Adrian Kulinski
Y2 Games Development
Project 1
Specialist Experimentation
As the games industry grows, studios are looking for people who have a broad understanding of game development and strong skills in a specific area. I’ve been selected by Quantum Loop to take part in a specialist development programme aimed at nurturing future talent.
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Over eight weeks, I will rotate through four key areas: Games Design (with a focus on Level Design), 3D Art and Animation, Programming, and Audio Development. This will give me hands-on experience with industry-standard tools, software, and workflows in each field.
My role involves practical workshops, research tasks, and creative experiments. I’ll study the work of leading practitioners, analyse their contributions, and apply what I learn through small skill-building projects. This phase helps me discover my strengths and interests, guiding the direction of my future work.
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This programme is a great opportunity to build a strong foundation in game development while helping me make informed choices about which specialism I want to focus on in more independent projects later this year.
Task 1
Practitioner Case Studies
To broaden my understanding of game development, I will explore how leading practitioners approach their craft. For this task, I will complete four mini case studies, each focused on a different specialist area: Games Design (Level Design), 3D Art and Animation, 2D Art and Animation, and Programming.
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I will research one professional or studio per specialism, examining their creative intentions, use of visual and audio language, tools, and design processes. I will also consider how they present their work ethically.
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By examining these practitioners, I will reflect on how their methods and philosophies can influence and improve my own skills. This will help me understand industry standards and inspire me to develop my creative practice in ways that are both thoughtful and effective.
3D Artist Case Study
Vincent Barbe
Vincent Barbe has worked for studios such as Wonderstorm (The Dragon Prince: Xadia) and Silkroad Studios (Yokai Tales: Fox) as a 3D environment artist. He contributed level art and models for both TDP:X and YT:F during his time at each respective studio. He began his journey by studying at two 3D art schools (Artside and New3dge) after high school, the former of which inspired him to focus on environmental design as a career rather than a pastime. For an assignment at Artside, he was inspired by Studio Ghibli, Zelda: BotW and Xenoblade when making an environment that could fit into a video game.
Programmer Case Study
John Carmack
John Carmack used to be a co-founder, CTO and lead programmer for id Software, who made projects such as the Commander Keen series, the original Doom series and the Quake series, though Carmack only worked on Quake I, Quake II and Quake III arena before leaving the company in 2000. Following his departure, he decided to found his own company by the name of Armadillo Aerospace, which specialised in aerospace and promptly was put into “hibernation” in early 2013 following a slight harsh landing in their STIG-B’s third launch. Not long after, Carmack found himself in the position of CTO at Oculus VR (now Reality Labs) where he worked on mainly mobile VR headsets such as the Samsung Gear VR and Oculus Go.
2D Artist Case Study
Name Here
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Early Career
Ikumi Nakamura began her career at __________ as a __________.
She became well known for working on __________.
Founding Unseen Inc.
She started her own studio because __________.
“Borderless studio” means __________.
Studio Culture
Unseen Inc. is different from other Japanese studios because __________.
She prefers to hire __________ because __________.
Leadership & Teamwork
A lesson she learned from her mentors (Kamiya or Mikami) is __________.
She wants her team to feel __________ when working together.
Challenges & Growth
One challenge she faced in her career was __________.
From that experience, she learned __________.
Current Work
Her new game is called __________ and it’s about __________.
The tone or feeling of the game is __________ compared to her past work.
Reflection
What inspires me most about Ikumi Nakamura is __________.
Her story shows that to succeed in games, I should __________.
Level Designer Case Study
Name Here
Malin Wong is a level designer at the Avalanche Studios Group, who have created community favourite games such as the Just Cause series and the theHunter series and collaborative projects with industry giants such as Warner Bros. Games, who published the Mad Max game which ASG developed. She began her journey into the industry by enrolling into Futuregames, a well-known game development and technology school, during which she partook in group projects such as The Black Rose, Summit and Junkyard Bash, which are all relatively well received on itch.io.
Task 2
Experimenting with Specialist Tools
After analysing practitioner work, I will experiment with specialist tools, materials, and processes across the four fields: Games Design (Level Design), 3D Art and Animation, 2D Art and Animation, and Programming.
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I will create work such as grey-box level production and small cutscenes for Games Design, character sculpting, rigging, and keyframe animation in 3D, sprite sheets and concept art in 2D, and class-based scripts in Programming. My focus will be on the experimentation process rather than finished outcomes.
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I will document my progress in a time- and date-stamped development diary on WIX, including visuals to show what I have attempted. I will explain in each entry how I used the tools, how my approach reflects professional practices, and how I followed ethical guidelines. I will also reflect on whether I am satisfied with my outcomes and note ways I could improve or refine my work. This process will help me build skills while linking my experimentation to industry standards and creative intent.
3D Art Experimentation
Level Rebuild Task
The initial week back to college, we were tasked with recreating a level (in 3D) from a game (2D OR 3D) in order to refresh our skills in modelling.
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I decided to tackle this problem by using a website by the name of noclip (noclip.website) in order to browse an array of levels that I may be interested in recreating for this project, eventually finding the SpongeBob Squarepants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman which seemed interesting.
