Hello! I'm Michael, a game designer with a passion to create intriguing mechanics, thought-provoking moments, and compelling gameplay experiences. I want to create incredible games and learn as much as I can in the process.
Professional Experience
The Last Of Us Part I - Naughty Dog
February 2023 - June 2023
From February until June, I provided QA testing on The Last Of Us Part I. I helped see the project through to it's final stages of completion, release, and assisted in post-launch patches. I created and executed my own test cases, documented various bugs, crashes, and errors, and communicated with developers and other members of QA to resolve said issues. I tested on both the PS5 and PC versions of the game, and helped to ensure it had a smooth release and solid post-launch support.
The Last Of Us Part II Remastered - Naughty Dog
September 2023 - October 2023
From September to October, I provided QA testing on The Last Of Us Part II Remastered. I created and executed my own test cases, documented various bugs, crashes, and errors, and communicated with developers and other members of QA to resolve said issues. I tested the project on PS5 hardware, including the base game, lost levels, and No Return roguelike mode.
Unannounced Multiplayer Project - Naughty Dog
September 2022 - October 2023
During my time at Naughty Dog, I provided QA testing and development support for an unannounced multiplayer title. I worked with a team of others to test network stability with various lobby sizes. I also performed smoke, destructive, regression, and ad hoc testing, and provided feedback for various mechanics and gameplay systems.
I also provided development support by manually creating interior level LODs in Maya, building and maintaining navmesh and vis region levels, and creating documentation of both features and workflow processes for department guidance. I created daily snapshots and integrated the latest asset and code changes, and worked with the automation team to create and review test cases.
Game Design
You Are The Hunted
You Are The Hunted was my capstone project during my senior year (2021-2022) at SUNY Canton. I was part of a 10-person team, creating a roguelike based on the Seven Deadly Sins. The game takes place in a hotel, with each floor representing a sin. The gameplay in this video is from the first floor of the hotel - Envy. Envy is characterized by a massive mecha V-Tuber, who roams the map searching for the player and healing using donations from her faithful subscribers. One twist we wanted to add to this game that isn't featured in other roguelikes is the ability for the boss to roam and hunt the player, rather than the player hunting for the boss.
My jobs on this project included QA testing and participating in weekly scrums, along with creating concept art, environment art, and all the level and equipment assets. I also worked on player animations and designed the sprint HUD icon. Lots of brainstorming, creativity, hard work, and tough decisions went into the making of this game, but I'm very proud of what the team and I were able to accomplish.
This project was developed using Godot engine.
Atomic Pong
Atomic Pong is a new spin on an old classic. I created this game with the intention of adding new elements and mechanics to the original game, while still maintaining the core features. This game is still your classic 'Pong', but with a sleek, cyber aesthetic, powerups, and walls that crash down in the middle of the screen. My main goal with Atomic Pong was to make the gameplay more frenetic and exciting, and I think that shows. Players can grab powerups that allow them to spawn extra balls, or spawn a massive wall in the center of the screen, causing one player to fight just to get the ball to the other player's side. This project was created using Godot engine.
Samsara
Samsara was a project created for a brief 10-day game jam by myself and seven other members of Naughty Dog QA. The goal for this project was to combine our talents and passions together and create a game we could all be proud of.
The game is about a spirit who returns to his village after a long journey, only to discover that it's been ravaged by an unknown force. This force has corrupted several members of the village, including it's leader. Using their powers of draining and imbuing life force into objects, the spirit must discover who is behind this unknown force, and why they've come to destroy the village.
My two primary responsibilities on this project were level design and game design. I prototyped each level of the game, including placing resources for the player that helped to balance the life force ability. I also helped conceptualize and prototype the player mechanics. Because of the amount of narrative presented in a game like this, many of my decisions behind both game and level design involved discussions with the narrative designers to plot out how to match the gameplay with the story we were trying to tell.
This project was developed using Unity.
Download link: https://itch.io/jam/dog-house-game-jam-ii/rate/1881635
Level Design
Abandon Ship
This was a first-person blockmesh level I created as a project for a small level design club I'm a part of. Each member created a level based around a specific set of parameters. The parameters for this level were "A maze-like exploration space with a definite exit that takes place inside a mode of transportation with a playable volume of 20x20x10".
For my project, I decided to create an abandoned pirate ship. I made the top level of the ship open, so that the player could see the ground and be able to descend through the ship. As the player goes further down, the spaces become more condensed. The lower floor is cluttered with cannons and cannonballs, and the floor below that contains multiple rooms, destroyed support beams, and a large whole that guides the player out onto land.
This project was developed using Unreal Engine 5.
The Basin
This was a third-person blockmesh level I created with another set of parameters. For this project, I was prompted to create something with, "a feeling of vastness involving water somehow, with special consideration paid to space language".
I ended up creating what I envisioned to be an empty research outpost that the player stumbles upon while venturing through the dunes. The player stands at the very top, and can peer down the steep decline to the water below, or out towards the horizon, as the walls of the structure stretch out to reach it.
I was heavily influenced by the worlds of Destiny 2 throughout my time creating this level. My reference sheet was filled with various images from The Infinite Forest, Nessus, The Moon, and Savathun's Throne World. I tried taking specific pieces from each environment and incorporating them here - the vastness of The Infinite Forest, the jagged edges The Scarlet Keep, the precise cylindrical shapes of Nessus, and the shallow pools of water from Savathun's Throne World.
This project was made using Maya and Unreal Engine 5.
About Me
Hey! I'm Michael, a game designer looking to make an impact in the world of game development. Since I was a kid, I've always had an interest in how some of my favorite games were made. I graduated from the State University of New York at Canton with a B.S. in Game Design & Development.
Some of my favorite games include NieR:Automata, Escape From Tarkov, Borderlands 2 and Destiny 2. These games have captivated me and inspired me. I love the mechanics, storytelling, worlds, and experiences that are expressed and created in these titles. They help influence both the games and artwork that I create.
Two of my largest passions are game design and level design. I love designing and creating new mechanics for a game, or putting a new spin on a classic element. I also love creating both 2D and 3D spaces that facilitate fantastic gameplay and immerse the player. I've built up years of experience in Unreal, Unity, and Godot by pursuing both of these passions.
Outside of video games, I'm a big music fan, with some of my favorite bands and artists including Bastille, The 1975, and Porter Robinson. I'm also a big baseball and basketball fan. I love rooting on the Red Sox and the Phoenix Suns.
