A little bit about who I am

From an early age, I've always loved technology and video games. Depsite technology typically being quite systematic, there is something so wonderful and artistic in the creative process of game development that makes it stand out amongst other sectors. The stories, the worlds, even the variety of ways to interact with them, are all things I love to experience and, one day, would love to try a hand at myself. I am both a variety gamer, and a variety developer. There is no genre or platform or medium that I don't appreciate and want to try atleast once.

Six years ago (2020), the world froze in time. Literally right before that moment, I bought my first desktop PC. I'd always loved video games through Nintendo consoles but this opened up my world to the true expanse of gaming experiences. From deeply emotional stories, to incredible mechanics and gameplay, to musical soundtracks that rivalled some of the most famous pieces. I loved and appreciated all of it!

I already had a strong interest in computer science and programming. And from that point, I decided I wanted to take that direction specifically into game development. I loved experiencing all these different games, and I wanted to try my own hand at them too! Right there and then, I started my journey by buying RPGMaker MV and making my first project. Needless to say, I ran head first into every rookie mistake you could imagine; From overscoping to the moon and back, to having combat more boring than a school lesson.

But I was learning! And since then, I've graduated the University of Portsmouth in a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Computer Games Technology with a First Class degree! I have accrued multiple skills and projects – some of which you can read about on this website – and gained incredible insight into the development process and industry.

While I started down the path of a programmer, these days I am positioned as a Technical Designer. That means, on top of my dual-discipline skills allowing me to both design and program (two for the price of one!), I bring an invaluable power to the table: The ability to design technically. I can take ideas, and fully detail their inner-workings for the dedicated programmers to understand and implement. I don't just design what will happen, I design how it will happen, while still providing all the flexibility and freedom for the programmers to implement it in their style. I also know the complexity and weight of designs on programmers, and can ensure ideas and plans remain feasible and appropriate for the teams' capabilities.

This doesn't lessen my expertise in either discipline. I'm a thorough designer with a strong focus on game feel and user experience. I take pride in going the extra mile to make levels/worlds feel cohesive and immersive, game mechanics feel fun and engaging, and user interfaces feel intuitive and responsive. I also do my research, ensuring that every aspect under my direction meets player expectations.

Likwise, I am a confident programmer that writes clearly, professionally and efficiently. I take pride in my modular approach to mechanics and systems, making them easy to use, tweak and customise by designers and be applied across projects if desired. I love polish and implement it into my systems to benefit both internal teams and player experiences. I also add failsafes and recoveries in all corners of my code to prevent hard crashes and disruptions to the experience.

All in all, I'm an enthusiastic, passionate and creative Technical Designer that is ready to dive in and make fulfilling experiences, tell incredible stories, and remind both gamers and the games industry what creativity is truly capable of!