I'm Gavin! I have a passion for designing and developing video games. I recently founded Tangled Duck Studios because I love games with unique and interesting mechanics. I plan to release new and innovative games under this studio that focus on game feel with great experiences.
2022 - Present
Help new developers bring 100+ novel game ideas to reality. Collaborate with co-faculty to deliver course content on game design and development, and directly oversee 20+ mentees.
Craft company-wide C# foundational curriculum, and deliver personalized curricula in 3D modeling in Unity, Blender, Unreal Engine 4, UE4 Blueprints, and level and enemy design.
Served as project manager 30+ for student projects, preparing for submission to game jams, and scaling up for inclusion in portfolios and for proposals to publishers.
2024 - Present
Creative designer and lead developer for indie action roguelike RPG, personally taking project from ideation through development towards a playable demo and publisher pitch.
Designing and developing core systems and features including 5 enemy types, 30 classes with 12 in development, 200+ weapons/armors/potions, a UI compendium, narrative designing and scripting, and infrastructure for databases and roguelike progression.
Crafting audio elements including using FMOD for in-game sound effects and an original soundtrack with 40 planned songs and 7 in active development.
Prepared a business plan and pitch deck, staff planning for a small team with an artist, musician, project manager, and marketing specialist, and financial planning for 1.5 years of development work.
2024 - Present
Spearheading a small team of developers in VR/AR app development with mobile/PC compatibility to deliver educational materials in architecture, currently in pre-production.
Designed performance-based core project goals and concrete deliverables to align with creative vision and effectively take project from ideation through development.
Reengineered minimal viable product to streamline development plans, initial UI design, and staffing requirements to reduce startup costs by $5k+ annually.
2024 - Present
Currently in alpha, my newest game is a roguelike action RPG tentatively called Fantasy Game. We are currently bringing the core features and functionality to life - developing the classes and class-based combat and magic systems, levels with towns, shops, enemies, and NPCs, as well as bosses and mini-bosses challenging the players and driving the story forwards. As we move towards a full scale demo for Steam, we will be pitching this game to publishers to push this game further in production.
Gained comprehensive knowledge in video game design, development, business management, finance, and operations while collaborating with a multitude of companies and individuals.
Interpersonal Skills
Leadership
Problem Solving
Teamwork
Management
Organizational skills
Public Speaking
Tools
Unity
Visual Studio
GitHub Desktop
Jira
Google Suite
Unreal Engine 4
Development Skills
Database Management
Code Decoupling
Code Optimization
Complex AI Development
Specialized Industry Knowledge
Combat & Enemy Design
Level Design
Long-Term Progression Systems
PC, Mobile, VR, and AR Development