WILL HAMILTON

VIDEO GAME DEVELOPMENT AND ART PORTFOLIO

PROJECTS

PROTOTYPES

ISOMETRIC ADVENTURE WORLD

A mock-up designed to test unity’s isometric camera and post processing options as well as allowing me to practice my low poly modelling skills. The yellow character in the middle can move around the scene as expected.

VR ZOMBIE SHOOTER BLOCK-OUT TO FINAL

A promotional clip to show the difference between the block-out and final concept of a level prototype intended for a VR zombie shooter I worked on during my internship at KO Studio.

STYLIZED VR SHOOTER PROTOTYPE

Created to build on my level design and programming skills along with working on my first solo XR project to test the graphical limitations of the Quest 2 headset.

“STRIKE” STYLE CHOPPER PROTOTYPE

A quick mock-up of one of the most well known game series from the 16 bit era. This was used to practice my programming, specifically making the chopper hover and effect smooth changes in height based on the terrain below.

UNITY CUSTOM DAY/NIGHT CYCLE

A day/night cycle in Unity with changes in real-time lighting and materials.

The speed of the cycle can be changed to the users liking.

DYNAMIC SWARMING TEST

Another test for the VR Zombie shooter, I wrote code to direct the zombie characters towards the player in real-time while avoiding the obvious rotation that comes from pre-made animations.

SHOWREEL

ABOUT ME

Hello, I’m Will Hamilton.

A game developer based in Glasgow, Scotland. I enjoy creating digital experiences for Desktop, Mobile and Virtual Reality. I have experience working with various technologies and software.

I am currently in my final year of University, working towards my BSc. Honours in Computer Games Development.

I have industry experience from my time working as an intern for a newly formed Scottish Indie studio and years of freelance QA experience.

I am keen to expand my knowledge in all aspects of games development but have a keen interest in the field of Environmental Art.

Some of the technologies I have been working with recently:

BLENDER

MS OFFICE

UNITY

ADOBE SUITE

VISUAL STUDIO

UNREAL ENGINE

RESUME

WORK EXPERIENCE

KO Studio Games

May 2022 – January 2024

Intern - Various Roles

Various

2013 – January 2024

Beta Tester - QA Tester - Senior QA Tester

EDUCATION

The University of the West of Scotland

September 2022 – June 2024

BSc. (Hons) Computer Games Development Yrs 3-4

West College Scotland

September 2020 – June 2022

HNC - HND Computer Games Development

SKILLS

My time with KO was incredibly important, I was headhunted by the studio head via LinkedIn and initially joined the team as a programmer shadowing the lead programmer working on a project for an external client.

After a few months it became evident that, even though I was a competent programmer, I was more interested in the artistic areas of development so was given the opportunity to transition into the art team where I was tasked with conception, blocking out and production of scenes and assets for a VR project which the studio had just started.

I was also given the opportunity to attend industry events, dealing with the public attendees and helping promote the games we had on display, giving me the opportunity to gain valuable first-hand user research and feedback to help improve the games moving forward.

During my time with KO, I was able to further develop skills in:

Concept Design
3D Modelling
Rigging
Level Design
Texturing
Environment Art
XR development
Public Relations
Event Management
Programming
QA

For the past 10 years I have worked freelance as a Beta and QA tester for various 3rd party QA companies where I have had the privilege of working with studios of all sizes from triple-A to indie on various games and mobile apps.

In February of 2021 I was given the opportunity to take a Senior Tester role with one of these companies where I was tasked with working under the Lead testers to direct and organize my assigned testing teams, making sure they are staying on task, assisting them with issues by playing alongside them and recording test information to be sent back to the client directly.

My duties included:

Network stress testing.
Repetition of various tasks in an effort to break the game and find bugs.
Filling various report documents for the development team detailing how, where and when errors occurred and provide instructions on how to replicate them where possible.
Taking part in PR events.
Testing game mechanics alone and in teams.
Testing error scenarios across platforms.
Proof read text content and information for accuracy to game data.

Having completed the year 1 and 2 equivalent of a bachelors degree in game development at college, earning A grades at the end of both years, I was offered direct entry into year 3 at UWS to continue and complete the qualification then moving onto year 4 to gain my honours.

Over my time at UWS I have worked in teams with other students and on my own to use my ever growing range and level of skills to create compelling and engaging experiences from 3rd person adventure platformers to a child friendly “Doom” clone.

During my time at the university, I have been part of the Game Dev Society, allowing me to interact with fellow game dev students from other years which has given me the opportunity to both give advice and see it from those more experienced than myself.

Skills I have developed or improved while at UWS include:

3D Asset production
Javascript programming
HTML programming
Level design
Game user research
Unity

I initially applied for the NC course at WCS believing that I had no transferrable skills that would carry over to game development, I was surprised to receive a call from the head of the department to offer me a place in the HNC level instead thanks to my previous experience in web and graphic design.

Due to Covid19 still being a major issue at the time, my HNC year was completed fully remote, Not how I expected my return to formal education to happen but I rose to the challenge and not only did I complete both years but received As for both.

During my time at college I was part of the newly created college E-Sports team, playing against other colleges and universities across the country on games such as Rocket League and Valorant. It helped to build a sense of friendship and teamwork between the team members who had never met in real life due to the pandemic but also promoted good mental health which the extended periods of isolation could seriously affect.

Some of the skills I developed during my time at WCS include:

2D Animation
3D Level Editing
Applied Math
Creating Graphics
Programming Fundamentals
Writing and Pitching a Game Treatment
Project Planning and Management
3D Modelling
Character Creation
Storytelling
Creating a Showreel
Game Customization
Game User Interface
Object Oriented Programming