Jack Drabenstadt

Programmer · Game Designer · Sysadmin (kinda)

About Me

I’m a Computer Science and Digital Narrative & Interactive Design student at the University of Pittsburgh, focused on game design. I previously conducted research at Pitt, writing C code for intrusion-tolerant distributed systems, and I enjoy exploring storytelling and interactive systems through games and media. Currently, I’m working on an independent study to design and develop my own game.

Projects

Some info about my projects...

Discards - A narrative game about identity and moral choice.
Strangers Path - A short first-person Unity game about a stranger navigating an unfamiliar town.
Home Server - Built and managed a self-hosted, containerized server for learning and experimentation
Whole Home Audio - A custom-built system for seamless whole-home audio.
Designing and Implementing Dynamic Reconfiguration in Spire - Designed and implemented runtime configuration and key management for a distributed system.

Writing

Some info about my writing...

Digital Boundaries and Human Autonomy in Serial Experiments Lain - An analysis of Serial Experiments Lain as a critique of how digital systems blur identity, erode autonomy, and enforce surveillance-driven control.
Complicity and Collapse in MOUTHWASHING - An exploration of MOUTHWASHING as a narrative game that denies agency, implicating the player in cycles of guilt, helplessness, and moral collapse.
When Rules Write the Story: Exploring Once Upon a Time - A study of how players, rules, and social dynamics shape narratives in the collaborative card game Once Upon a Time.