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I'm a gameplay engineer specializing in C++ and Unreal Engine 5. I was the engineering lead on Spirit & Steel, a third-person elemental combat game a group of us from school built over two years and shipped on Steam in March 2026. I handled everything from core combat systems to Steamworks integration, achievements, and leaderboards. I also teach Advanced C++ at DigiPen Institute of Technology, so I'm comfortable explaining technical decisions clearly and working with people at any skill level. Beyond games, I do full-stack web development with Next.js, React, Postgres, and Stripe, including a production e-commerce site. If you need performant gameplay code, engine work, tooling, or a website that actually ships, I can help.…I'm a gameplay engineer specializing in C++ and Unreal Engine 5. I was the engineering lead on Spirit & Steel, a third-person elemental combat game a group of us from school built over two years and shipped on Steam in March 2026. I handled everything from core combat systems to Steamworks integration, achievements, and leaderboards. I also teach Advanced C++ at DigiPen Institute of Technology, so I'm comfortable explaining technical decisions clearly and working with people at any skill level. Beyond games, I do full-stack web development with Next.js, React, Postgres, and Stripe, including a production e-commerce site. If you need performant gameplay code, engine work, tooling, or a website that actually ships, I can help.

Jax Clayton

Game Developer, Programmer, Game Designer, +2

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I'm a gameplay engineer specializing in C++ and Unreal Engine 5. I was the engineering lead on Spirit & Steel, a third-person elemental combat game a group of us from school built over two years and shipped on Steam in March 2026. I handled everything from core combat systems to Steamworks integration, achievements, and leaderboards. I also teach Advanced C++ at DigiPen Institute of Technology, so I'm comfortable explaining technical decisions clearly and working with people at any skill level. Beyond games, I do full-stack web development with Next.js, React, Postgres, and Stripe, including a production e-commerce site. If you need performant gameplay code, engine work, tooling, or a website that actually ships, I can help.…I'm a gameplay engineer specializing in C++ and Unreal Engine 5. I was the engineering lead on Spirit & Steel, a third-person elemental combat game a group of us from school built over two years and shipped on Steam in March 2026. I handled everything from core combat systems to Steamworks integration, achievements, and leaderboards. I also teach Advanced C++ at DigiPen Institute of Technology, so I'm comfortable explaining technical decisions clearly and working with people at any skill level. Beyond games, I do full-stack web development with Next.js, React, Postgres, and Stripe, including a production e-commerce site. If you need performant gameplay code, engine work, tooling, or a website that actually ships, I can help.

Available to hire

I’m a gameplay engineer specializing in C++ and Unreal Engine 5. I was the engineering lead on Spirit & Steel, a third-person elemental combat game a group of us from school built over two years and shipped on Steam in March 2026. I handled everything from core combat systems to Steamworks integration, achievements, and leaderboards.

I also teach Advanced C++ at DigiPen Institute of Technology, so I’m comfortable explaining technical decisions clearly and working with people at any skill level.

Beyond games, I do full-stack web development with Next.js, React, Postgres, and Stripe, including a production e-commerce site. If you need performant gameplay code, engine work, tooling, or a website that actually ships, I can help.

Skills

Experience Level

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Intermediate

Intermediate

Intermediate

Language

Work Experience

Engineering Lead at Oblivion Owls - (Project OWL)

August 1, 2024 - Present

Led a 23-person, multi-disciplinary team focused on keeping C++ gameplay code maintainable and shippable. Prototyped and owned combat/power mechanics and supporting gameplay systems in C++, iterating quickly with designers. Improved iteration speed by isolating systems, tightening responsibilities, and catching regressions early. Implemented gameplay scenarios using game-state/event transitions, persistent data, and stabilized edge cases. Built narrative sequences supporting text + voice-over with synchronization.

Custom Engine Engineer

August 1, 2023 - July 1, 2024

Collaborated with 9 people across disciplines to support unblocked iteration using reliable tooling. Developed C++ tools and runtime debug UI using Dear ImGui (inspectors, tuning panels, debug views). Implemented real-time diagnostics (FPS charting, runtime entity inspection) to aid development. Contributed to entity/component-style architecture improvements to keep systems maintainable and performant.

Teaching Assistant at DigiPen Institute of Technology

August 1, 2022 - Present

Reinforced C++ fundamentals (OOP, STL, memory management) and guided students through debugging and optimization. Provided hands-on debugging support and mentoring for 20–30 students per semester in advanced C++ courses. Guided students in optimizing algorithms, data structures, and gameplay-related logic. Collaborated with faculty on technical instruction.