João Azuaga, Developer in Berlin, Germany
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João Azuaga

Verified Expert  in Engineering

Game Developer

Location
Berlin, Germany
Toptal Member Since
January 5, 2022

João is a seasoned game developer who has been programming and making games for 4+ years. He is passionate about interactive media and graphical applications and is looking for projects that allow him to work with games, interactive apps, graphic visualizations, animations, and UI. João's ultimate professional goal is to create a sustainable environment where he can develop a multitude of skills in software development as well as other artistic and technical fields.

Game DevelopmentUser Interface (UI)3D GamesUI DevelopmentUI Programming2D GamesUnity3DGame DesignMobile UIWindowsC#GitUI DesignMobileMobile Design

Portfolio

SAE Institute Berlin
C#, .NET, Unity, Git, Blender, Photoshop CS6, Games, Education, UI Development...
Snobfox
C#, .NET, Unity, Git, Mobile, GUI, Mobile UX, Mobile UI, User Interface (UI)...
it Matters Games
Unity, C#, .NET, UX Design, UI Design, Game Design, Scripting, Bolt.js...

Experience

Education - 7 yearsC# - 6 yearsUnity - 6 yearsUI Design - 4 years2D Games - 4 yearsUI Programming - 4 yearsGame Design - 4 yearsUser Interface (UI) - 4 years

Availability

Part-time

Preferred Environment

Windows, C#, .NET, Git, Shaders, Gameplay Development, User Interface (UI), GUI, Unity, Unity3D

The most amazing...

...projects I've worked on had complete communication but were not intrusive, had set expectations realistically, and the human aspect of work has been preserved.

Work Experience

Lecturer

2020 - PRESENT
SAE Institute Berlin
  • Designed a full curriculum for beginner game programming students, including learning materials, lectures, exercises, assignments, and exams. Topics include programming basics, algorithms, data structures, game engines, and Unity.
  • Prepared lectures for art students to learn Unity. Topics included art tools, pipelines, plugins, common art tasks, and technical art.
  • Built advanced game programming students' lectures. Topics included advanced programming techniques, design patterns, architecture, project management.
  • Mentored students at several different levels of study. Helped with assignments, prepared exercises, reviewed lecture topics, and gave feedback on assignments and exams.
Technologies: C#, .NET, Unity, Git, Blender, Photoshop CS6, Games, Education, UI Development, UI Programming, Game Development, 2D Games, Unity3D, Unity2D

Lead Game Developer

2019 - PRESENT
Snobfox
  • Developed the core gameplay of a casual mobile game. It consists of a grid of 3D objects of different sizes that the player can manipulate—move on all three axes and rotate.
  • Built most of the UI, consisting of a catalog of items, NPC dialog, menus, quests, and rewards.
  • Designed and developed most of the game's progression and the quests and characters that the player interacts with.
  • Created the design and implemented data structures and algorithms to store and manipulate all the data involved.
  • Oversaw a team of five people, one of which was a part-time programmer. Organized meetings, designed round-tables, and oversaw project management throughout the project (some of these roles were shared with other teammates).
Technologies: C#, .NET, Unity, Git, Mobile, GUI, Mobile UX, Mobile UI, User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX), Gameplay Development, Game Design, Games, 3D Games, Shaders, UI Development, UI Programming, Game Development, Android, 2D Games, Unity3D, Unity2D

Technical Designer

2021 - 2021
it Matters Games
  • Designed and implemented AI behaviors for a pet game (cats and dogs).
  • Created and helped implement several minigames, cutscenes, and interactions with pets.
  • Built and documented multiple gameplay systems for an upcoming story-based tycoon game, including supporting the narrative and engineering teams and bridging the gap between design and implementation.
  • Worked on the initial design for an upcoming online battling game. Designed combat mechanics, character abilities, meta progression, team mechanics, maps, and game modes.
Technologies: Unity, C#, .NET, UX Design, UI Design, Game Design, Scripting, Bolt.js, Unity Visual Scripting, Mockups, GUI, User Interface (UI), Gameplay Development, Git, Games, 3D Games, Game Development, 2D Games, Unity3D, Unity2D

