Career Summary

A Level Designer within the game development industry with five years of experience, with a background in fine arts and as an environmental artist. A proven track record, but also passionate about providing customer focused, creative and engaging gameplay experiences, working on both licenced and original titles with demonstrated success working within tight deadlines and to schedule.

Career History

Blue Tongue Entertainment (THQ)

Level Designer III

Key Responsibilities

• The development of gameplay levels from initial pitch to final implementation, using 3ds Max and internally developed tools.
• Maintain levels across multiple SKUs (different game consoles) and respond to Daily Acceptance Test fails, then liaise with involved team members on solutions and alert team members to larger issues.
• Communicate with production, leads and other team members to ensure smooth coordination of work and to receive feedback on work produced.
• Contribute to the design of gameplay systems and tools used by both designers and artists.
• Test and evaluate code changes to tools and provide feedback on changes.
• Provide realistic estimates for tasks and manage the scope of work to ensure timely completion.
• Update task status daily in the task database and communicate changes with daily group stand up meetings.
• Provide support for external build releases, to ensure both build stability and quality.

• Shipped titles during this period, Marvel Super Hero Squad for the Nintendo Wii.
  

Key Achievements

• A key stakeholder in the design of the Destructible System and its integration into the current tools for Blue Tongues' current ‘Unannounced Title’, this system helped define the final direction of gameplay spaces for the title.
• Quickly and successfully adapted to design direction changes and produced gameplay spaces which again aided in defining and demonstrating these global design changes to external parties.

• Became known as the person to contact if other team members had issues relating to level design tools or the systems I had stakes in.

Level Designer

Key Responsibilities

• The development of gameplay levels from initial pitch to final implementation, using 3ds Max and internally developed tools.
• Maintain levels across multiple SKUs (different game consoles) and respond to Daily Acceptance Test fails, then liaise with involved team members on solutions and alert team members to larger issues.
• Communicate with production, leads and other team members to ensure smooth coordination of work and to receive feedback on work produced.
• Provide level design support during the submission process to address bugs in a timely manner.
• Provide support for external build releases, to ensure both build stability and quality.

• Shipped titles during this period, de Blob (Wii), El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera (PS2), Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots (Wii, PS2)

Key Achievements

• Contributed to the design and revisions to the final Boss Fight for de Blob and was tasked with tracking and coordinating effort between code and art teams and providing updates to leads and production. This resulted in an engaging, challenging and successful gameplay experience.

Junior level Designer

Key Responsibilities

• The development of Bonus levels using themed gameplay for the title ‘Nicktoons: Battle for Volcano Island’ from initial pitch to final implementation, using internally developed tools.
• Assist with major revisions to assigned levels, involving changes in structure and gameplay.
• Setup of tutorial levels, which provided players with introductions to basic gameplay concepts.
• Assist with the setup of in-game cut scenes across several levels using internal tools.
• Provide level design support during the submission process to address bugs in a timely manner.

• Shipped titles during this period, Nicktoons: Battle for Volcano Island, this is the first successfully shipped title I was involved with.

Perception PTY LTD

Junior Environmental Artist

Key Responsibilities

• The production of  3D Models and textures with 3ds Max and Adobe Photoshop,

• Collaborate and liaise with level designers to produce needed assets in a timely manner for use with Epics - Unreal Engine 2.5.

SIMmersion Pty Limited

3D Artist

Key Responsibilities

• Producing 3d models for SIMmersions 'SIMurban' visualization package.

• On location sourcing of reference photos, to be used as reference for other artists.

Prophecy Games Pty Ltd

Modeller/Texture/Technical Artist

Key Responsibilities

• Involved with production of Level Assets and concept art for levels and characters.
• Working with the Reality Engine to produce documentation for artists and animators.
• Providing technical support to other artists and was known as a general problem solver.
  
  

Education

AIE – The Academy of Interactive Entertainment

Diploma of Computer Game Development, Game Art Creation

• 'Roach Rage' (AIE 2004 Diploma of Computer Game Development Production) Placed second in the unsigned games competition at the Australian Game Developers Conference 2004.

ACAT - Australian Centre for the Arts and Technology

Graduate Diploma in Electronic Arts, Animation

The Australian National University

Key Skills

• Extensive knowledge of Adobe Photoshop, Autodesk 3ds Max and previous experience with Maya.
• Extensive experience producing levels and level assets with multiple platforms in mind (Xbox 360, PS2, PS3, and Wii).
• An effective communicator who can express ideas visually and verbally.
• Works effectively as a part of a team and autonomously.
• Experience with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel and PowerPoint).
• Demonstrated success when working within tight deadlines.

• Always open to learning something new, a new challenge.

Referees

• Available upon request