Ahmad is available for hire

Ahmad Abo Bakr

Verified Expert in Engineering

Game Developer

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Toptal member since June 16, 2022

Expertise

Programming Software Engineering 3D Games Unity Game Assets Virtual Reality Git C#User Interface (UI)Team Leadership Augmented Reality (AR)User Experience (UX)A-Frame Phaser

Bio

Ahmad is a certified Unity expert with more than a decade of experience as a software developer. Most of his experience was as a game developer and virtual reality (VR) specialist. He co-founded a VR agency in 2017, where he led a team of talented developers and artists to create virtual reality games and training experiences that meet the criteria set by his clients. Ahmad believes the true potential of VR is not limited to entertainment but also training and communication.

Portfolio

Big Viking Games

Unity, C#, Reactive Programming, Mobile Games, Unit Testing, Git, Multiplayer...

Highstreet Marketplace

Unity, Virtual Reality, JavaScript, Game Programming, Multiplayer, Unit Testing...

SAE Institute

Unity, C#, JavaScript, Game Design, Teaching, Game Physics, Git, Unity3D...

Experience

Game Development - 9 years Unity - 8 years C# - 8 years Teaching - 8 years Performance Optimization - 6 years Virtual Reality - 5 years Game Design - 4 years Multiplayer - 4 years

Availability

Part-time

Preferred Environment

JetBrains Rider, Unity

The most amazing...

...tool I’ve created was an interaction and hand presence system that I designed to help speed up the creation of VR experiences.

Work Experience

Senior Game Developer

2022 - PRESENT

Big Viking Games

Helped create a 2D avatar creator to be used in-game by the players to develop and manage their character avatars.
Developed multiple optimized Unity UI animation scripts and generic components to be used to bring life to the game menus.
Helped clean up and migrate the old code base created in the prototype phase of the project to the new architecture placed for work in the alpha release.

Technologies: Unity, C#, Reactive Programming, Mobile Games, Unit Testing, Git, Multiplayer, Jira, Scrum, Unity3D, 3D Games, UniRx, Unity Game Assets, User Interface (UI), Unity3D Native Plugin Interface, 3D, Android, Unity 5, API Integration, Visual Assets

Technical Lead

2021 - 2022

Highstreet Marketplace

Designed the project architecture, developed the interaction system, networking components, and quest management system for the project. Established the core gameplay loop.
Helped interview and hire most of the core team. Conducted weekly sessions for the existing team to get them up to speed and improve their coding skills.
Assisted to establish the project management structure, split and assign tasks, and created sub-teams. Made sure everything is delivered according to requirements by doing code reviews and doing constant individual feedback.

Technologies: Unity, Virtual Reality, JavaScript, Game Programming, Multiplayer, Unit Testing, Git, Socket Programming, Team Leadership, Jira, Scrum, Unity3D, 3D Games, Notion, Oculus, Unity Game Assets, User Experience (UX), User Interface (UI), Unity3D Native Plugin Interface, 3D, Immersive Experiences, Shaders, Unity 5, Visual Effects (VFX), Meta Quest, API Integration, Avatars, Visual Assets

Game Development Lecturer

2019 - 2021

SAE Institute

Taught students pursuing a bachelor's degree in game development to understand the concepts of programming, game design, and how to use the Unity game engine.
Facilitated students to develop their graduation game project by helping them split and manage their tasks. Provided help with technical topics and guided them towards resources they can use.
Helped organize events like game jams, technical debates, and a monthly game design.

Technologies: Unity, C#, JavaScript, Game Design, Teaching, Game Physics, Git, Unity3D, 3D Games, User Interface (UI), 3D, Augmented Reality (AR), Unity 5, Meta Quest, API Integration, Visual Assets

CTO

2017 - 2021

Kandooz Studio

Worked on expanding the team from just me and my co-worker to having five developers and three artists working full-time, maintaining multiple projects for multiple clients.
Created components that we could reuse for most of our VR projects that speed up the work for the team. Kept expanding it to accommodate more user cases. Sold this system as an asset on the Unity Asset Store.
Maintained a good relationship with our clients and had multiple returning clients for other projects or maintenance on the same project.

