Where am I as a developer as of now (Spring 2020)? What achievements and strengths do I bring into this Production 2 course? Where do I want to be at the end?
After just over 3 years of learning game development, I think I've set myself up for success. I started getting into game development on my own time in my senior year of high school, and I jumped directly into the deep end with Unity's Live Training sessions. The first big thing I did was their Merry Fragmas multiplayer FPS tutorial. Imagine making network clients and a 3D world space as a first project, and that's what I decided would be a good starting point. It certainly set the pace for my first year of college as well, in which I did another multiplayer game for Game Technology 1. As a developer, I'm extremely interested in learning new technologies, and I actually do just that on my free time. I even took an Intro to 3D Modeling and Texturing course because I wanted to learn the art pipeline. Overall, I'd say at this point in time, I am a confident, adventurous programmer technically, and a valuable team member otherwise due to communication skills and willingness to be adventurous.
Thanks to some amazing connections, I've already got 2 completed internships on my resume in the programming field, alongside some fantastic projects that have emerged from coursework. Last semester (Fall 2020) I studied abroad in Dundee, Scotland at Abertay University, and was able to travel around Europe (blog posts coming soon!) for the first time. During my time at Abertay, I had the opportunity to take an Audio Programming course, in which I created an experience based on synesthesia, where the environment was only colorful where there was music. It turned out beautifully, and it is my favorite personal project to date. My second internship was with Electronic Theater Controls in Middleton, Wisconsin, and there I had great exposure to QA processes because I was the first and only QA person in the entire Mobile Apps department. My biggest feat there was creating the CI/CD pipeline for the whole department. I also became the bridge between Mobile Apps and the R&D department, and got my hands on prototype hardware and software. On a more "soft skill" level, I made some big contributions to the SCRUM model used in the Mobile Apps department as well, mainly based on the stuff we do in Game Development here at Champlain. Another big soft skill I have is my ability to problem solve because I am a programmer and that's my job. I always look for a challenge (as long as it's in scope), and I'm usually able to get through or around it. I think the most notable challenge I've faced in game development so far was the alternative controller project in Production 1. My team used Wii Remotes, so it was my job to interface that with Unity. Most would create a library to read and interpret Bluetooth data from the remotes, which is what we initially did--until I discovered a better way with the DolphinBar, which translates Wii input to PC input. Perfect for Unity!
For those outside of Champlain College, the Capstone project for any game major (design, art, programming, producing) is a year-long project complete with studio cuts, greenlights, and a massive Senior Showcase at the end. While this technically begins senior year, the reality is actually way way different: it all really starts spring of sophomore year in Production 1. Reputation is everything, and having a good Capstone team is based on your reputation in your respective area, so anything you do in Production 1 impacts your reputation for the next course, and so on. Production 2 is where things get real--most Capstone teams are formed here, and performance is everything. This is what I want to get out of this semester. For the past few years, most of my big achievements have been happening outside of class with internships and travel to boost communication and leadership skills, and classwork outside of the US improving technical skills. Production 2 is going to be my platform to show others in my major what I can do, and it's here where I want to build my reputation as a great programmer, and great team member.
In an attempt to keep my posts shorter, I'm going to be making another very shortly detailing the very first sprint of Production 2!
Thanks for the read,
--CS
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