IF PEOPLE AREN’T HAVING FUN

THEY LEAVE

NO MATTER HOW GOOD YOUR

GRAPHICS, TECH, OR BUDGET ARE

I help creators fix that core problem by making their games, apps, and experiences emotionally engaging, addictive, and fun, across any platform, genre or audience

  • "I’m impressed with Joe’s work."

    Nolan Bushnell (Atari Founder)

  • "I got too caught up in some evil FarmVille monetizing paywall, and forgot games are about fun first. Joe inspired me to go back to that."

    Jarred Davis (App Developer)

  • "His empathy for the player guides his thinking on how to make a complex system feel intuitive to users, which creates great games that people love to play. Joe does what few people try—he poses the question, “What makes something fun?” and the resulting deconstruction of fun into its components enables him to create successful experiences time and time again."

    Lira Samanta (Content Manager)

  • " He left us with not only a great MVP, but also a superb design road-map for how we can continue to enrich our experience over time."

    Spencer Hutchins (CEO of Reflexion Health)

  • "Joe’s confidence in identifying what makes a game fun shines through. We look forward to embedding his suggestions and observing how the market reacts."

    Eli Jimenez (VentR-out CEO)

  • "He has a remarkable understanding of player psychology, emotional engagement, and the core principles of fun. Over the course of just a month working together, Joe completely transformed my game’s direction. He helped us streamline unnecessary features while refining the core mechanics to create a more engaging experience."

    Meric O (App Developer)

WHAT I DO

Save & Busters logo with the text "DAVE & BUSTER'S" in bold white letters on a red and orange background inside a circular blue border.
Graphic with stylized stars and the text 'IMAGINEERING' in blue and black font.
Logo for Game Show Network featuring a 3x3 grid with the middle row displaying the letters G, S, N in white on red blocks, and the text 'GAME SHOW NETWORK' beneath.
Wolf Entertainment logo featuring a large white circle and stylized blue text.
U.S. Air Force emblem with stylized silver wings and the words U.S. AIR FORCE below.
Logo for The Virtual Reality Company and VRC Studios, featuring interlinked circles with the letters V, R, C.

BOXBLASTER VR

An orange circular symbol with a white diamond shape in the center and four orange segments extending outward.
Innovative Entertainment logo with the word 'Innovative' in cursive blue font and 'ENTERTAINMENT' in uppercase green font underneath.
A large rectangular yellow banner with no text or images.
VentR-Out logo with an orange and black triangular icon above the text
The Microsoft Azure logo with the word 'accepting' in large white text and a purple angular symbol above it.
AT&T logo featuring a blue sphere made of horizontal lines and the white text "AT&T" beside it.
Nickelodeon logo in orange with black text
The Mortal Games logo in red and black text.
A plain, transparent image with no visible objects or scenery.
Farmers Insurance logo featuring a shield with a red center and blue and white rays, and the words "FARMERS INSURANCE" in blue and red.
Twitter logo, a white bird silhouette inside a blue circle.
A pink logo resembling a stylized 'M' with the word 'MODAL' below it in pink letters.
The word 'PUTTSCAPE' in bold, stylized black and white lettering.
Light blue square with rounded corners.

Who I Work With

A teal video game controller with buttons and joysticks.

Game Developers

  • Core Gameplay Loop

  • Player Psychology

  • Casual & Hardcore Audience

A purple desktop computer monitor
A pair of purple goggles with a black strap.

VR / AR Experiences

  • Emotional Impact

  • Intuitive Experiences

  • For all audiences

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A digital icon of a network or web structure with interconnected nodes and lines.

Themed Entertainment

  • IP Integration

  • Immersive Experiences

  • Accessible for all

Purple playing card with a five of clubs suit symbol.
A purple laboratory flask icon.

Projects with No Precedent

  • First-of-its-kind

  • Uncharted Genre

  • New to this medium

LinkedIn post by Shannon Williams Jr., a DevOps Software Engineer II at Walt Disney Company, recommending Joe and praising his input for game development.

Testimonials

A social media post by Bob Cooney about working on an immersive experience, and recommending Joe to make it fun.
Quote about Joe's confidence in market analysis attributed to Eli Jimenez, with a purple vertical line on the left side of the text.
Customer feedback quote about Joe's understanding of player psychology, emotional engagement, and core principles of fun, praising his help in transforming game direction and streamlining features over a month of work. The quote is on a gradient blue background with text at the bottom displaying a website URL.

FAQ

  • Most commonly people are looking for a solution to an experience that doesn’t feel exciting, fun, or engaging. I have identified and defined what makes a product truly fun, and I will show you exactly what you need to add, remove or refine, no matter what product you have, to serve the psychological needs of the audience, and make it truly memorable and fun.

  • Depending on the package, you will walk away:

    • insight no one else has

    • an audit of your experience

    • documentation on what to improve, how and why

    • a fully developed and designed product.

    Check out my solutions page for more detail.

  • Yes, even if you’re far down the road of development I can work with you have and let you know how salvageable it is and how to best proceed next. It’s never too late to make it as fun as it can be!

    We can help with business decisions regarding feasibility and help you decide if you need to pivot.

  • I spent over 20 years making stuff fun, I can most likely answer your question, no matter how nebulous it may seem, in a one hour session.

The book titled "Blueprint for Fun" by Joseph Mares, with a dark blue cover featuring yellow and white text, and an illustration of a curved arrow indicating a playful or dynamic concept.

My Book is available now!

Demystifying “fun” so you can make more authentic, innovative, and fun products.

Ready to Make Your Product Fun?