GAME DESIGN — AT ANY SCALE

I'm an experienced game developer with a track record as both an indie dev and as a AAA technical designer on titles like Destiny 2 and God of War Ragnarök. I've also been making games as a student and hobbyist for well over a decade, and I hold a BFA in Game Design and Animation.

I'm currently busy running my indie studio, but feel free to reach out with professional inquiries at joseph@josephlax.com.

Screenshot from God of War Ragnarök depicting Kratos fighting a Dreki in Svartalfheim

QUICK STATS

3 years AAA experience
4+ years indie experience
2 shipped AAA games
4-year degree in Game Design and Animation

Screenshot from We Who Linger depicting white ruins scattered across a grassy canyon

DESIGN SPECIALTIES

Systems and Technical Design
Level and Area Design
Interactive Narratives

Screenshot from Destiny 2: Shadowkeep depicting a guardian fighting on the moon

TECHNICAL KNOW-HOW

Unreal Engine, Unity, Maya, Perforce, Adobe CC, etc.
Experience picking up proprietary engines and languages quickly
Blueprints, C#, GML, and more

WORK HISTORY

LEATHERBACK GAMES (2022-PRESENT)

Game Designer

Designed and programmed core gameplay systems including combat, traversal, menus, inventory, animation trees, dialogue sequences, and more for an indie action game
Collaborated with artists and composers to develop and implement character art, promotional materials, and music

Concept art from an unannounced game depicting a young man wielding a double-ended sword while surrounded by shadowy figures beneath a sea of stars

SANTA MONICA STUDIO (2020-2022)

Associate Technical Level Designer

Created and maintained modules, set pieces, and gameplay interactions for God of War Ragnarök
Supported other game designers, artists, writers, and sound designers
Maintained technical stability of levels

Cover art for God of War Ragnarök depicting Kratos and Atreus standing on a frozen lake

BUNGIE (2019-2020)

Associate Technical Designer

Built Destiny 2 activities, gameplay objects, and puzzles in Bungie’s newest tech
Scripted gameplay sequences, participated in bug testing, and solved technical problems
Collaborated with engineering, design, and QA teams to prepare content for the Destiny 2: Beyond Light launch

Cover art for Destiny 2: Beyond Light depicting a guardian sitting alone on the frozen surface of Europa

ENDUVO (2018)

Unity Developer Intern

Designed, prototyped, and iterated on the UI, UX, website, branding, and features of a VR sharing platform
Met with executives and clients to discuss feature requests and analyze feedback data
Adjusted software, controls, and interfaces for multiple VR and AR devices

Photograph of a man using a VR headset at a public exhibition

EDUCATION

Screenshot from We Who Linger depicting a horned spirit standing in a field of grass

BRADLEY UNIVERSITY (2015-2019)

BFA in Game Design and Animation

Made over 20 video games and 4 tabletop games
Led teams of 4, then 10, then 27 students on game projects of increasing scope
Became the first person in the college's history to graduate from the BFA program
Graduated Summa Cum Laude and as a member of the Honors Program
Held leadership roles in Video Game Design Club, Interactive Narrative Club, the Dean’s Student Advisory Council, the Interactive Media Student Advisory Board, and more

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