Mike Kribel, Developer in Águas Belas, Portugal
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Mike Kribel

Verified Expert  in Engineering

Bio

Mike is a highly experienced individual in the video game industry (15 years) who decided to take the plunge several years ago and went independent. He founded a studio named Principle, Inc., where he develops games using the Unity3D engine, whose primary objective is to be something different. Mike specializes in game design, programming (C#), and tools development (C# and VBA).

Portfolio

in Principle, Inc.
Microsoft 365, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), Logic Pro, Audacity...
Choice Provisions
C#, Excel VBA, Level Design, Games, Game Design, User Interface (UI), Unity...
Electronic Arts
Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel, User Research, Video Game Consoles...

Experience

Localization - 15 yearsGame Design - 13 yearsExcel VBA - 13 yearsC# - 9 yearsUnity - 9 yearsBlender - 7 yearsUser Experience (UX) - 6 yearsSteam Integration - 3 years

Availability

Part-time

Preferred Environment

Blender, Microsoft Excel, Unity3D, C#

The most amazing...

...video game I've developed and released to date is called Thrusty Ship on Steam: it's a very complete title, full of features, and things for players to do.

Work Experience

Director | Developer

2017 - PRESENT
in Principle, Inc.
  • Developed and released OVO Smash! for Steam, using Unity3D and other tools.
  • Developed and released Thrusty Ship for Steam, using Unity3D.
  • Taught game development at the University of Red Deer, Alberta, Canada for a one-week-long summer camp in 2019; I received great student and parent reviews.
  • Created Unity3D to Steam tutorials on YouTube, the most popular tutorials on the topic by aggregate numbers, to my knowledge.
  • Completed contract work for two educational games for a local Alberta client on farming equipment safety, to great client satisfaction.
Technologies: Microsoft 365, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), Logic Pro, Audacity, Blender, C#, Unity, Game Design, Microsoft Excel, Localization, Italian-English Translation, Excel VBA, Unity2D, Tools, Microsoft PowerPoint, Level Design, Games, User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX)

Developer

2020 - 2022
Choice Provisions
  • Designed every level for Hextech Mayhem: a League of Legends Story, with downloadable content levels included.
  • Programmed all the level population logic and tools in Hextech Mayhem: a League of Legends Story. Programmed the user interface.
  • Designed the core locomotion systems in Hextech Mayhem: a League of Legends Story and the unique selling point, the improvisation system.
Technologies: C#, Excel VBA, Level Design, Games, Game Design, User Interface (UI), Unity, User Experience (UX), Video Game Consoles, Microsoft Excel, Jira, Microsoft 365, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), Localization, Tools, Microsoft PowerPoint

User Experience Researcher (FIFA)

2013 - 2017
Electronic Arts
  • Organized and managed group UX research sessions, as well as one-on-one sessions. In my time at EA, I averaged 1.5 research sessions per week.
  • Analyzed accrued user experience data using various statistical models and techniques for both qualitative and quantitative queries.
  • Delivered PowerPoint presentations to the game design teams and producers that would explain what the user research would find on various features and improvements for the FIFA products.
  • Ran UK-based playtests with hand-picked users to test the most hardcore features for the FIFA gameplay team and the FIFA ultimate team.
Technologies: Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel, User Research, Video Game Consoles, User Experience (UX), Xbox 360, Microsoft 365, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), Excel VBA, Tools, PS3, Games, User Interface (UI)

Localization QA Process and Tools Manager

2011 - 2013
Babel Media
  • Developed tools to improve the efficiency and accuracy of localization QA effort. Notable examples include version management and comparison for localization files, with reports designed to address the differences.
  • Used VBA to automate client-facing reporting with a tool that I programmed which linked database extraction, aggregated the data, parsed it in a predefined report system, then sent it to the client.
  • Created an attitudinal test environment for the recruitment team specifically designed to track applications to work in localization QA. The test measured the willingness to work and competence.
Technologies: Confluence, Jira, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), Game Design, Microsoft Excel, Xbox 360, Databases, Microsoft 365, Localization, Italian-English Translation, Excel VBA, TestTrack Pro, Tools, PS3, Games

