view
deVilla, J. (2017, June 13). A sneak preview of my experimental videogame résumé. Global Nerdy. https://www.globalnerdy.com/2017/06/13/a-sneak-preview-of-my-experimental-videogame-resume/
divine1123. (2023). My resume game by divine1123. Itch.io. https://divine1123.itch.io/my-resume-game
Eken, S. (2020). An exploratory teaching program in big data analysis for undergraduate students. Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Humanized Computing, 11(10), 4285–4304. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12652-020-02447-4
Farber, M., & Schrier, K. (2021). Beyond winning: A situational analysis of two digital autobiographical games. Game Studies, 21(4). https://gamestudies.org/2104/articles/farber_schrier
Ford, R. (2013, December). The making of Robby Leonardi’s interactive resume. The FWA. https://thefwa.com/article/the-making-of-robby-leonardi-s-interactive-resume
Gallagher, R. (2019). The uses of ludobiography: Life writing and game studies. Proceedings of DiGRA. http://www.digra.org/wp-content/uploads/digital-library/DiGRA_2019_paper_155.pdf
Gallagher, R. (2022). Humanising gaming? The politics of posthuman agency in autobiographical videogames. Convergence: The International Journal of Research Into New Media Technologies, 28(2), 359–373. https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565221083485
Glenn, M. (2022, October 24). Is a nontraditional resume right for you? Another Source. https://anothersource.com/is-a-nontraditional-resume-right-for-you/
Goldsmith, L., & Martin, G. E. (2009). Developing and implementing an effective online educational leadership internship. International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, 4(1), 1–12. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1068484
groovyMobb. (2021). Interactive Resume by groovyMobb. Itch.io. https://groovymobb.itch.io/interactive-resume
Haggis, M. (2016). Creator’s discussion of the growing focus on, and potential of, storytelling in video game design. Persona Studies, 2(1), 20–26. https://doi.org/10.21153/ps2016vol2no1art532
HeliusCarthaxis. (2020). Building blocks—A playable resume by HeliusCarthaxis. Itch.io. https://heliuscarthaxis.itch.io/pr
Heriot, C. (2018). Cooper Heriot resume by ADiggins. Itch.io. https://adiggins.itch.io/cooper-heriot-resume
Iim. (2017). my Resume by Iim. Itch.io. https://iim.itch.io/my-resume
ishfulthinking. (2019). ResuméBound by ishfulthinking. Itch.io. https://ishfulthinking.itch.io/resumebound
KavikaSharma. (2023). Resume game by KavikaSharma. Itch.io. https://kavikasharma.itch.io/resume-game
Kovacs, B. (2017). Interactive resume Ben Kovacs by Ben. Itch.io. https://benkovacs.itch.io/iresume
Laudon, K. (2001). The interactive computing series: Office XP vol I. Career Education.
Leonardi, R. (2013). Robby Leonardi—Interactive resume. Robby Leonardi. http://www.rleonardi.com/interactive-resume/
LevyZhang. (2023). MeTerminal by LevyZhang. Itch.io. https://dodio12138.itch.io/me-terminal
LucasArts. (1990). The secret of Monkey Island [PC]. LucasArts.
lucspinto. (2022). Resume by lucspinto. Itch.io. https://lucspinto.itch.io/resume
lvl_up. (2023). my digital resume by lvl_up. Itch.io. https://lvl-up.itch.io/my-digital-resume
manaki_senpai. (2023). RESUME by manaki_senpai. Itch.io. https://manaki-senpai.itch.io/resume
Margarida, J. (2022). Joana Margarida’s resume by joanamargarida. Itch.io. https://joanamargarida.itch.io/joana-margarida-resume
Matthieu. (2023). ThePirateAdventure (Resume—CV) by Matthieu. Itch.io. https://matthieuworldtraveler.itch.io/cv-interatif
Maxime C. (2023). Maxime’s virtual resume by Maxime C. Itch.io. https://maxjuco.itch.io/maximes-virtual-resume
Mcneil, P. (2014). The web designer’s idea book. Volume 4: Inspiration from todays best web design trends, themes, and styles. How Books.
