Wesley Derstine
I am a creative cross-disciplinary game artist passionate about heartfelt experiences achieved through collaboration and experimentation.
About
I am a creative cross-disciplinary game artist passionate about heartfelt experiences achieved through collaboration and experimentation. With a strong background in illustration, design, audio, and Unity development, I bring a unique blend of artistic vision and technical skill to every project I undertake. Throughout my career, I have successfully navigated small team environments, managing cross-discipline duties and proactively assessing goals, timelines, and budgets.
I graduated with a BFA in Illustration, emphasizing narrative illustration, character development, and visual storytelling. My senior thesis integrated Unity to explore interactive environments and gameplay mechanics, enriching my approach to empathy, symbolism, and layered communication. I continuously improve my skills by collaborating with veteran professionals and learning new tools, ensuring I bring novel solutions and thoughtful artistic direction to my work.
- 4 years' experience
- Joined July 2025
Industry experience
- Gaming
- Software & Internet
- Media & Entertainment
- Healthcare
More experts in Kansas City, United States
Work experience· 4 roles
Led visual research for product and character illustrations, reimplemented UI and UX for quick, simple, uncluttered navigation, and updated game feature user-flow to enhance user experience. Coordinated with subcontractors to meet project deadlines, managed performance, and led team training on Unity UI best practices. Attended team meetings and reviewed project schedules while assessing and analyzing UI features and bugs.
Led development of asymmetric VR experience including research and implementation of additional features to increase revenue. Developed LAN networking for cross-platform communication, systems for synchronization and game progression tracking. Utilized addressables for asset management and coordinated with subcontractors for performance and timely delivery. Participated in team meetings and project schedule reviews.
Assessed subcontractors and implemented their work, mainly with 3D animators. Developed projects both as a team and solo developer, collaborating with animators and Unity developers. Improved skills by learning new API integrations and handled QA for features and bug reporting using Jira.
Education
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