We take SERIOUS playfully
Dire Lark is a game design for change studio. Alongside internal projects, we also co-design with other game teams and "serious" organizations alike to craft compelling, impactful, playful experiences.
Here’s how we work with other teams:
Embedded Design Leadership
“We are so thankful for Trevin and how he transformed TRAKID. He turned our tech platform into an educational game consumers love playing all over the country. I never imagined it could be this interactive and fun.” Brandon Kashani, Founder and CEO, TRAKID
We specialize in bringing engaging play into places where fun isn’t usually found, offering new experiences which leave players better off. Tech, finance, healthcare, climate—no matter your context, we can work closely with your team to leverage gameplay and gamification’s power to reach your goals.
Design Coaching and Co-Designing
“Before meeting Trevin, it was challenging to efficiently communicate the design with the team and to empower designers to iterate autonomously. Now, we focus on goals and how we validate them, both for our players and our team. My mentality has shifted personally, even in my new role, and throughout the studio.” Vincent Hippoman, Design Director, Double Stallion
Our team members have shipped games for over a decade, often taking wisdom from across the broader world of design and funneling it all into traditional game development contexts. Whether you’re designing for change or creating great entertainment, we can level up your design team with the advanced practices they need to confidently craft with intention and precision.
Design Research and Dissemination
"Trevin's ability to organize and present incredibly complex theoretical and scientific concepts in a format that is not only accessible, but supportive of the reader's learning journey, was one of the key factors in the success of the Environmental Game Design Playbook." Clayton Whittle, Ph.D., Learning Specialist, Project Learning Tree
General wisdom can be helpful, but there’s real value in learning how to impact your specific audience. We’re actively researching the most promising methods and practices as we work with our partners, and we’ve been excited to share what we’ve learned so far in writing and at conferences around the world.
Gaming for climate action
The strategy guide for designers, developers, and publishers
We gathered expertise from around the world to reveal the core challenges of making effective climate games as well as highlight effective strategies for overcoming those challenges. This work was made possible by the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center, and you can read it now.
About Us
We’re a team of multidisciplinary designers and game developers with expertise in researching, developing, and launching play-driven interventions in wickedly complex contexts.
All projects are run by Dire Lark founder Trevin York. Trevin has spent over a decade collaborating with talented teams to make games and other interactive experiences focused on effecting lasting change. Alongside internal game development projects, the Dire Lark team works with organizations ranging from tech startups to game studios to international firms, bringing game design techniques and processes to projects aiming for real-world positive impacts across a variety of contexts.
Trevin has a master’s in design for change from the University of Edinburgh, where he researched, designed, and developed multidisciplinary design interventions addressing wickedly complex social, technical, and environmental problems. His latest work builds on these studies, focusing on the research and design of pro-environmental impact games and interventions. Trevin is a co-author of the IGDA Climate SIG’s Environmental Game Design Playbook and a senior fellow with the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center, through which he recently published the Gaming for Climate Action report.
Work With Us
Get in touch to book a free discovery call.