Starting out

I felt like the luckiest kid in school growing up; my dad reviewed games for newspapers, so the latest consoles and titles were always around the house.

I realised pretty quickly that making his own games was the most exciting job I could imagine so I started learning programming. Challenging my school friends to play my flash games. In order to turn this passion into a career, I went to study Interactive Media at Bournemouth University. My lecturer introduced me to the team at State of Play Games.

At State of Play Games

I joined the company in 2011. The experience was fulfilling and transformative.

I was privileged to be their very first hire, and (initially) their sole programmer. The company presented me with many opportunities to voice my creative thoughts, and plenty of difficult tasks to really stretch my programming muscles.

In this collaborative environment, I found a particularly productive synergy with our designer and director, Luke. Our dynamic extended beyond just efficient back-and-forth communication. It was a partnership built on mutual respect and recognition of unique skills, pushing each other towards growth and generating successful ideas through our combined efforts. Later, I stepped into a leadership role on select projects when Luke began his paternity leave and as he focused on the next big project.

I had the privilege of having a key role on some exciting and critically acclaimed titles.
Click here to see all of my previous work from State of Play Games.

BAFTA Breakthrough brit

I had a big breakthrough when BAFTA selected me as a “Breakthrough Brit” for my work in the games industry so far.
This was a huge encouragement to me and came *just* after I had decided to strike out alone at start my own game studio.
Click here to find out more about the BAFTA award from my blog.

The future

After years in the industry, I am still excited by the fact that I can create something out of nothing; that a handwritten idea can be coded into a gaming experience that people enjoy. He particularly loves trying to get to the bottom of how people think – to come up with a title that challenges the player without frustrating them, and that surprises them by doing things a little differently.

Having just launched my own games studio, It’s a very exciting time in my life. Looking back on what I’ve learned, I would encourage people to be bold with their ideas, and to spend as much time creating as possible.

This blog

This site hosts my blog which contains development logs, retrospectives, and some of my thoughts on game design.

Consulting and Freelance work

I am available for game design and programming consultation and freelance work.
Please contact me.