20 years of shipping. Zero templates.
Lead gameplay programmer in Tampa, FL. I build games, web products, and AI tools that people actually use — and I've been doing it since 2001.
I started my career as a Digital Media Technician at Indiana University School of Medicine, building certification software, microscopic image atlases, and early pilot software to help automate tuberculosis diagnoses. I earned both my B.S. and M.S. in Media Arts & Science from IU's School of Informatics.
In 2008 I founded Playtap Games, LLC as Lead Programmer / Project Lead. The first big hit was MMO Baseball — a web-based MMO/RPG/idle/simulator that went viral and scaled to 100,000+ daily players. I rebuilt the ASP.NET + MySQL backend with load balancing, caching strategies, and SQL optimization to keep the game responsive under massive demand spikes.
Then came Card Dungeon — a card-driven, board-game-style roguelike where I was the sole engineer (all programming). Built in Unity, shipped across iOS/Android and Steam (PC/Mac). I designed the procedural dungeon generator, turn-based tile system, card logic, save systems, and all the UI/UX. Optimized a key room-generation feature from ~2 FPS to 60+ FPS on a mid-range iPhone. Won a Pocket Gamer Silver Award.
Along the way I built and sold multiple Unity Editor tools and a 2D physics engine on the Unity Asset Store, produced publication-quality 3D renders for BradyGames strategy guides, and delivered co-op multiplayer using Photon for Switching Gears.
More recently, I've shipped 20+ full-stack web products — Next.js apps deployed to Vercel and Railway, AI-powered tools like GoRiddle and SetWar, SEO platforms generating 1,000+ organic visitors/week, and gamified learning sites. The full range is in my portfolio.
The short version
Scaled a viral web MMO to 100,000+ daily players
Sole engineer on Card Dungeon — iOS/Android + Steam — Pocket Gamer Silver Award
Procedural dungeon generator producing unlimited layouts within theme/progression
Built and sold Unity Editor tools + 2D physics engine on the Asset Store
Built AI-powered web products: AI RPG, daily logic puzzles, grammar platform
Expert in code and SQL optimization across games and web products
How I think about building
Gameplay-first engineering
Turn-based systems, procedural generation, engagement loops. I build the code that makes games feel right.
Performance obsession
~2 FPS → 60+ FPS on one project. I tune code, SQL, caching, and architecture until it's fast.
Full-stack ownership
Database to deploy — Unity, ASP.NET, Next.js, AWS. I own the entire stack and ship it.
Design that ships
Clean interfaces with strong hierarchy. I don't hand off designs — I build them.
Practical AI
AI as a real product layer, not a novelty. AI RPG tools, daily logic puzzles, grammar platforms.
Cross-platform delivery
iOS, Android, Steam, Web — I've shipped to every major platform and managed the pipelines.
Tools I reach for
Gameplay / Systems
Live / Backend
Networking
Web / Delivery
GenAI / Product
Digital Content / 3D
Key milestones
IU School of Medicine
Digital Media Technician — built certification software, microscopic image atlases, and early pilot software for automated tuberculosis diagnoses.
B.S. Media Arts & Science
Indiana University, School of Informatics — Indianapolis.
Playtap Games Founded
Lead Programmer / Project Lead. Shipped multiple titles across Web, PC/Mac, and iOS/Android.
MMO Baseball Goes Viral
Scaled to 100,000+ daily players. Rebuilt ASP.NET + MySQL backend with load balancing and caching.
M.S. Media Arts & Science
Indiana University, School of Informatics — Indianapolis.
Card Dungeon Ships
Sole engineer on a roguelike shipped to iOS/Android + Steam (PC/Mac). Pocket Gamer Silver Award.
AI Product Wave + Portfolio
Launched 20+ web products including AI-powered tools, games, directories, and platforms.
Formal training
M.S. Media Arts & Science
Indiana University, School of Informatics — Indianapolis
May 2014B.S. Media Arts & Science
Indiana University, School of Informatics — Indianapolis
May 2003
Interested in what I can bring to your team?
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