I'm Joe McDonnell, a Technical Designer with a passion for game development and design. As a University of Portsmouth graduate, I’ve built core skills in programming, design, and problem solving. I pride myself on resilience, teamwork, and continual improvement. I have skills in designing and developing User Interface / Experience, Gameplay, mechanics, polish, tools and systems. I love turning ideas into playable experiences, and I’m driven to share creativity and knowledge with others. I’m always eager to learn more and pour passion into every project, from concept to polish.

Joe McDonnell

I'm Joe McDonnell, a Technical Designer with a passion for game development and design. As a University of Portsmouth graduate, I’ve built core skills in programming, design, and problem solving. I pride myself on resilience, teamwork, and continual improvement. I have skills in designing and developing User Interface / Experience, Gameplay, mechanics, polish, tools and systems. I love turning ideas into playable experiences, and I’m driven to share creativity and knowledge with others. I’m always eager to learn more and pour passion into every project, from concept to polish.

Available to hire

I’m Joe McDonnell, a Technical Designer with a passion for game development and design. As a University of Portsmouth graduate, I’ve built core skills in programming, design, and problem solving. I pride myself on resilience, teamwork, and continual improvement.

I have skills in designing and developing User Interface / Experience, Gameplay, mechanics, polish, tools and systems.

I love turning ideas into playable experiences, and I’m driven to share creativity and knowledge with others. I’m always eager to learn more and pour passion into every project, from concept to polish.

See more

Experience Level

Expert
Expert
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate

Language

English
Fluent

Work Experience

Narrative Designer at The Black Market
January 1, 2026 - Present
Narrative design and creative writing for game project.
Technical Designer at Mousechitect
January 1, 2026 - Present
Designed core systems and mechanics; maintained strong documentation; designed and implemented the user interface.
Programmer at Clocking Out
January 1, 2025 - Present
Co-developed in Godot (GDScript); responsible for 3D aspects of the game.
Game Developer at Dungeon Looper
January 1, 2025 - Present
Solo GMTK 2025 game jam entry; created in Godot, GDScript & C#.
Programmer at Stand-Up Simulator
January 1, 2024 - Present
Co-developed in Unity, C#; group game jam entry.
Programmer at Potion Profiteer
January 1, 2024 - Present
Co-developed in Unity, C#; took on additional technical art responsibilities.

Education

BSc Computer Games Technology at University of Portsmouth
September 1, 2023 - July 1, 2026
AQA Extended Project Qualification at Exmouth Community College
September 1, 2022 - July 1, 2023
OCR A-level Computer Science at Exmouth Community College
September 1, 2021 - July 1, 2023
OCR A-level History at Exmouth Community College
September 1, 2021 - July 1, 2023
AQA A-level Physics at Exmouth Community College
September 1, 2021 - July 1, 2023

Qualifications

AQA Extended Project Qualification
September 1, 2022 - July 1, 2023

Industry Experience

Gaming, Software & Internet, Media & Entertainment, Education