All my life I’ve been a fierce force of imagination, persistence, and hard work: like a dragon hunting for gold. But instead of treasure, I’ve been searching for stories to tell and ways to make an impact.

Born in Belarus, I studied journalism in Bulgaria and worked in marketing in Russia, but storytelling has always been my true passion. I create narratives that allow people to explore fresh perspectives in a safe, immersive way.

As a queer, neurodivergent woman from a patriarchal country, I’m passionate about shedding light on complex topics through my work. Over the years, I’ve designed more than 100 LARP games, written 10+ original tabletop campaigns, and worked as a script supervisor on the short film Mein Name Akim (2024), which tells the story of transgender refugees in Germany.

During my MA in Serial Storytelling at IFS Cologne, I honed my skills across genres, working on solo projects as well as collaborating in Writers' Rooms.

Currently, I’m co-developing a visual novel game with a co-author as a passion project.

Now that I've completed my degree, I’m eager to bring my creativity to TV and gaming, crafting stories in both English and German.

Dragons never stop breathing fire. And neither do I, with an endless flow of ideas and stories I can’t wait to share.

Alena Lysiakova

🎧 Too much sound can ruin your audio game.

Audio designers love layering: music, background ambience, footsteps, breathing, radio static, wind, distant sirens, and emotional underscore. 

And suddenly your “immersive experience” feels like standing inside a broken washing machine. 

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: most people don’t play audio games in perfect silence. They’re commuting. Cooking. Walking. Folding laundry. 

Audio storytelling competes with real life. If your game requires 100% concentration at all times just to understand what’s happening, you’re designing against the format.

Cognitive overload is real:
🐲 Constant SFX + dense dialogue = fatigue
🐲 Overlapping voices = confusion
🐲 Permanent music bed = emotional flattening
🐲 No breathing room = listener burnout

Immersion doesn’t come from “more sound.” It comes from intentional sound. Silence matters. Contrast matters. Clarity matters. Design audio like oxygen.

Good audio narrative design respects the listener’s brain, because the worst experience isn’t “hard,” it’s exhausting.

#NarrativeDesign #AudioGames

Alena Lysiakova 🐉

Narrative designer and screenwriter ▶️ Let's create stories that make an impact

Not every choice needs to derail the plot. 👾 


But every choice should change the experience.

In audio games especially, meaningful choices aren’t always about branching into entirely new storylines. They’re about shaping how the story feels to the player.

Good choices can:
🐲 Shift tone (kind, cautious, reckless, ruthless)
🐲 Redefine relationships and trust
🐲 Change how the player sees themselves in the story
🐲 Unlock bonus lore or small secrets that reward attention

One of my favorite design approaches is building narrative branches as journeys between fixed plot points. The destination stays the same, but the path there changes who you are when you arrive. The agency lives in letting the player leave their fingerprints all over it.

👉 If a choice makes the player think, “This felt like me,” then it worked, even if the plot stayed exactly where it was.

#NarrativeDesign #AudioGames #GameWriting

Dating used to be awkward dinners and nervous eye contact… now it’s co-op bosses and shared loot drops. 🎮💘

In my latest article, I dig into why playing together is becoming the new dating, and how games are quietly reshaping connection, chemistry, and even heartbreak.

👉 https://lnkd.in/eU6XgMn8

If you’re into storytelling, relationships, or just fascinated by how games intersect with real life feelings, this one might hit a nerve.

#GamingCulture #Storytelling

Open article: Why playing together is the new dating by meer.com

Quick reminder: besides writing stories, I also help other people write theirs. 🎧✍️

I’m opening a few free coaching spots this month for storytellers:  screenwriters, game writers and copywriters or anyone trying to untangle their plot at 2am. 

👉 If you want sharp feedback, practical tools, and zero sugarcoating (but lots of support), hop in.

Open article: ADPList: Get mentored by Alena Lysiakova 🐉 on ADPList by adplist.org

ADPList: Get mentored by Alena Lysiakova 🐉 on ADPList

The uncomfortable truth about writing for audio: sometimes experience gets in the way. 🐲 


I coach a lot of writers transitioning into interactive audio, and I keep seeing the same pattern: the more experienced the writer, the harder it can be to adapt.

Not because they’re not talented, but because they’re used to controlling the frame.

In audio, you don’t have visuals to lean on. You don’t have text people can reread. You don’t have cinematic shortcuts.

You have a voice. Timing. Space. Silence. Choice phrasing. Cognitive load.

And if you try to force screenwriting logic or prose logic onto audio without adjusting, the story simply doesn’t breathe. 

💡 Audio is a different architecture. It demands different pacing, different exposition control and different emotional calibration.

That’s why transitioning with a coach helps. Not because you don’t know how to write, but because someone needs to point out the invisible friction early.

You can read all the documents you want. Clarity usually comes when someone listens and says, “This works. This doesn’t. And here’s why, specifically for audio.”

Different medium requires different muscles. And once they click, audio becomes addictive.

#NarrativeDesign #AudioGames #StoryCoaching

Feel Good Murder TV was on 🔥 in 2025. Is it still so?

That TV trend that feels strange to explain but makes total sense once you experience it. 🐲 

In my latest article, I explore why feel-good murder shows are suddenly everywhere and why audiences are strangely into it.

👉 https://lnkd.in/euAhfDMu

If you’re interested in how tone, genre expectations, and emotional hooks shape modern storytelling (especially in TV), this one might make you rethink what “comfort viewing” really means.

