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Hi, I’m Daniel J. Van Mensel, a game developer and lead programmer with a passion for AI, gameplay design, and player experience. I’ve co-founded studios, led cross-disciplinary teams of coders, and built systems from pathfinding to boss mechanics across multiple platforms. I thrive on turning creative ideas into polished, shipped products while maintaining clear communication and reliable workflows. I’m organized, collaborative, and curious by nature. I believe in thoughtful design, steady iteration, and mentoring others to grow their skills and contributions.…Hi, I’m Daniel J. Van Mensel, a game developer and lead programmer with a passion for AI, gameplay design, and player experience. I’ve co-founded studios, led cross-disciplinary teams of coders, and built systems from pathfinding to boss mechanics across multiple platforms. I thrive on turning creative ideas into polished, shipped products while maintaining clear communication and reliable workflows. I’m organized, collaborative, and curious by nature. I believe in thoughtful design, steady iteration, and mentoring others to grow their skills and contributions.

Daniel J. Van Mensel

Game Developer, Game Designer, Programmer, +4

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Hi, I’m Daniel J. Van Mensel, a game developer and lead programmer with a passion for AI, gameplay design, and player experience. I’ve co-founded studios, led cross-disciplinary teams of coders, and built systems from pathfinding to boss mechanics across multiple platforms. I thrive on turning creative ideas into polished, shipped products while maintaining clear communication and reliable workflows. I’m organized, collaborative, and curious by nature. I believe in thoughtful design, steady iteration, and mentoring others to grow their skills and contributions.…Hi, I’m Daniel J. Van Mensel, a game developer and lead programmer with a passion for AI, gameplay design, and player experience. I’ve co-founded studios, led cross-disciplinary teams of coders, and built systems from pathfinding to boss mechanics across multiple platforms. I thrive on turning creative ideas into polished, shipped products while maintaining clear communication and reliable workflows. I’m organized, collaborative, and curious by nature. I believe in thoughtful design, steady iteration, and mentoring others to grow their skills and contributions.

Available to hire

Hi, I’m Daniel J. Van Mensel, a game developer and lead programmer with a passion for AI, gameplay design, and player experience. I’ve co-founded studios, led cross-disciplinary teams of coders, and built systems from pathfinding to boss mechanics across multiple platforms. I thrive on turning creative ideas into polished, shipped products while maintaining clear communication and reliable workflows.

I’m organized, collaborative, and curious by nature. I believe in thoughtful design, steady iteration, and mentoring others to grow their skills and contributions.

Skills

Experience Level

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Intermediate

Intermediate

Intermediate

Intermediate

Intermediate

Intermediate

Intermediate

Intermediate

Intermediate

Intermediate

Intermediate

Intermediate

Intermediate

Language

English

Fluent

Amharic

Advanced

Work Experience

Automotive Body Repair and Painting at FleetWorx Plus, Tampa, Florida

March 20, 2024 - July 22, 2025

Performed automotive body repair and paint preparation duties.

Paint Preparation and Automotive Body Repair at Maaco, Land O Lakes, Florida

January 1, 2021 - July 22, 2025

Handled paint preparation and automotive body repair tasks.

Co-Founder, Co-Owner, Lead Programmer, AI & Gameplay Developer, Designer at Quarter Onion Games, Orlando, Florida

December 31, 2020 - July 22, 2025

Assisted designers in pioneering story lines, gameplay elements for JRPG style dungeon crawler. Directed a team of 7 coders, initiated daily communications, delegated tasks, composed game logic including enemy behaviors and boss skills. Performed QA and maintained bug reporting system to ensure smooth development and multi-platform compatibility.

Co-Founder, Lead Programmer, Lead Producer, Designer at Cat Banana Studios, Winter Park, Florida

December 31, 2017 - July 22, 2025

Led programming and production, envisioned tower defense game innovation, designed gameplay mechanics, balanced units and abilities, managed user input and UI, structured wave systems, hosted community challenges, and optimized experiences for sustained player engagement.

Programmer/Tester at RedFlame Interactive, Orlando, Florida

December 31, 2011 - July 22, 2025

Performed programming and testing responsibilities including game development tasks and quality assurance.

Automotive Body Repair and Painting at FleetWorx Plus

March 20, 2024 - March 20, 2024

Automotive body repair and painting duties, performing prep, painting, and finishing tasks on customer vehicles.

Paint Preparation and Automotive Body Repair at Maaco

January 1, 2021 - January 1, 2021

Paint preparation and automotive body repair; performed surface prep, priming, painting, and finishing, ensuring quality and efficiency.

Co-Founder / Lead Programmer / AI & Gameplay Developer / Designer at Quarter Onion Games

January 1, 2020 - January 1, 2020

Co-founded and led programming efforts, designing and implementing AI and gameplay features; collaborated with designers to realize JRPG-style dungeon crawler concepts and ported code as needed.

Co-Founder / Lead Programmer / Lead Producer / Designer at Cat Banana Studios

January 1, 2017 - January 1, 2017

Co-founded studio; led programming, production, and design efforts for multiple projects, shaping gameplay and technical direction.

Programmer / Tester at RedFlame Interactive

January 1, 2011 - January 1, 2011

Wrote and tested game code, identified and fixed bugs, and supported QA processes.