Programmer & Game Developer

Hello thatgamecompany, my name is James Weishaus, and I’m applying for the position

of Technical Game Designer.

I’m always on the hunt for a fun challenge, though some might find my definition of “fun” a bit strange. I’ve spent my freetime this past month debating with myself the best way to implement RPG-style attributes for a small, personal project of mine. I daydream about the benefits of such a dynamic, data-driven system, how I would implement it, how I should compromise so as to avoid scope creep and overcomplexity. This is my element—a programming problem to obsess over and surmount. After graduating Savannah College of Art & Design with a BFA in Game Development, I worked remotely under Little Red Dog Games for 3 years, up until the studio’s demise via corporate cost-cutting. While none of the strategy games I worked on were ever released, the experience gave me ample room to grow as a programmer and game developer. My hands touched Unreal, Unity, Godot, and their respective programming languages, and I came to learn their individual strengths and weaknesses as game engines. From there, as well as my 8 months of contract programming for Modern Games, I’ve come to realize my own strengths: In-engine developer tools, dynamic UI, and data-oriented design that inform other layers of gameplay. However—save for some shader magic (I’m still unaware of what devil’s bargain tech-artists must make to comprehend such sorcery)—I am also a jack-of-all-trades, able to fill the gap in many areas of game development, and a quick learner to boot. Thank you for your time, and best regards.