Senior Localization QA Coordinator

2010 - 2011
Babel Media
  • Managed the localization effort for various AAA projects and clients (all protected by NDA). This involved vetting and submitting bug reports to clients, as well as reporting on progress on a day to day basis.
  • Mentored localization QA testers in many languages as well as localization QA coordinators and supervisors.
Technologies: Microsoft 365, Databases, Jira, Video Game Consoles, Microsoft Excel, Xbox 360, Localization, Italian-English Translation, Excel VBA, TestTrack Pro, PS3, Confluence, Games

Localization QA Tester (Italian)

2009 - 2010
Babel Media
  • Contributed to polishing the quality of the Italian localization of major AAA titles. All titles are protected by NDA so I cannot disclose them.
  • Tracked, reported, fixed, and verified bugs using various databases, depending on client, for tracking localization bugs.
  • Tracked, reported, fixed, and verified console manufacturer compliance localization issues.
Technologies: Microsoft 365, Confluence, Jira, TestTrack Pro, Video Game Consoles, Microsoft Excel, Xbox 360, Localization, Italian-English Translation, Excel VBA, PS3, Games

Functionality and Localization QA Tester (Italian)

2009 - 2009
Codemasters
  • Improved the quality of the Italian localization of major AAA titles such as Overlord II, DiRT 2, and Overlord Minions.
  • Tracked, reported, and verified bugs using Jira for tracking functionality and localization bugs.
  • Managed all of the Italian localization efforts and related communication due to being the only Italian linguistic expert in the team.
Technologies: Jira, Microsoft Excel, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, PS3, Xbox 360, Microsoft 365, Localization, Italian-English Translation, Excel VBA, PlayStation, Games

Functionality and Localization QA Tester (Italian)

2007 - 2009
Rockstar Games
  • Polished the quality of the Italian localization of major AAA titles such as Grand Theft Auto IV, Midnight Club: LA and Bully: Scholarship Edition.
  • Tracked, reported, and verified bugs using the Rockstar proprietary databases for tracking functionality and localization bugs.
  • Volunteered for many night shifts or other forms of overtime work to maximize my contribution to the projects.
Technologies: Databases, Microsoft Excel, PlayStation, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, PS3, Xbox 360, Jira, Microsoft 365, Localization, Italian-English Translation, Excel VBA, Games

Thrusty Ship (Steam)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/942520/Thrusty_Ship/
I handled the head-to-toe development of this high octane, action-packed, highly challenging unconventional platformer videogame developed in Unity 2D. The highlights are the game's level design (96 handcrafted levels), mechanics design, a subtle tutorial (driven by progress), and bug-free experience.

OVO Smash! (Steam)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/719130/OVO_Smash/
I implemented the head-to-toe development of this local multiplayer mashup between competitive deathmatch and memory match. A few highlights are the game's inventive design in a completely family friendly environment and the bug-free experience.

Tutorials on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5-Y-5Dtg_c&list=PLYNA5JTxVZN0VNeZSBMVhlzDw2fY3raGr
I've been running a YouTube channel for a few years now, posting tutorials for various game development related topics, including Unity3D to Steam integration, MS Excel and C# code converters to use in Unity, and a Daddy and Daughter series (where I teach one of my children to program videogames, live stream on Twitch, and then archive the videos on YouTube).
2005 - 2007

Completed Credits towards a Bachelor's Degree in Translation and Interpretation

Scuola Superiore Lingue Moderne per Interpreti e Traduttori (SSLMIT) - Trieste, Italy

Libraries/APIs

Steam Integration

Tools

Microsoft PowerPoint, Blender, Microsoft Excel, Jira, TestTrack Pro, Confluence, Audacity, Logic Pro

Languages

Excel VBA, C#, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)

Frameworks

Unity2D, Unity

Platforms

Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation

Storage

Databases

Other

Game Design, Localization, Italian-English Translation, Level Design, Games, Tools, User Experience (UX), Video Game Consoles, Microsoft 365, User Research, User Interface (UI)

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