Studio Grutto
Serious games, interactive tools and audio. Built from scratch.
I'm Valentijn Nieman. I design and build browser-based games and research tools, and I make audio software, instruments, and music for films and games.
What I can build for you.
Games and interactive tools that people actually want to finish. For researchers, I build experiments that keep participants engaged without compromising the science. Everything runs in the browser, so there’s nothing to install: share a link and you’re live.
Good forResearch experiments, education and exhibitions.
Fast, polished interactive experiences for the web. Ten years of web development, plus C++ compiled to WebAssembly when JavaScript isn’t fast enough.
Good forInteractive tools, data-heavy interfaces, browser-based simulations.
Original music and sound design for films, games and interactive work, and custom audio software: plugins, DSP and instruments.
Good forFilm scores, game soundtracks, sound design, audio plugins, DSP prototyping.
Listen →Selected work.
Before You Think
The Implicit Association Test, redesigned as a browser game for researchers at Universiteit Leiden studying unconscious bias. Built to keep participants engaged without compromising the science.
Complot
A detective game set in Amsterdam. Players observe citizens moving through a procedurally-timed day, scrub through time with playback controls, collect evidence, and make an arrest. I designed and built the game, and composed and recorded its original score and sound.
From the workshop.
Music.
Original music and sound design for films, games and interactive work. Videos, songs and the Complot score.
Instruments.
Cloudbuster is a phase-vocoder sampler. Point it at a folder of sounds and play them across a MIDI keyboard, with pitch and time stretched independently.
Open source.
Timeless is my open source game engine, written in C++, which also exports to WebAssembly. It’s what I build my games with.
A game studio, and an audio workshop.
Studio Grutto is the one-person studio of Valentijn Nieman in Amsterdam. When you work with me, you work directly with the person designing, coding and composing your project. I make videogames, compose and record music, and build audio instruments. Sometimes even guitar pedals!
Got a project in mind?
Planning a serious game, research tool or audio project? Tell me what you have in mind.
- 01Intro call
A free 30-minute chat about what you need.
- 02Proposal
Scope, timeline and price, in writing.
- 03Build
Regular playable versions so you see progress along the way.
Writing a grant proposal? I can help with the technical plan and budget.