// game programmer & designer
UE5 · Blueprints · C++
I build immersive gameplay systems in Unreal Engine 5 — from faction-aware AI and modular combat frameworks to custom UI and original IP. I've shipped games professionally and independently, and I'm always pushing toward the next technical challenge.
Primary Engine
Unreal Engine 5
Blueprints · C++ · GAS
Original IP in Development
The Resonance
Elemental Action RPG · GAS Vertical Slice
Education
M.S. Game Design
Full Sail University · Digital Cinematography B.S.
Studio Collaboration
AyoGamesStudio
Lead Programmer · Little Red Hunter
// highlighted project
My primary original IP — a solo-built elemental action RPG in Unreal Engine 5. GAS-driven combat, a C++ enemy AI controller, and a custom Gameplay Ability System plugin (GASOline) built from scratch to run it. This is the vertical slice I'm building toward a gameplay programmer role at an action-RPG studio.
View Case Study →// latest work
Latest system shipped on Little Red Hunter: a data-driven lunar-cycle mechanic from the studio's Technical Design Doc. A 13-entry E_MoonPhase enum drives an ApplyPhase() function that looks up player/enemy stat modifiers in a DT_MoonEffects DataTable and broadcasts the change via an event dispatcher — built to pair with a Stat Component so UI, AI, and gameplay systems can all react.
View in Case Study →
// about me
Hey! I'm Josh, a Game Programmer and Designer from New Jersey, USA. I've been playing games for as long as I can remember, always curious about how they worked behind the scenes.
That curiosity led me to earn a Conservatory Certificate in Fine Arts, a Bachelor's in Digital Cinematography, and later a Master's in Game Design from Full Sail University.
During my studies I interned at Zygobots as Lead Intern, where I contributed to Shattered Melodies — a full action RPG that Ayo Games Studio published on Steam after my graduation. Since then I've continued collaborating with Ayo Games on Little Red Hunter as Lead Programmer, while also building and shipping my own games independently.
What excites me most is figuring out how gameplay systems tick — and then finding ways to make them more efficient, polished, and fun.