About Me
Hi! I'm Zach, a game developer based in the United States. I am currently studying at Rochester Institute of Technology, pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Game Design & Development. I've been making games since I was 8 years old and was introduced to the wonderful website of Scratch. Since then, I've been fascinated with how games are made, both from a design and technical standpoint.
Here you can see some of the passion projects that I have been working on, and learn more about each one. I have always been eager to learn as much from possible from both my peers and mentors, and take every challenge as an opportunity to grow both as a developer and a person. I have been particularly fascinated with how games work on a technical level, and enjoy building them from as low level as possible to truly understand the process of making a game.
On the side, I love to play Dungeons & Dragons, design TTRPG modules and rulesets for existing systems, go camping, or read a good book. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out through my contact at the bottom of the page.
Highlighted Project
Click on the tiles to download the projects!
Topping tumble is a puzzle game written from scratch using the C# Monogame framework, and was published onto itch.io!
Projects
Click on the tiles to download the projects!
A puzzle game made in the C# Monogame framework about guiding rebellious ingredients towards an oven to bake a pizza! Made in 8 weeks with a 4 person team.
Highlights:
- Class-based game state machine built from scratch
- Physics engine built from the ground up
- Modular collision detection algorithms
- Fun and user-friendly UI
A rhythm game made in Java based on classics such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Continously being worked on by a 2 person team.
Highlights:
- Custom level creation and editing
- BPM (Beats Per Minute) based system for music syncing in gameplay
- Combo system and note accuracy detection
A small prototype project made in Unity to implement several of Craig Reynolds' steering behaviors. Made in 48 hours as a solo project.
Highlights:
- Implemented Reynolds' flocking algorithm (Detailed here) in Unity
- Used Unity's UI system to add player interaction to the simulation
- Implemented several Object Oriented design patterns
A 2-player arcade battler game made in JavaScript using the PixiJS API. Made in 24 hours as a solo project.
Highlights:
- Programmed entirely from scratch in JavaScript
- Implemented a physics system, collision detection, and state machines
- Utilized the PixiJS API to create a complex JavaScript application
Contact Me
Feel free to send me a message here: zxj3178@rit.edu and I will try and respond as soon as I can!