MoisesC. (2020). Moises CV by MoisesC. Itch.io. https://moisesc.itch.io/moises-cv
Montagut, I. (2016). Resume by Ignacio Montagut. Itch.io. https://guttymon.itch.io/resume
Mostyn, P. (2016). DEC 2016 resume by patrick.mostyn. Itch.io. https://patrickmostyn.itch.io/dec-2016-resume
Ms .45. (2016). Dwarva for hire—A resume in Twine by Ms .45. Itch.io. https://ms45.itch.io/dwarva-for-hire
Mulla, T. (2017). Market yourself for the job you want. International Journal of Family Business and Management, 1(2), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.15226/2577-7815/1/2/00103
Neristhyra. (2021). The resume game by Neristhyra. Itch.io. https://neristhyra.itch.io/the-resume-game
Nintendo. (1985). Super Mario Bros. [Nintendo Entertainment System]. Nintendo.
Nintendo R&D4. (1987). The legend of Zelda [Nintendo Entertainment System]. Nintendo.
Poirier-Poulin, S. (2020). Memory, autofiction, and identity in video games: The case of Looking Back. An interview with Kristopher Poulin-Thibault. Loading: The Journal of the Canadian Game Studies Association, 13(21), 77–90. https://doi.org/10.7202/1071453ar
Poremba, C. (2007). Play with me: Exploring the autobiographical through digital games. Proceedings of DiGRA 2007 Situated Play Conference, 4, 24–28. http://www.digra.org/digital-library/publications/play-with-me-exploring-the-autobiographical-through-digital-games/
Sharp, K. (1995). Refining a traditional document: Resumes are presented in different ways but the message is still the same. EEO Bimonthly, 26(4), 1–5.
shi-yh. (2023). Resume by shi-yh. Itch.io. https://shi-yh.itch.io/resume
Siddall, L. (2013, October 21). Animation: Best CV ever? Check out the world’s first interactive platform résumé from Robby Leonardi. Itsniceofthat. https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/animation-robby-leonardi
Simms, B. (2020). Benjamin Simms—Interactive resume by bwsimms. Itch.io. https://bwsimms.itch.io/benjamin-simms-interactive-resume
Square. (1987). Final fantasy. [Nintendo Entertainment System]. Square.
TheDankZebra. (2019). My resume game by TheDankZebra. Itch.io. https://thedankzebra.itch.io/resume-game
Theodorou, M. (2021, September 23). Résumé examples: 20 creative ideas to stand out. Carreeraddict. https://www.careeraddict.com/creative-cv-examples
Thompson, A. (2021). Allegra Thompson interactive resume by theskymapper. Itch.io. https://theskymapper.itch.io/allegra-thompson-interactive-resume
TKG Studios. (2022). Interactive resume v1 by TKG Studios. Itch.io. https://tkgstudios.itch.io/interactive-resume-v1
Volk, L., & Currier, D. (2020). No plastic sleeves: The complete portfolio and self-promotion guide (3rd ed.). Routledge.
Wang, S., & Shyu, F. (2014). Study on parallax scrolling web page conversion module. In J. Pan, V. Snasel, E. Corchado, A. Abraham, & S. Wang (Eds.), Intelligent data analysis and its applications, volume I (pp. 235–243). Springer.
Werning, S. (2017). The persona in autobiographical game-making as a playful performance of the self. Persona Studies, 3(1), 28–42. https://doi.org/10.21153/ps2017vol3no1art650
Youkos. (2019). Resume by Youkos. Itch.io. https://youkos.itch.io/resume
Published
May 11, 2024
Issue
Section
Articles
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright for papers and articles published in this journal is retained by the authors, with first publication rights granted to the University of Glasgow. It is a condition of publication that authors license their paper or article under a Creative Commons Attribution Licence.
