A droplet of water falls from a pink clover plant and plops into gentle running water below.

Crafting connection

between players and video games worlds,

to bring delight and warmth,

is where I shine as a developer.

I’m Jess, a technical designer and artist who loves gameplay

feel.

With 11+ years creating experiences in Unreal Engine, I work between Blueprints, Materials, Niagara, State Tree, UMG, and more, to quickly bring an experience to life, going beyond purely functional to finding what feels good.

At a glance

Role

Senior Technical Designer & Artist

Skills

Gameplay system design & implementation

Cross discipline feature team leadership

Multiplayer experiences

Inclusive design

Prototyping

Creature AI

Connect

Previous Studios

For over a decade, I've been creating joyful, prosocial experiences...

Everwild

Senior Technical Designer | Rare

Unique and unforgettable experiences await in a natural and magical world.

Step Inside

A fantastical deer like creature resting in a grove unfurls it's fungus like antlers to absorb a ray of sunlight.

Jitter

Senior Technical Designer | Improbable

2.500 vegetables.

1 pepper.

1 server.

And a whole lot of berry funny shenanigans.

Gourd Heavens

Thousands of carrots, turnips, gourds, and apples are launched into the sky off the bounce pads of the beginning of the cotton skies map, a bright candy coloured world.

Chirp

Solo Developer | Personal

Follow a fledgling's journey into the Scottish Highlands.

Take A Gander

A fluffy fledgling sits cheerfully on branch.

Mario Mash-up

Junior Artist | 4J Studios

A reimagining of Nintendo's most beloved plumber and friends in the Minecraft universe.

Let's-A-Go!

In the pixel world of Minecraft, in front of Peach's castle, Mario jumps into the air whilst Luigi, Peach, Toad, and a cow look on.

Preferred Tools

I take
experiences from premise,

Align

When you are clear on the "what" the "how" becomes much easier, thus I work with the team to define a clear, achievable, experience.

Scope

Whether flying solo or in a team, I encourage commitment to feasible timelines, favouring reliable delivery and team health.

To prototype,

Create

Utilising smoke, mirrors, and pixie dust as neccessary, I get the first version playable quickly.

Playtest & Iterate

With the blank page gone, I build up the experience improving readability, feel, and pacing as feedback demands.

Log

A lot of time can be lost trying to figure out why something isn't working, so even from an early stage I include debug logging.

Reflect

I know when to step back and evaluate if the experience is proven enough, and it's time to move on.

To product.

When shifting into production,

I review what systems we're taking forward, and how these best fit together.

Refine & Integrate

Scale

Naming conventions, asset standards, folder hierarchies, tidy outliners... it's not glamorous work but I set good practices early on to make later life easier.

Optimise

I run performance tests per sprint to track the baseline, and catch and resolve any major problems as they're implemented.

Document

Whether it's in Confluence, Powerpoint, or integrated in the Blueprints themselves, I leave no system undocumented.