I’m seeking a role where I can apply my technical expertise, creativity, and problem-solving skills to build engaging game experiences, while also pursuing opportunities for professional growth and development. I’m a dedicated learner with a deep passion for contributing to the evolving world of games and interactive media.…

Yousef AlShaikh

I’m seeking a role where I can apply my technical expertise, creativity, and problem-solving skills to build engaging game experiences, while also pursuing opportunities for professional growth and development. I’m a dedicated learner with a deep passion for contributing to the evolving world of games and interactive media.…

Available to hire

I’m seeking a role where I can apply my technical expertise, creativity, and problem-solving skills to build engaging game experiences, while also pursuing opportunities for professional growth and development.

I’m a dedicated learner with a deep passion for contributing to the evolving world of games and interactive media.

See more

Skills

Experience Level

C++
Expert
Unity
Expert
C#
Expert
Lua
Expert
Python
Expert

Language

English
Fluent

Work Experience

Game Developer at Fate Forge (Indie Studio)
June 1, 2022 - Present
Solo developer on Kaizen's Origami, a published multiplayer Roblox game with 27.5 million visits, developing core gameplay systems, internal tooling, networking, and rapid prototyping across major features. Built character and housing customization systems with persistent save data, used by 50 thousand players to personalize their in-game experience. Developed moderation systems, animation tools, and quality-of-life features to enhance player experience. Built a Lua unit testing library to support test-driven development, ensuring code quality and stability.
Freelance Game Programmer at Self-Employed / Remote
June 1, 2022 - Present
Developing gameplay mechanics, collaborating with game developers to bring their vision and interactive features to life. Optimizing data flow between game servers and clients to resolve packet size limitations, applying data analysis and optimization techniques to improve multiplayer communication efficiency, reduce latency, and enhance real-time performance. Created a Python-based sprite sheet generator that automated asset processing, significantly improving the efficiency of the game development workflow.
Game Developer at Blaze Games / Xeno Crisis Project
January 1, 2025 - Present
Xeno Crisis (2025): Collaborative, open-source Unreal Engine 5 mini-game developed for Blaze Games using C++ and Blueprint. Designed and implemented enemy AI using Behavior Trees, Blackboards, and AI Controllers, including balancing mechanics for fair and engaging gameplay. Developed core systems such as camera control, HUD, game-over transitions, event-driven communication between Actors with Event Dispatchers, and Enhanced Input integration, with modular systems designed for scalability and smooth performance.
Game Developer at X Marks the Spot (Open Source Unity Project)
January 1, 2022 - Present
Open-source Unity 3D action-adventure game updated to Unity 6.1 in 2025. Designed level and programmed core aspects, including gameplay mechanics, full controller support with platform-specific input glyphs, UI, and settings. Tools created for scene and terrain tree management. Performance optimized using occlusion culling and LOD, and automated CI/CD pipelines via GitHub Actions for multiple platforms.

Education

Unreal Engine Bootcamp: Unreal Game Developer at Unreal Engine Bootcamp
May 1, 2025 - July 1, 2025
MSc Advanced Computer Science at University of Leeds
September 1, 2023 - December 1, 2024
BSc (Hons) Computer Science at University of Salford
September 1, 2020 - July 1, 2023

Qualifications

GitHub Foundations
May 1, 2025 - December 17, 2025
Azure AI Fundamentals
June 1, 2024 - December 17, 2025

Industry Experience

Gaming, Software & Internet, Media & Entertainment
    paper X Marks the Spot

    Open-source Unity 3D action-adventure game made in 2022, updated to Unity 6.1 in 2025. Designed level and programmed core aspects, including gameplay mechanics, full controller support with platform-specific input glyphs (New Unity Input System), UI, and settings. Tools were also created for scene and terrain tree management. Performance was optimized using occlusion culling and LOD, and automated CI/CD pipelines via GitHub Actions were set up for multiple platforms.

    ![Gameplay demo](https://www.twine.net/signin

    [More here](https://www.twine.net/signin

    paper Component-Based 2D Game Engine

    Developed a modular, 2D game engine using C++ and SFML, inspired by Unity’s component-based architecture. Implemented core systems including TransformComponent, RenderComponent, BoxColliderComponent, and a ScriptComponent modeled after Unity’s MonoBehaviour. The project was motivated by a desire to deepen understanding of engine internals and low-level gameplay systems. Designed for extensibility, with future plans for scene management and serialization.

    ![Engine Demo](https://www.twine.net/signin

    [More here](https://www.twine.net/signin

    paper Xeno Crisis

    Collaborative, open-source Unreal Engine 5 mini-game developed for Blaze Games using C++ and Blueprint. Designed and implemented enemy AI using Behavior Trees, Blackboards, and AI Controllers, including balancing mechanics for fair and engaging gameplay. Developed core systems such as camera control, HUD, game-over transitions, event-driven communication between Actors with Event Dispatchers, and Enhanced Input integration, with modular systems designed for scalability and smooth performance.

    ![Gameplay Short](https://www.twine.net/signin

    [More here](https://www.twine.net/signin