Game Programmer

2019 - 2020
Marshmallow Fort
  • Designed the whole UX and UI flow for the mobile game, including the single-player and multiplayer modes.
  • Built a UI prototype and worked closely with artists and other programmers to execute it.
  • Implemented several GUI systems, including the core game UI, the menus, and player profiles.
  • Integrated several third-party SDKs and designed interfaces to connect them to core game systems.
  • Built data structures and communication layers to store player data, profiles, save games, achievements, and more, integrating it with different services.
  • Instructed and helped the engineering team with architecture and cleaning up the codebase.
Technologies: C#, .NET, Unity, GUI, Mobile Game Development, User Interface (UI), Mobile Design, Google Play Store, SDKs, Game Design, Git, Mobile, Games, UI Development, UI Programming, Game Development, Android, 2D Games, Unity3D, Unity2D

Game Developer

2018 - 2019
Happy Tuesday
  • Built custom timeline tools for generating dynamic timelines. These timelines were integrated into gameplay, with the player being able to control playback and animation parameters.
  • Designed and implemented a procedural animation and audio system with IK, look-at targets, lip-syncing, and mesh reskinning, integrating with the timeline tools mentioned above.
  • Created the design and wrote UI systems, animations, effects, and shaders for the whole game.
  • Wrote several VR prototypes for the Oculus Gear VR headset—running on Android. These ranged from simple performance benchmarks to fully interactive games.
Technologies: Unity, C#, .NET, Git, Shaders, GUI, 3D Animation, Procedural Generation, Game Design, User Interface (UI), Gameplay Development, Mobile UX, Mobile UI, Games, 3D Games, UI Development, UI Programming, Game Development, Virtual Reality (VR), Oculus, Android, Unity3D

Linguistic Services Provider

2012 - 2018
Freelance
  • Translated contracts, fiction and non-fiction books, apps, websites, and manuals.
  • Interpreted at several business and trade conferences in simultaneous and consecutive modes.
  • Taught English and Portuguese to adults. Prepared lesson materials, exercises, and exams.
Technologies: Translation, Interpretation, Linguistics, Education

My Universe: Puppies and Kittens

https://www.microids.com/game-my-universe-puppies-and-kittens/
A pet simulator for PC, PS4 and Nintendo Switch allows the player to take care of their pets (dogs and cats) - feed them, clean them, and play with them in a multitude of minigames. It also enables them to train the pets to become better at specific skills, like them more, and behave better.

I worked as a technical designer, designing and implementing pet behaviors and minigames in-engine.

My Universe: Doctors and Nurses

https://www.microids.com/game-my-universe-doctors-nurses/
A story-based hospital game for PC, PS4, and Nintendo Switch. The player can recreate both a doctor and a nurse, diagnose, treat and follow up on patients in various minigames and intertwining storylines. They can explore the hospital and its rich set of characters, build relationships, and help them through ups and downs.

I worked as a designer on this project, designing the rough structure of the game and narrative and several gameplay systems and minigames.

Checkers

A checkers game for Android and iOS, featuring a unique art style and polished graphics. The game can be played in a single-player mode against AIs of different difficulties or against other players in an online multiplayer mode. A multiplayer ladder and a matchmaking system attempt to match players with others of similar skill.

I worked as a developer, integrating external SDKs, extending and connecting the core game with third-party services such as cloud storage, player profiles, and achievements.

Frameworks

Unity, Unity3D, Unity2D, .NET

Other

User Interface (UI), GUI, Translation, Games, 3D Games, Education, UI Development, UI Programming, Game Development, 2D Games, Gameplay Development, Game Design, Procedural Generation, Interpretation, Linguistics, Mobile UI, Scripting, Shaders, Level Design, 3D Animation, Mobile UX, User Experience (UX), Bolt.js, Unity Visual Scripting, Mockups, Mobile Game Development, Google Play Store, SDKs, Documentation, Console Games, Virtual Reality (VR)

Languages

C#

Tools

Git, Blender, Photoshop CS6

Paradigms

UI Design, Mobile Design, UX Design

Platforms

Windows, Mobile, Oculus, Android

2017 - 2018

Ausbildung in Game Design

Games Academy - Berlin, Germany

2013 - 2015

Master's Degree in Translation

Porto Accounting and Business School, Polytechnic Institute of Porto (ISCAP-IPP) - Porto, Portugal

2010 - 2013

Bachelor's Degree in Translation

Porto Accounting and Business School, Polytechnic Institute of Porto (ISCAP-IPP) - Porto, Portugal