After perusing the range of levels at my disposal, I settled on recreating the iconic Krusty Krab as it seemed like a relatively simple space that I would be able to recreate despite my hiatus weakening my skill in the subject.​
Image 1 - Interior of the Krusty Krab from SpongeBob Squarepants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman via noclip.website
Image 2 - Exterior of the Krusty Krab from SpongeBob Squarepants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman via noclip.website
After deciding on which level to recreate, I made a blockout for the main building in Blender, making sure to create separate object for the windows.​
Image 3 - My vague blockout made in Blender
3D Art Experimentation
Plane model in Blender (PowerHour)
Reflective Journal Prompts: (remember to include images and date each entry)
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A description of the tasks that you have worked on this week.​​
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Explanation of any new skills that you have worked on or improved this week.​​
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Which parts of the week did you enjoy and why?​​
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Which parts of the week did you find difficult and why? ​​
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What could you do to improve?
2D Art Experimentation
Sprite Design for a Platformer Game
Reflective Journal Prompts: (remember to include images and date each entry)
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A description of the tasks that you have worked on this week.​​
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Explanation of any new skills that you have worked on or improved this week.​​
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Which parts of the week did you enjoy and why?​​
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Which parts of the week did you find difficult and why? ​​
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What could you do to improve?
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Select a 3D game that you like, and turn the main character and main enemy into 2D sprites. Then write a reflective entry on developing those sprites
Level Design Experimentation
Developing a FPS Map design
Throughout this week, I designed an initial sketch for a potential map in an FPS game, including two possible objective sites which can be tackled by the attackers. I explored how to keep maps balanced and still remaining fun for all players. I discovered how to use the props in order to give the map some character, taking a large amount of inspiration from Valorant maps such as Bind
Programming Experimentation
Developing a maze game in UE5
You can add any Java stuff here too!
Whilst setting up my first Unreal project back at college, I relearned how to manipulate the camera, including changing the camera speed, the height of the camera and how to move the camera effectively and efficiently. This allowed me to work on my level without much difficulty as I'm able to manoeuvre throughout the level and ensure that the level both looks good and functional from any and all angles, keeping an eye out for things such as unwanted holes in corners, gaps in walls where they aren't need or incorrect props in places that woudn't fit.
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Alongside this, I managed to explore the outliner in the right of the engine, which allowed me to change the properties of objects I selected, including the likes of size, rotation, scale, material and even the physics of the object(s) selected. This is useful as it enables me to manipulate how the objects in my level interact with both each other and the terrain that I have made. Using this, I'm able to ensure that the interactive parts of the level don't break because of any unwanted interactions between each other.
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Compounding my knowledge
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Getting Started
First we created a new Blank Blueprint project. Then we looked around the viewport, Content Browser, and Outliner to see where everything was. Next we practiced moving the camera and switching between views. Finally we pressed Play to test the empty level.
I understood…
I struggled with…
Building the Maze
First we made a new level and added a big floor using a Box Brush. Then we placed walls to form the maze layout. Next we added lighting (Sky Sphere, Directional Light, Skylight) and changed the sunlight to get the mood we wanted. Finally we saved and tested the level.
I understood…
I struggled with…
Creating the Game Mode + Player
First we made a Game Mode Blueprint so we could control the rules of the game. Then we made a Player Character Blueprint and added a camera. Next we set the Game Mode to use our new character.
Finally we pressed Play to check if we could move around correctly.
I understood…
I struggled with…
Input & Player Controls
First we added movement and look inputs (MoveForward, MoveRight, LookUp, Turn). Then we made Blueprint nodes to move the player using Add Movement Input. Next we added camera rotation using Add Controller Pitch/Yaw Input. Finally we tested and adjusted movement to feel smoother.
I understood…
I struggled with…
Doors, Keys, and Interactions
First we created the door and key Blueprints and added trigger boxes. Then we made the Interact button (E) work when the player steps into the trigger. Next we made the key disappear and added 1 to the player’s key count. Finally we made the door check the key count and open with a Timeline animation.
I understood…
I struggled with…
Task 3
Evaluating Experimentation
To support the allocation of roles for our upcoming studio project, I will create a critical evaluation reflecting on my development over the past eight weeks. I will highlight my strengths, interests, and potential specialisms I might want to focus on.
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I will summarise my engagement with specialist tools, materials, and processes explored during the project. I will critically assess my practical outcomes and identify the specialism I found most engaging, explaining why it stood out to me. I will also consider how effectively my work communicates creative intent, purpose, and visual language.
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I will reflect on how my experimentation has improved my understanding of the games development pipeline and how this insight will shape my approach to future projects within my chosen specialism.
I will document and publish all of my evaluations on my WIX portfolio to track my progress and share my reflections with others.
Project 1 Evaluation
Personal Development
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What have been your key strengths over the past eight weeks?
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Which areas of game development have you enjoyed the most and why?
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Which areas have you found more challenging, and how did you address these challenges?
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Engagement with Tools, Materials, and Processes
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What specialist tools, software, or materials have you used?
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How have you applied these tools and processes in your practical work?
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How do your methods compare to professional practices in the industry?
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Assessment of Practical Outcomes
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What projects or outcomes have you produced during this period?
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Which specialism did you find most engaging, and why?
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How effectively do your outcomes communicate creative intent, purpose, and visual language?
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Reflection and Future Planning
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How has your experimentation improved your understanding of the games development pipeline?
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How will your experiences shape your approach to future projects?
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What skills or techniques do you plan to focus on developing further?