Jeeyon Shim

Jeeyon Shim is a second generation Korean American indie role-playing game and live action role-playing game designer and writer. A former outdoor educator, her body of work is strongly influenced by themes of connection to the natural world. Her narrative games often require players to create keepsake artifacts.

Career Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Shim was made redundant from her outdoor education job and pivoted to "full-time game design in 2020". Field Guide to Memory centers on the creation of a journal through guided writing prompts with occasional live action mechanics, such as going on a hike in real life to echo a fictional hike experienced by the characters in-game.

In addition to working with Khor on Field Guide to Memory, Shim has collaborated on indie role-playing game projects with Jason Morningstar The Last Will and Testament of Gideon Blythe, and The Snow Queen which were all funded via crowdfunding campaigns. In 2023, Codega included Shim on a list of "people to follow" in the "Year Ahead in Tabletop Roleplaying Games" – they described Shim as "an innovative and fresh voice in tabletop design" pursuing sustainable and independent game design with "nearly a dozen games [released] over the past three years".

Awards and nominations Field Guide to Memory won the 2021 IndieCade Award in the best live game category. Shim was awarded the inaugural Diana Jones Emerging Designer Award in 2021. In 2022, Shim was nominated for "Designer of the Year" in the inaugural Tabletop Awards by Dicebreaker at PAX Unplugged.

Personal life

Shim was born in the United States and currently lives in Northern California, where she's spent the majority of her life.

Shim developed Long COVID in 2022.

Works