Howdy! Let me introduce myself.
I'm JJ, video game developer. [Age: 16].
I've been programming and developing
games since middle school (age 12), and I've been publishing indie
games since age 15.
[It's been a little bit of an obsession.]
As I make games, I enjoy:
- designing and implementing novel mechanics,
- making striking, dynamic, interactive visuals,
- and combining ideas into a cohesive whole.
My favorite kind of game has a strong
[optionally: unique] core that defines every part of the game
and gives it a strong identity.
I Make Games.
Sometimes, I make the whole thing.
Working as a solo dev is quite an endeavor, but it's fulfilling! I've made a number of games independently. I love a challenge, so I try to create a variety of games, choosing ideas that force me to improve in my weakest areas. These are games that I've made alone.
Flip Fox is a con game where the player controls the coin.
The AI opponent becomes hostile when the results are too suspicious.
I created a [player-friendly] NPC AI system that reacts to different
indicators of rigged results. I wrote dialogue remarks that express the
AI's level of aggression and specific observations it makes.
This game took third place in the jam (out of 95 entries)!
[NPC AI, NPC Dialogue, Prop Art, Atmosphere]
[January 2025]
Eyes of the Deep is an esoteric undersea puzzle game. I developed
rules for the puzzles that would normally need to be communicated through
language or a standard tutorial. I instead made it the objective of the
game for the players to discover these rules for themselves.
[Level Design, Tutorialization, 2D Environment Art]
[December 2024]
Blood of the Altar is a fast-paced arcade game where you sacrifice
the bones of your slain enemies for advantage [A bit gruesome, I know]. It
was created for Ludum Dare 55. During the 48-hour jam period, I focused on
creating satisfying visual feedback and a strong core gameplay loop.
This was my very first solo jam game!
[Warning: Loud sounds]
[Visual Effects, Balancing]
[April 2024]
It's dangerous to go alone!
I've gathered some experience working in teams. The majority of my experience collaborating with others comes from game jams! Managing scope is crucial to ensure that you only make what you can. Everyone plays a role, and we have to coordinate our separate efforts to create and deliver a complete, finished product [on time!]. These are games that I've contributed to in a team.
Hookshot Robot is a challenging vertical platformer with a grappling
hook, created in 96 hours by a team of 3 for the GMTK Game Jam 2024. I was
the game designer and level designer on the team. I designed the core
mechanics and created the levels from tooling developed by the team. I also
created the art assets.
[Level Design, Game Design, 2D Environment and Character Art]
[August 2024]
XOrbit is a small management game on a decaying spaceship. It was
created in 48 hours for Discord Jam #8. I worked as game designer and artist
on this team, designing the core mechanic and assisting with iteration on
the game as a whole, giving general direction to the game.
[Coordination, Game Design, 2D Environment and Prop Art]
[August 2024]
