About me...

I've loved games for as long as I can remember. The first game I played was at three years old, my father taught me how to play chess.

   Was I a prodigy?
   Not exactly—I was a toddler.

However, the experience sparked a lifelong passion for exploring and creating games. That passion drove me to learn everything I could about game design and development where I ventured to  Salt Lake City  to study it at an academic level.There, in 2021, I graduated from the  University of Utah , cum laude, with:   •  An Honors Bachelor of Science in Games   ← 
   •  A Bachelor of Science in Communications   ← 
   •  A Minor in Arts & Technology   ← After that, I joined  Xbox Research   ← , and the journey has been incredible ever since. Along the way, I’ve gained valuable insights into how people engage with games and products. Eventually, returning to developing them with friends—on the side—in hopes to better my craft.In my free time, you’ll find me diving into roaring games of  Dungeon & Dragons   ← , exploring art museums, or catching weekly screenings at my local theater. But most of all, you will find me creating, researching, and playing video games.

Xbox Research (2021 - Present)

...my current gig

As of right now, I work at  Xbox Research   ←  in Seattle, Washington. There, I work as a  User Research Associate (URA) , specializing in qualitative and quantitative research, as well as "getting the research going" (research operations). In academia, my role is akin to that of a research assistant (RA).For more details of my day-to-day, click here to download my resume.  ← While much of my work is protected under NDA—covering top-secret hardware and gaming accessories—you can find some of the released projects, and events, I’ve contributed to here on this page. Xbox Design Lab   ← 
 Xbox @ gamescom 24   ← 

FRANKEN JUDGE (GMTK24)

...a game made in 96 hours

SUMMARY

 FRANKEN JUDGE  is a spooky  REIGNS-like   ←  judicial simulator where the infamous monster created by Frankenstein dons the robe and wig of a judge. FRANKEN JUDGE  was made and submitted as part of the  Game Maker's Toolkit 2024 Game Jam   ← . The theme for this jam was Built To Scale. As part of this theme, our team felt inspired to take the term literally:    "Built, with the purpose, to scale."This concept led to having the player balancing the scales of justice as the perfect judge, deciding the outcomes of each courtroom case. To further emphasize the weight of each decision, your rulings affect your reputation with three distinct citywide factions. These social classes have different values and beliefs, and repeated poor judgments can lead to your downfall. You were built by Frankenstein to weigh in on and scale these court cases, making you theoretically the perfect man for the job.

RESULTS

Total entries: 7,592; Ranked from 42 ratings.

CONTRIBUTION

   • Collaborated with teammate to create and design unique card-game-like gameloop, satirizing the judicial court system.
   • Illustrated and animated all art assets and visuals, integrating them into engine.
   • Wrote +50 unique court cases, designing each to have unique ties to different in-game factions.
   • Designed and implemented menus and GUI wireframe.
   • Created pre-game tutorial guide, explaining player goal, objective, and "things to watch out for".
   • Coded open-ended responses, post-jam, integrating feedback to balance card values.

• Play on Itch.io

DEFCON JUNIOR (GWJ69)

...a game made in 10 days

SUMMARY

 DEFCON JUNIOR  is a cutesy bullethell for those who want to cause mass extinction via nuclear annihilation. With help from "Lil' Defcon Junior," work together to avoid enemies and obstacles aimed at stopping your destruction. Become progressively stronger as a duo, grabbing new abilities and stat boosts with each city eroded to void. Do you have what it takes to end all life? DEFCON JUNIOR  was made and submitted as part of the  69th Godot Wild Jam   ← . The theme for this jam was "Void." Inspired by this theme, the duo at  HANGOVER SUNSHINE   ←  explored the concepts of oblivion and destruction. This led to the idea of having the player create a void, becoming a nuke that destroys all life until there is nothing left but a void.

RESULTS

Total entries: 188; Ranked from 18 ratings.

CONTRIBUTION

   • Worked with a teammate to design and develop a bullet hell game loop with +10 unique skills to acquire through progression.
   • Illustrated and animated all art assets and visuals, integrating them into engine.
   • Designed and implemented menus and GUI wireframe.
   • Developed a narrative branching system that enabled players to progress through linear story path in unique ways.
   • Scripted dialogue for two unique NPC types: one that speaks in rhymes and urges the player to quit the game, and another that communicates exclusively through menus.
   • Coded open-ended responses, post-jam, integrating feedback to improve narrative experience.

• Play on Itch.io

KATAMARI MEATBALL (GWJ68)

...a game made in 10 days

SUMMARY

 KATAMARI MEATBALL  is an action-arcade game where you forge a meatball out of the flesh of medieval citizenry. With you and your meat cult, cause havoc in the local peasant farmstead by rolling your ball all over their livelihoods. Do you have what it takes to forge the meatball? KATAMARI MEATBALL  was made and submitted as part of the  68th Godot Wild Jam   ← . The theme for this jam was Forge. As part of this theme, the duo at  HANGOVER SUNSHINE   ←  felt inspired by body horror and the concept of forging human flesh together. This led to the idea of having a cultist roll a meatball—attempting to forge it into a massive sphere of destruction through the absorption of human flesh.

RESULTS

Total entries: 153; Ranked from 28 ratings.

CONTRIBUTION

   • Worked with a teammate to design and develop topdown pinball-like game loop.
   • Illustrated and animated all art assets and visuals, integrating them into engine.
   • Designed and implemented menus and GUI wireframe.
   • Integrated terrain sprite randomization, making each flower, plant, and stone a different sprite with each run.
   • Helped to animate and implement environmental destruction for plants and buildings.
   • Scripted 2D NPC generation, ensuring each character features unique heads, clothing colors, and complexions.
   • Coded open-ended responses, post-jam, integrating feedback to improve narrative experience.

• Play on Itch.io

D&D 5e: Google Character Sheet

...a spreadsheet project

SUMMARY

The  D&D 5e: Google Character Sheet  is a user-friendly alternative to cloud-based character sheets. When playing Dungeons & Dragons, I always found it difficult to find a character sheet I could easily share with others. At the time, my friends and I couldn't afford the monthly subscription of  D&D Beyond   ← , so I created my own version that automates and does most of the character calculations needed to play the game.

FEATURES

   • Automatic character calculations for proficiency, saving throws, ability score modifiers, skills, and much more.
   • Homebrew friendly format, ability to assign and mismatch different ability scores to spells, armor class, and attack rolls.
   • Extra pages for familiar and wildshape statistics, inventory management, and backstory tracking.
   • Programmed all using Google Sheets functions, intuitive to break and customize depending on user needs.

• View on Google Sheets