Games
I've loved videogames for as long as I can remember, and I've gotten the opportunity to explore this passion during my time at DigiPen. I love every part of making games, but I especially love making games with other people. Working on game teams has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life, and I hope to continue that experience professionally.
I've had the opportunity to work on many great student games, here are a few of my favorites! I've filled many roles, but I almost always find myself in a Production/Project Management role. I've worked in Unreal Engine 4, Unity, Zero (a proprietary engine made by DigiPen), and a custom C++ engine. I've worked on solo projects, and I'm currently working on a project with a team of over 20. I've gained a wide range of experience, and I hope to continue broadening my horizons even as I specialize in some areas. Feel free to get in touch if you'd like to hear more about the process behind a project!
Wizard of Oz Slots
Producer Intern
May - Aug 2019
~35+ Person Team
During the Summer of my Junior year, I got the amazing opportunity to accept a Production Internship at Zynga. While there, I shadowed three different producers for 4 weeks each. I started with Content, which produced new slot machines. This was the most consistent/stable work because of the extremely high level of predictability in creating a machine, given that they've created an extremely large amount of machines before. Next, I shadowed Features, which created new features for the game. This team had to be much more agile, as they often were either creating something completely new or iterating on something in a major way. Finally, I shadowed Live-Ops, which was certainly the least predictable, but I loved how close it was to the business side of things, and I didn't mind the lack of predictability. During this internship I also worked with our Executive Producer, going through a series of projects for him that fell into his debt/backlog as other higher-priority tasks came up. Overall, it was an absolutely incredible learning experience, their Production team is exceptional and they did a great job of teaching me the responsibilities of a producer on a live mobile game.
Spearheaded transition from custom resource tracking pipeline to singular, thoroughly documented source of truth to consolidate tools and optimize tracking & communication for 35+ person product team.
Created a data analysis sheet which continues to be used by live-ops and product management teams to analyze daily events, replacing word-of-mouth with data on key metrics tied to revenue & engagement.
Automated processes and removed production roadblocks to smooth out content and features pipelines for respective teams, each with unique methodologies drawing from scrum and waterfall.
Created, tested, and segmented daily in-game events and content requiring rapid iteration and minute-to-minute revenue analysis.
Night Heist
Design Producer, UX Researcher
Sept 2018 - December 2019
Unreal Engine 4
~25 Person Team
Night Heist is a 3D networked multiplayer action-stealth game set in a sci-fi setting where two teams of two players attempt to defend or steal precious artifacts from a museum. Thieves will attempt to steal precious artifacts while guards do their best to prevent this.
Optimized standups to maintain communication using significantly less time.
Coordinated work of 20+ person team with an emphasis on designers.
Managed a 5-person sub-team dedicated to experimenting with and pursuing alternate gamemodes with existing gameplay systems.
Collaborated with interdisciplinary leads to ensure all teammates had work and positive morale throughout entire development cycle.
Wrote surveys to be used in testing to gather data
Conducted frequent, standardized tests of the game to find bugs, enhance UX, and generally improve the game
Analyzed the data of these tests and put it all into write-ups which focus on results, analysis, and actionable data
Proton (in progress)
Solo Developer
Jan 2019 - Present
Unity
Solo Project
Proton is a simple, minimalistic infinite runner for Android. I've modeled it off of other minimalistic mobile runners, but I've been trying to incorporate a level system using the same procedurally generated levels but changing the ruleset (increasing speed, obstacles, etc.) instead of sticking with an infinite-mode only. I've also been focussing on creating exceptional feedback and UX.
I was working on this from January-April of this year, I plan to return to it when I have time and possibly put it on stores.
Shortstack
Entered into PAX10 by DigiPen
Showcased at PAX West by DigiPen
Associate Producer, UX Researcher, Level Designer
Jan - Apr 2018
Custom Engine (C++)
8 Person Team
Shortstack is a multiplayer, couch co-op, 2D side-scrolling, fantasy platformer where player gnomes use stacking and ability combinations to defeat corrupted creatures.
Conducted usability tests on the interface of the engine in order to improve workflow and UX of the entire team
Wrote thorough documentation on the testing of the engine, including results, analysis, and actionable data
Wrote surveys to be used in testing to gather data
Conducted frequent, standardized tests of the game which focused on improving usability
Conducted expert reviews of the game with design professors at DigiPen to improve overall design of the game
Designed levels that utilized our core mechanic effectively
Coordinated between design and tech to ensure effective communication between departments
GoatHerd
Showcased at PAX West by DigiPen
Lead Designer, Associate Producer, Level and Systems Designer
Sept - Dec 2017
Unity
8 Person Team
GoatHerd is a 2D side-scrolling puzzle-platformer in which the player is a dog and herds goats through the seasons. I worked on this game during the first half of production.
Scheduled and planned meetings, tasks, and milestones for the design team
Oversaw the overall design of the game and worked with 3 other designers to create a cohesive project based on agreed-upon design pillars
Designed and implemented levels and mechanics together to create an engaging experience
Communicated consistently and effectively with other leads to ensure all departments remained in sync
Oh Deer!
Producer, Technical Designer
Jan - Apr 2017
Unity
4 Person Team
Oh Deer! is a top down adventure game in which a deer has to rescue animals that have gotten themselves trapped on ice.
Designed and implemented map and systems, including all gameplay.
Designed and implemented a controller meant to simulate the feeling of moving on ice.
Handled basic production and managerial tasks such as scheduling and planning for milestones.
HeartBreaker: UX Design
Producer, UX Designer
Jan - Apr 2017
3 Person Team
HeartBreaker was a UX Design project I worked on in early 2017. I handled the production/management of the team, as well as creating personas, wireframes, a mindmap, and ultimately an interactive prototype which can be found here https://ninjamock.com/s/XFDLJ
The program we had to use to create it is fairly rough, today I'd use Axure, but the principle would be the same.