Lead Programmer
Resume:
Charles Voita
Lead Programmer at Bad Dream Games
*******.*****@*****.***
Summary
Self-motivated software engineer with a passion for making meaningful experiences.
Experience
Game Development Experience:
Lead Programmer at Bad Dream Games
July 2019 - Present (2 years 4 months)
Responsibilities
As the lead programmer of Bad Dream Games my responsibilities are to help develop the core features of One Hand Clapping as well as assist with porting the game to many platforms. One Hand Clapping is a 2D Platformer where you sing into the microphone to change the world around you. It is developed in Unity and will soon be available on Stadia, Steam, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.
Notable accomplishments:
Custom physics system
Localization system supporting over 20 languages
AI for NPC characters
Asynchronous asset and area loading
Abstract save load system that allowed for extending to different platforms
Developing a pipeline system for handling loading the game from different states with reusable "steps"
Controller management
Porting the game to Google Stadia, Xbox One, Xbox One S/X, Xbox Series S/X, and helped with iOS and worked with our porting engineer to optimize the game for PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS
Sr. Software Engineer at Wag! Labs
July 2018 - April 2019 (10 months)
Responsibilities
Lead development on core product features.
Notable accomplishments:
Building in Apple Pay integration.
Rebuilding the back-end architecture and functionality for Wag’s walk feed. The walk feed is a feature which shows dogs available to walk in your area that handles a user’s limitations which include their distance, available time for walk, if they are a preferred walker, if they are allowed to take walks that are limited to only certain walkers, if they can be auto-approved for a walk, and much more.
Software Payments Engineer II at GoFundMe
January 2017 - July 2018 (1 year 7 months)
Responsibilities:
Payments/core engineer worked on projects which handled high volumes of money, responsible for the most mission critical parts of the GoFundMe code base.
Notable accomplishments from the last 6 months:
Worked on the team that built GoFundMe (Kotlin + Java + PHP) and CrowdRise (PHP + Go) payments codebases and built the first solution that bridges both platforms in order to process CrowdRise payments in the GoFundMe ecosystem.
Lead Go development for a tool that ran scalable asynchronous jobs for processing payments.
Interviewed and trained new payments engineers.
Third Party Payment Processor Granular Error Solution - Built an error dictionary solution mapping external payment processors into an internal error dictionary that gives clarity and ubiquity of errors.
Built a solution for refunding all accounts on a given day asynchronously as a built in solution for GoFundMe for external payment processors. Built admin tools to support scheduling refunds.
Gave an engineer all-hands presentation to all GoFundMe engineers on macros, teaching how to automate many redundant tasks as well as built a repository for executing common macros.
Shark Tank and Hack-a-thon - Showed initiative by entering company wide shark tank with Twitch and stream real-time donation integration. Participated in hack-a-thon with Twitch integration and won. After winning, developed YouTube integration POC on my freetime for YouTube integration pitch.
Worked on front-end integration for GoFundMe’s tipping pricing model. Developed monitoring tools to keep track of revenue.
Software Engineer at CrowdRise
March 2015 - July 2018 (3 years 4 months)
Founder, Full-Stack Developer at SwiftList Inc.
October 2014 - March 2015 (6 months)
Developed SwiftList using the MEAN stack, as well as utilizing many tools when needed such as Elasticsearch, Redis, MongoDB, Laravel, PostgreSQL, Mixpanel, Gulp, EC2, RDS, AngularJS, and Famo.us. I developed and documented a robust RESTful API for the back-end with an intuitive structure reflected on the front-end. Non-developer tasks included leading a creative campaign, managing money, and leading another developer.
Lead Web Developer at VOKENT
August 2013 - October 2014 (1 year 3 months)
As a full-stack developer, I created and maintained many websites and website solutions as well as lead developers. My tasks ranged from developing and scaling the back-end to architecting the front-end infrastructure. I developed RESTful API's to scale SaaS solutions. Developed projects using Linux, Apache, Redis, MySQL, Nodejs, PHP, Laravel 4, Javascript, and Processing using Git for source control.
Web Developer at DW Green Company
November 2011 - August 2013 (1 year 10 months)
I create and maintain web tools and 30+ web pages with a large emphasis on both front-end and back-end. I develop in a LAMP environment working with PHP, MySQL, Javascript, and HTML5. I am assigned a large range of tasks such as creating content management systems, mobile sites, and API integration.
Some of my recent favorite accomplishments here are developing a custom search engine that filters results based on meta-data that includes and excludes data throughout many sites we have developed, developing mobile-friendly sites using responsive design, and developing a web framework.
Additional Game Development Experience:
Several Untitled/Unreleased Projects
I have several other projects I haven’t released including an unnamed 3D top down puzzle game where the world is constantly dissolving around you. This game uses custom shaders, 3D models created in blender, and a custom physics engine. Doggo Chess -- an homage to a childhood of playing battle chess on an Apple II in the school library re-imagined with original pieces, game modes, maps, and pups; and several more.
All projects built using Unity (C#), Blender for 3D art, Photoshop and Aseprite for art, and Logic Pro for sound.
