I'm a freelance game developer with a passion for small-scale, visually interesting games.
I’m a freelance game developer with a passion for small-scale, visually interesting games. While primarily a level designer and gameplay designer, I have experience in almost every facet of game development, from programming to quality assurance to game design document management. My biggest strength in a development setting is my versatility. I’ve worked within many teams of varying sizes and I’m fully comfortable giving or taking direction depending on the needs of the project. For a more detailed showcase of my game design abilities, please visit my portfolio website:
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This is an incredibly simple joke game released in celebration of April Fools’ Day. The reason I include it in my portfolio, though, is to show how much effort and care I put into my projects, even when those projects are very silly. Despite an average playthrough lasting less than sixty seconds, I edited a full trailer and worked with a composer to create an original smooth jazz soundtrack.
LexiConQuest is an educational vocabulary game targeted towards people learning English, either as a first or second language. I created a prototype for the game during my first month working for Sports Media Inc, a congolomerate that was looking to enter the edutainment industry. After getting the go-ahead from my department head, I directed a team of twelve developers in the creation of the project. Features include an original soundtrack, full voice acting for pronunciation assistance, and two kid-friendly mascot characters.
Protect your ant colony from the evil little boy Bratrick who has the power of the magnified sun at his disposal. Collect grapes, avoid foxglove, and prepare yourself for all-out backyard warfare in this simple but addicting real-time strategy game!
Created for my Senior Capstone project, T0-B1 Through Time is an action game in which T0-B1 (Toby) the robot must jump between different eras to stop a cult of librarians from resurrecting their ancient god and shattering the intelligibility of linear time. In addition to writing and creating a majority of the cutscenes in the game, I also designed the first level, which is set in an abandoned subway station based on Chicago's Red Line. You can watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2XVM69Z8LI
Solarus is a narrative-heavy platformer in which Marl the lizard sets out on a quest to protect his planet from an oncoming meteorite. As the player travels through several different biomes, they will encounter NPCs, learn more about the game's lore, and begin to question their own motivations. When Marl reaches the end of the game, he is faced with a choice of apocalytic consequences: Should he save the world that lied to him about everything or let the meteorite burn it all down as an act of passive retribution? You can play the game here: https://www.twine.net/signin
Climate Cleaner is a frenetic action game that sees protagonist Dr. Terra taking on huge hordes of sentient greenhouse gases in the post-apocalyptic city Industria. As the lead programmer, I created a highly modular infrastructure which allowed for levels to have randomly-generated elements (position of obstacles, enemy spawn locations, etc.) while still letting designers adjust important parameters (time limit, arena size, etc.). Climate Cleaner was created during my internship with IndieCade for their annual Climate Game Jam. It was the first time that I had worked with a completely remote development team, which was a challenging but valuable experience. In addition to conceptualizing, programming, and bugtesting mechanics for my group's game, I also gave meaningful feedback to other development teams as part of my internship. You can play the game here: https://www.twine.net/signin
Invertigo is a physics-based, 3D puzzler that lets the player change the direction of gravity. Working as part of a team, I created a playtesting methodology which included interview questions and a light script that left room for spontaneous conversation about the game's flaws and strengths. We conducted playtests over the span of a few weeks, seeking out a diverse group of playtesters with varying levels of video game experience. Then, we compiled the data from the playtests into an easily-digestible report which the developers used to improve Invertigo and get a better sense of direction for future development. You can see the game's Steam page here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1659520/Invertigo/ Or watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lGBkrZaESc
The Wandering Caveman is a cute, humorous Bitsy game about prehistoric creatures. I have extensive experience in Bitsy, having made everything from murder mysteries to deconstructed dating simulators. Working within the engine's strict limitations is a great way to become better at pixel art and game writing because it forces designers to make the most of scant resources. In this particular game, you control Gruggle the caveman in his quest to find some semblance of meaning in his lazy, lollygagging life. You can play the game here: https://www.twine.net/signin
I wrote articles covering all the latest news out of the gaming industry, providing in-depth historical context to help readers better understand the background leading up to current events.
I spearheaded the development of the company's first full-release edu-tainment game. After successfully pitching a prototype version to my departmend head, I directed a team of twelve developers from the early concept stage to launch.
I worked remotely with a team of developers to create a frenetic action game about greenhouse gases. As the lead programmer of my team, I wrote a large majority of the code and implemented a modular infrastructure which allowed for levels to have randomly-generated elements while still letting designers adjust important parameters manually.
My team won the Honor of Creativity at the 2nd Annual Trident x DePaul Game Jam, which was a collaboration between Trident College in Nagoya, Japan and DePaul University in Chicago, USA. At the beginning of the jam's 48 hour run, participants were split into groups, each of which had five Japanese students and two American. Creating a game under a strict time limit while also overcoming a significant language barrier was an incredibly unique experience. After presenting our game in front of the Trident College upperclassmen and professors, my group was honored with one of the two awards given out at the jam.
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