About me!
Who am I?
My Name is Neil Barnes. I'm an aspiring Game Developer. I've been studying game design for the last 5 years. Over that time I've learned about Modeling, Animation, Coding, Level design, ludic space, narrative structure, character development, particle systems and kinaesthetics or "game feel". In my spare time I like to play games (what a shocker), both digital and tabletop. I'm also a major cinephile, love audiobooks and have been playing guitar for the majority of my life.
What do I do?
I'm currently working on a Bachelor Degree of Design in games. As such, i've had the opportunity to work on a number of interesting game development projects, both as a team leader and team member. My practical role in these projects has, for the most part been as Designer and Programmer. Through these projects and other studies, I've learned to extensively use Unity, Unreal 4 and Sketchup. Coding with C#, C++, Java and Blueprint. While my modeling, texturing and animation skills are limited, I'm also fairly comfortable using Maya, Photoshop and Substance Designer/Builder when I need to.
My Key Strengths?
When It comes to skill in the sphere of game development, I'm a bit of a jack of all trades. I can happily handle level design, particle systems and menu/hud implementation. However, My greatest strengths are mechanics and game feel. I know how to make mechanics really feel good to the player, whether it's the subtle frame stops in a brawler to add emphasis to impacts, or a minor screenshake to underscore explosions.
Once I'm invested in a project. I become a driven force programmy nature! And can effectively troubleshoot bugs and other issues as they arise throughout a project.
Why am I doing this?
I've been a gamer since I was old enough to hold a controller, Games are a big part of my identity, I love playing them, reading about them, designing them and building them. I often work on my own side projects when I have spare time. My Long term Objective is to start my own professional indie development studio and make a living building the sorts of games I enjoy. Outside of my studies, I've been working on two projects with a fellow student named Darren. These projects are Pressure World and Velocity Strike (shown in projects/videos section).