Ludum Dare 45 (48 Hour Game Jam)
Competed in the Ludum Dare 45 game jam in the compo category -- in which you build all assets of the game (code, art, and sound) in 48 hours.
Project built using Unity (C#), Aseprite for art, and Logic Pro for sound.
Last Goodbyes placed 142nd overall out of 2610 getting 1st place in mood and 17th in audio.
https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/45/last-goodbyes
Ludum Dare 44 (48 Hour Game Jam)
Competed in the Ludum Dare 44 game jam in the compo category -- in which you build all assets of the game (code, art, and sound) in 48 hours.
Project built using Unity (C#), Aseprite for art, and Logic Pro for sound.
Material Cube placed 83rd out of 2538 getting 18th in mood and 20th in audio.
https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/44/material-cube
Endorsements
Thomas Wilson
Creative Director at Bad Dream Games
November 10, 2021, Thomas was senior but didn’t manage directly
I worked with Charles for over two years as his director at Bad Dream Games where we developed the game One Hand Clapping together from inception to completion. As lead engineer, Charles programmed most of the complex systems that were foundational to our games development and functionality. These systems included character controllers and AI, advanced physics, save load behavior, scene management, localization, multiplayer, and our game's educational mode feature. Always up to the challenge, Charles consistently exhibited a positive and passionate mindset that allowed him to work diligently, learn new concepts quickly, and take criticism with a grace that carried through to the high quality of work that he produced.
One of the most important aspect of being on a team is being pleasant and
enjoyable to work with, and in this regard, Charles exceeds all expectations. Charles is easy-going, caring, sincere, and lifts the spirits of all of those around him, inspiring them to work wholeheartedly and enthusiastically. He has my highest recommendation and I have no doubt he would be a strong addition to any game development team
Zach Lower
Lead Designer at Bad Dream Games
November 4, 2021, Charles worked with Zach in the same group
Charles is an incredible coworker and friend. He consistently worked hard to find solutions to challenging and abstract problems, and was never afraid to learn about new, complex systems. He tackled a wide swathe of engineering problems while working on One Hand Clapping, from physics to AI to porting and more. Even when faced with frustration, he remained determined. Not one to settle for simple Band-Aid solutions, Charles ended up crafting many of the game's most robust systems, and it would not exist without his work.
Outside of the actual engineering, Charles was an excellent colleague to spend time with! Easygoing and a pleasure to talk to, Charles dramatically brightened the office, even (and perhaps especially) when we were going through difficult periods of development. I'm looking forward to my next opportunity to work with Charles again!
Adam Weesner
Game Engineer at Bad Dream Games
October 19, 2021, Charles worked with Adam in the same group
Charles is a highly motivated individual, an excellent programmer, and has obvious passion for this industry. During my time with Bad Dream Games, he was an robust contributor; able to construct complex architecture and gameplay systems for a variety of tasks (mechanics, tools, UI, networking, etc...). His dedication towards writing clean, modular code that is easy to read and modify greatly inspired me in my programming skills.
He was clearly comfortable working along side others and communicating his thoughts and ideas with precision. Charles would be an superb addition to any organization.
Vincent Sloan
Software Engineer / Potato Hacker
April 21, 2018, Vincent managed Charles directly
Charles is one of the brightest engineers I've ever had the pleasure of working with. He's a multiplier on any team you put him on. I trusted him with the most sensitive aspects of our product: payments and security. He's always pushing himself, and knows how to make trade-offs to ship a good product on time. Best of all, he's a kind and humble guy who gets along great with others - which is sometimes rare in someone with his talent.
Michael Dzigurski
Building technology that moves the needle
April 16, 2018, Michael managed Charles directly
With Charles, you not only get a true engineering mind, but you also get a stellar human being as well. Whether it's PHP, Javascript, Java, Go, Kotlin or anything else, Charles can decipher, deconstruct and re-engineer almost anything. On top of that, you'll enjoy seeing him every day in the office.
Attentive to detail, excellent instincts for what works and what doesn't and a solid work ethic, count yourself lucky to have the opportunity to employ Charles.
Cesar Flores
Software Engineer at GoFundMe
April 12, 2018, Charles worked with Cesar in the same group
Charles is a brilliant and driven software engineer that can achieve anything he sets his mind to. I have had the pleasure of working with him for over two and half years and have seen him tackle several daunting projects with ease. He has a strong grasp of programming concepts and quickly picks up new ones. He is adept at thinking outside of the box and pragmatically solving complex issues. Charles has taught me a lot over the years and has always gone out of his way to help anyone in need. He is dedicated, professional and one of the nicest people you will ever meet.
Francisco Contreras
GoFundMe
April 8, 2018, Charles worked with Francisco in the same group
It gives me great pleasure to write this recommendation for Charles. Charles and I have been fortunate enough to work on the payments team at Crowdrise / GoFundMe. Charles has excelled and is a key instrument in the success of the company.
Notable projects include creating a payments API, Introducing new payment processors and pricing models. During these projects Charles would always schedule time to answer questions or give a walk-through of his work. Charles communication level is excellent and contributed to the team working effectively.
Charles is a smart, hard working person who understands and appreciates the importance of working as a team. I recommend him for any endeavor he chooses to pursue.
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