Technologies: Unity, C#, Team Leadership, Game Development, Virtual Reality, Unity2D, Augmented Reality (AR), Unit Testing, Game Physics, Git, Socket Programming, Multiplayer, Blender, Scrum, Unity3D, 3D Games, Three.js, A-Frame, WebXR, WebGL, WebVR, Oculus, Unity Game Assets, User Interface (UI), Unity3D Native Plugin Interface, Oculus Rift, 3D, Immersive Experiences, Shaders, Unity 5, Visual Effects (VFX), API Integration, Visual Assets

Game Development Technical Supervisor

2015 - 2018

Information Technology Institute

Helped students design, develop, and manage their game projects by providing technical and logistical help.
Designed the study path for the different intakes applying to the nine-month post-grad game development degree. Selected what courses, their structure, and the topics of each class.
Taught advanced topics on game physics and mathematics, computing graphics, the Unity game engine, and network programming.
Organized game development events, such as the global game jam and run double jump, the first indie event in the MENA region that is still running every year in Egypt.

Technologies: Unity, C#, JavaScript, Phaser.io, Teaching, Game Physics, Git, Unity2D, Team Leadership, Scrum, Unity3D, 3D Games, WebVR, User Interface (UI), 3D, Unity 5, API Integration, Visual Assets

Teaching Assistant

2012 - 2013

Modern Academy for Engineering and Technology

Learned how to teach and present to a large group of students, which was a big fear of mine.
Taught advanced topics in computer engineering like compiler design and computer graphics. Kickstarted and sparked my interest in pursuing a career in game development.
Learned more advanced theoretical topics that were needed for teaching.

Technologies: University Teaching, Teaching, Git

Junior Web Developer

2011 - 2012

Holly Code

Developed a web-based call management system that allows companies to route their call based on pre-determined patterns and conditions.
Learned how to effectively use the Zend framework with MySQL to create REST back ends.
Learned to create front ends using Bootstrap and jQuery.

Technologies: JavaScript, Git

Experience

Highstreet Metaverse

http://Highstreet.market

Developed a virtual reality game experience that had a unique take on non-fungible tokens (NFTs) by making them real-world tangible collector edition items provided by different brands. I helped create the project architecture, hire the core team, and design the gameplay loop.

Mold Removal Training Experience

Developed a virtual reality interactive training experience designed to teach workers how to safely handle and remove different kinds of mold from walls, wood, and bathroom tiles. I designed it to work with six dimensions of VR and required the user to use his hands.

An Untitled VR Racing Game

Designed a VR racing game experience with multiplayer and single-player modes. I included in-game voice chat and multiple levels using a custom networking solution hosted over multiple self-managed digital ocean droplets.

Retro Bouncer

Created a retro synth-wave style infinite runner game with a twist in the genre's mechanics. I set it up so that the player has no direct control over the character but rather indirectly controls it by controlling the environment

Mind Orb

https://github.com/mindorb/mindorb

Built a 3D minimap authoring tool that enables users to visualize ideas and their relationships in a 3D environment that is Web Native. It was built with JavaScript using the Three.js framework.

Education

2020 - 2023

Master's Degree in Virtual reality

Middlesex University - United Kingdom

2014 - 2014

Postgraduate Diploma in Game Development

Information Technology Institute - Cairo, Egypt

2011 - 2014

Postgraduate Diploma in Computer Engineering

Arab Academy for Engineering and Maritime Technology - Cairo, Egypt

2007 - 2011

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Engineering

Modern Academy for Engineering and Technology - Cairo, Egypt

Certifications

JULY 2022 - PRESENT

Unity Certified Expert Programmer

Unity Technologies

Skills

Libraries/APIs

Three.js, WebVR, WebGL, WebXR, UniRx

Tools

Git, Unity 5, Blender, Jira, Notion

Languages

C#, JavaScript

Frameworks

Unity, Unity2D, Unity3D, Phaser.io, A-Frame

Paradigms

Scrum, Unit Testing, Reactive Programming, Socket Programming

Industry Expertise

Teaching

Platforms

Linux, Oculus, Mobile, Oculus Rift, Android

Other

Virtual Reality, Game Programming, Game Development, Game Design, Mobile Games, Programming, Software Engineering, Game Physics, 3D Games, Unity Game Assets, Immersive Experiences, Visual Assets, Performance Optimization, Team Leadership, Augmented Reality (AR), User Experience (UX), User Interface (UI), 3D, Shaders, Meta Quest, API Integration, Avatars, Multiplayer, University Teaching, Research, Virtual Reality App Design, Design Tools, Unity Editor Scripting, Unity3D Native Plugin Interface, Visual Effects (VFX)

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