About me

Davide Pelino

To get in contact click here:

United Kingdom

A very bad description of me:

I'm a game designer, and I like climbing.

Born in Italy, I grew up with a deep passion for video games, since they are products capable of containing most of the existing forms of art: Raw fun, movies, books, paintings, music, etc.

I went to college in the United Kingdom (UK Pre-Settled Status) to learn everything about creating and polishing games (and much more about creativity and all its forms.).

Completed my bachelor's degree in 2023 with a first class. And recently finished my Master of Science in Games Design, on track for distinction, and excited about this new path in my life.

Learning new things every day through constructive criticism and a positive mindset.

Education

-Bachelor of Science in Computer Games Design at the Staffordshire University

Honours - First class

-Master of Science in Computer Games Design at the Staffordshire University

Honours - Distinction

Awards:
Outstanding TIGA Graduate of the Year: Computer Games Technology [29/09/2023]

1st place at GradEX 2024 - Game Masters - Design [07/06/2024]

Not a game-related one, but nonetheless an award that meant a lot to me. [05/2024]

Work Experience

Games Related:

1-UP Scheme 2022 - "The StaffsVerse"

6 weeks as a junior game designer in a team of 30 developers. A playable virtual recreation of the Staffordshire University. Worked on: Design documentation, Quest Design, Level Design, Meshing etc. (https://youtu.be/gN2o2rIfyw0)

1-UP Scheme 2024 - MechHead & Other Games

Worked on multiple projects as part of the ‘Masters Squad’. During this 6 weeks program, I did several tasks on different games being developed. This work included game documentation, in-engine development, and much more. Lots of cooperation with the other developers from the design, art, and tech.

Student Demonstrator - Staffordshire University 2024

During semester 3 of my Master's, I've been helping level 4 students in the module 'Introduction to 3D Animation'. I provided feedback on their work, assisted in troubleshooting, and shared tricks and tips about how to balance uni-work and life! This refreshing experience helped me remember those days when I was new and still figuring out my future at the University.

Not games related:

During the summer of 2023, I worked for 3 months as a ride host at Alton Towers. It was a very valuable experience to train the array of soft skills that usually were never fully explored during my degree. Safety checks on the rides, lots of customer service with guests of all types, respect for the workplace, and also team cooperation.

Before starting my game design studies I worked as a babysitter, waiter, mover, farmer, mechanic, and gardener.

My Hard Skills:

Game Design: Deep technical knowledge of game design theory and tools pipeline with communication skills and production sensibilities. This includes the flexibility to work on games of many genres.
Level Design: Solid level design capabilities to create memorable game environments and play spaces in video games.
Unreal Engine: Heavy knowledge of the engine. Everything needed to prototype and polish games: Blockout, Level Meshing, Blueprint, Lighting, and much more.
Artist’s eye: Solid artistic sense applied to all my main works. Colour Theory, Lighting, and Image Composition are all factors used to make levels that are both visually appealing but also extremely readable to guide players.
Photoshop: Strong design and documentation skills. All needed to effectively & efficiently present all my ideas in the cleanest way: concepts, storyboards, game diagrams, level maps, annotations, and much more.
Cinematics & Storytelling: Huge passion for cinematography and compelling stories that are directly channeled into most of my projects. Over the years I studied many topics about the art of cinematography: Rule of Thirds, Leading Lines, Depth of Field, and so on. ("Pilots" so far is the sum of everything I have learned)
Motion Builder & Motion Capture: My strong curiosity in the animation field, brought me to learn the fundamentals of how to use the Motion Capture studio of the university, in the meantime I also learned how to use motion builder to effectively convert the MoCap recordings to the final characters in the engine.
QA - Bug Hunting: Throughout the years I always had to deal with bugs in all the projects I've worked on. Thanks to my problem-solving abilities though, I've always been able to fix all those game-breaking bugs that at first glance seemed no sense but actually had a quite fascinating way of being triggered.
Jira: Solid usage of the software to keep my work organized & clear.
Maxica Voxel: Effective knowledge of the software to support my design documentation.
3DS MAX: Basic knowledge of the engine to build simple props.

My Soft Skills:

Friendliness: It's really tricky trying to write this without sounding arrogant, but my empathy & my openness helped me a lot in life to develop a bond with people of all kinds.
Problem-Solving: Always loved puzzles, when I see a problem in life, I wonder: "There must be a solution!”
Adaptability: If there is a constrain in my life, I’ll do my best to compensate for the deficiency, no matter what
Optimist: Being positive is something that always helped me multiple times.
Creative: The world can always use new ideas!
Fast Learner: Literally a sponge of curiosity, I usually never commit the same mistake twice (usually).

Hobbies:

Video games: Yes.

Movies & Cinematography: Also this media is something I'm quite close to (with a soft spot for animation).

Interest in every type of art: You made a magnetic painting or a vibrant song? There will always be space for those in my games!
Exploring Nature: I grew up a lot in the countryside, and the connection I have to the green grass is something that I always bring with me.
Climbing: This fits a lot with the previous one, also in case of a zombie apocalypse it could be quite handy to be more agile.
Technology: I just love innovation and seeing new technologies improving people's lives day after day.
Cars: My baseline Italian appreciation for the car culture is surprisingly superior to others.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse