Experienced Video Game Programmer with 28+ years in the games industry, specializing in 3D graphics and Virtual Reality. Skilled in adapting to diverse areas of development, with a strong passion for VR as the future of interactive entertainment. Known for a dedicated work ethic, collaborative approach, and the ability to deliver high-quality results both independently and as part of a team.
Graphics / VR Programmer (Contract): Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded, Meta Quest 3 (2 Years 10 Months - XR Games)
• Initially developed a lightweight Vulkan renderer for the Quest 2 while the rest of the port was underway. It was planned to integrate this with IO Interactive’s G2 Engine, enabling the initial adaptation of Hitman 3 for mobile VR.
• Collaborated on porting the existing G2 Vulkan renderer to Quest 2 and eventually Quest 3, optimizing performance and compatibility.
• Modified the renderer to support forward rendering with custom shaders, aligning with a new art style tailored for Meta Quest 3.
• Integrated OpenXR and Meta-specific extensions, including Fixed Foveated Rendering and Application Space Warp, ensuring smooth performance on mobile VR hardware.
• Played a key role in overcoming significant technical challenges, with the team navigating constant flux and uncertainty regarding feasibility.
Creator & Developer: Air Hockey Arcade, Oculus Quest (AppLab) (Oculus Rift, SteamVR & PS VR planned).
• Prototyped the game in PhyreEngine from my earlier mobile game Flick Hockey while at SIE R&D West, showcasing PhyreEngine's VR capabilities alongside our official PS VR sample.
• Migrated the project to my custom cross-platform VR engine, Reality Engine, written in C99:
• Utilizes OpenGL ES 3.2 on Quest and OpenGL 4.6 on PC.
• Released the single-player version as a free demo on AppLab in May 2021.
• Currently developing multiplayer functionality, planned as a paid in-app purchase (IAP).
• Built the game engine and gameplay systems from scratch, with limited reliance on external tools:
• Used Oculus SDKs, FMOD, and select open-source libraries.
• Repurposed most 3D assets from earlier versions of the game.
Contract Programmer: Engram (7 Months - Maze Theory)
• Initially applied for the Technical Director role but transitioned to a Senior Engineer position, negotiated as a 6-month, 3-day-per-week contract to balance work on personal projects.
• Contributed to Engram, gaining first-hand experience with Unity and VR development.
Consultant / Contract Programmer: Project under NDA (7 Months - Wushu Studios)
• Porting an existing PSVR / PCVR UE4 based project to Oculus Quest. (Cancelled).
• Porting a PC game to PS4 & XBox One (Unannounced).
• Continued support of PhyreEngine.
• Developed a method for allowing regression testing of PSVR projects without requiring PSVR hardware.
• Helped develop PlayStation SDK components with the rest of the Game Engine Technologies team.
Initially interviewed as a Graphics Programmer, I expressed a strong interest in Virtual Reality during the process. Upon being hired, I was tasked with adding PlayStation VR support to PhyreEngine and became the team’s VR expert. This role perfectly combined my passions for engine and graphics programming—developing core engine support—and gameplay programming, by creating a sample to showcase the new VR features. Key Highlights:
• Added PlayStation VR support to PhyreEngine and kept it up to date with SDK functionality.
• Created (along with our Artist) the PhyreEngine VR Sample called CaveRoVR.
• Enhanced our Tiled Deferred Lighting Code to work with asymmetric projection matrices.
• Wrote a simple IK system to enhance the PS Move tracking features in the sample.
• Integrated Multislice stereo rendering into an existing engine codebase.
Contract Programmer: Switch Galaxy Ultra, Playstation Vita and PS4 (3.5 Months - Atomicom)
• Hired for an initial 3-week contract to refine and optimize track spline code.
• Focused on graphics-related tasks, including implementing Motion Blur and Bloom effects on PS4.
• Developed and optimized shaders for Vita, PS4, and PC platforms.
Contract Programmer: Joe Danger / Joe Danger 2, Playstation Vita (6 Months - Four Door Lemon)
• Led a 2-programmer team to port Joe Danger and Joe Danger 2 to PlayStation Vita.
• Contributed to all aspects of the port, including optimization and platform-specific adjustments.
• Delivered high-quality ports of PSP and PS3 games to platforms like Xperia Play and PlayStation Mobile.
• Contributed to Cosmic Clean Up for PlayStation Mobile, utilizing Sony's GameEngine2D framework (based on Cocos2D).
Contract Programmer: Risen 2, PS3 (Wizarbox)
• Assisted Wizarbox with optimizing the rendering engine for the PS3 port of Risen 2 over a 7-month period (December 2010 – July 2011).
• Integrated Edge Geom into the existing runtime and tools codebases to enhance performance.
Solo Engineer: Flick Hockey, iOS & PlayStation Mobile.
• Designed and developed an original Air Hockey game with a 3D player’s-eye view, distinguishing it from the top-down Air Hockey games on the market.
• Built a custom game engine in C, implementing rendering, physics/collision, networking, front-end systems, and audio.
• Created much of the game’s artwork personally, with additional assets contributed by collaborators.
• Successfully ported the game to PlayStation Mobile using C#.
Contract Programmer: Venetica, PS3 (Wizarbox)
• Optimized the Ogre3D port for PS3, including shader fixes and rendering performance improvements.
• Implemented a Vertex Cache Optimizer and LogLuv HDR rendering path to enhance visuals.
Graphics / System Engineer: Common Rendering Initiative
• Served as the sole dedicated engineer for a 3-year cross-studio initiative at EA Canada.
• Collaborated with 4–5 runtime engineers and 5 tools engineers to develop scalable rendering and asset management systems.
• Designed and developed a future-proof rendering and asset management system, paving the way for scalable solutions across EA studios, which may have influenced the eventual adoption of the Frostbite Engine.
Graphics Programmer, Psygnosis / SCEE Liverpool (May 1996 – Sept 2007)
• Contributed to groundbreaking PlayStation 1, PS2, and PS3 titles, including Wipeout Fusion and F1 Championship Edition.
• Specialized in next-gen rendering techniques such as HDR rendering, real-time lighting, and shader optimization.
• Collaborated on proprietary graphics engines and implemented custom rendering solutions.
Comprehensive expertise in programming languages, APIs, and platforms, with a focus on VR and graphics programming.
Programming Languages & APIs
• Proficient in C/C++, Modern C (C99+), C#, and various Assembly Languages.
• Experienced with Gnm, Vulkan, OpenGL 4.6, GLSL, HLSL, PSSL, OpenCL, and OpenXR.
Platforms & Consoles
• PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3 (PPU, SPU & RSX), iOS.
VR Development
• Meta Quest, Oculus Rift, PS VR, HTC Vive (PC).
Additional Skills
• Private Pilot License & SEP Rating.
• BSc (Hons) Computing, Manchester Metropolitan University.
• Higher National Diploma - Software Engineering, Farnborough College of Technology.
• National Diploma - Electronics Engineering, Farnborough College of Technology.
I enjoy many aspects of game development beyond graphics programming. Outside of work, I earned my Private Pilot’s License with a Single Engine Piston rating in June 2024. Flying enhances my perspective on problem-solving and technology, and I plan to pursue additional ratings over time.