#Storytelling #TVTrends #MediaAnalysis

Open article: The rise of feel-good murder TV by meer.com

Choices without context aren’t suspenseful. 💀 


They’re just guesses.

🐲 When a player is asked to make a decision, they need enough information to imagine possible outcomes, not the exact result, but the shape of the risk.

Take this:
“Should he hide or confront the burglar?”
That’s not a meaningful choice. It’s a coin toss.

Now compare it to:
“Hiding is probably the safer choice, but what if he can stop the thief right now? Should he hide or confront the burglar?”

Same options. Completely different experience.

💡 The second version gives the player something to weigh: safety vs. action, fear vs. responsibility, risk now vs. regret later.

Good narrative design isn’t about revealing consequences. It’s about framing decisions so the player can reason emotionally, not randomly.

#NarrativeDesign #AudioGames #GameWriting

In visual games, players always know where they are. There’s a map, a UI, and a quest log. Basically, something grounding them.

In audio there is nothing like that. Which means if you don’t deliberately build structural anchors, your story starts to drift.

Structural anchors are recurring elements that help listeners orient themselves without realizing it.

It could be:
🐲 A specific location you return to
🐲 A character who always reappears between major beats
🐲 A ritual moment (a radio check-in, a diary entry, a nightly call)
🐲 A recurring sound cue that signals transition

These anchors are architecture. Without them, scenes blur. Branches feel random. The player doesn’t feel lost because the plot is confusing; they feel lost because there’s no spatial or emotional reference point. Audio needs repetition with intention.

When players hear that familiar voice, that recurring space, that structural checkpoint, their brain relaxes. Orientation returns. Engagement stabilizes.

#NarrativeDesign #AudioGames

Microland Limited

Responsible for driving the company's growth and service delivery in the region. This includes developing and implementing strategies to increase market share, enhance customer relationships, and ensure service delivery. 

Have a deep understanding of the EMEA market and a proven track record of success in leading and growing teams. Skilled in building and maintaining strong relationships with key stakeholders, including customers, partners, and employees.

Have delivered ~40% growth in the first two years of this role. Developed and implemented effective strategies, established strong partnerships, and multiple go-to-market initiatives across Energy & Utilities, Manufacturing, Business Services and Local Government.

SVP and Head of EMEA

Responsible for driving the company's marketing strategy and overseeing all marketing initiatives. This includes developing and implementing plans to increase brand awareness, lead generation, and customer engagement. Plan and execute integrated marketing campaigns across a variety of channels, including events, social media, email, and content marketing.

Work closely with cross-functional teams to align marketing efforts with the overall business goals and objectives. 

Skilled at leveraging data and insights to inform marketing decisions.

Chief Marketing Officer (Interim)

Helping IT service providers to scale fast and accelerate growth.

Senior Vice President -  Global Technology Alliances

Responsible for the company's business in the ANZ/ASEAN region. I'm also responsible for the global solutioning and bid management for Microland.

Part of Microland since 2003 and have played many critical leadership roles in the US, UK, Australia and India. I have extensive experience in leading strategic, operational and functional pursuits in the IT outsourcing space with a keen eye for digital technologies and their application in support services. I have led many global deals for Microland and acquired customers that are strategic/top 10 accounts today.

Senior Vice President & Geo Head - ANZ

I was responsible for setting up the company locally and building the business from the ground up. This included developing and implementing strategies to establish a strong presence in the market, establish key partnerships, and drive revenue growth.

Vice President and Country Head (ANZ)

Was responsible for leading the company's information technology strategy and overseeing all IT initiatives. This included developing and implementing plans to improve system infrastructure, data management, and cybersecurity.

I worked very closely with the executive team to define and execute the company's IT vision, and I was instrumental in delivering innovative and cost-effective solutions, including two large transformation programs that supported the organisation's growth.

Chief Information Officer

Responsible for developing end to end solutions and bid responses for all prospects and customers of Microland globally across verticals. This includes presales support, collateral creation, solution design and bid management. Also responsible for commercial modeling and overall business realization.

Vice President - Solutions & Bid Management

AVP - Solutions & Services

Associate Vice President & Head -  Application Management Services

AGM & Practice Head - Infrastructure Application Services

Associate General Manager – Technology

Consultant/ Sr. Consultant / Group Consultant

Microland

Specialist

Entrepreneur

Founder

EMEA Business Head | Intrapreneur |Technology Solutions | Revenue Growth | Ex-CIO | Ex-CMO | Generative AI Enthusiast - Follow me for GPT Enterprise Use Cases

I am an accomplished business leader and intrapreneur with over 20 years of experience in the IT industry. I currently lead the EMEA business at Microland Limited, a global digital transformation company that provides innovative solutions to customers across various sectors. I am responsible for driving the company's growth and service delivery in the region, developing and implementing strategies to increase market share, enhance customer relationships, and ensure service excellence.

I have a deep understanding of the EMEA market and a proven track record of success in leading and growing teams. I have delivered ~40% growth in the first two years of this role, established strong partnerships, and launched multiple go-to-market initiatives across Energy & Utilities, Manufacturing, Business Services, and Local Government. 

I have also served as an interim CMO and a CIO at Microland Limited, gaining valuable insights into the marketing and technology functions. I have an MBA from Alliance Manchester Business School and a PowerMBA certification, which have enriched my knowledge and skills in business administration and management. I am also an advocate and enthusiast of Generative AI, a transformative technology that has immense potential for innovation and value creation.

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