About Me
Hello! I'm James Weishaus, and I'm a programmer and game designer with a passion for
meaningful storytelling and mechanics. Raised in Southern California, I graduated from
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) with a BFA in Interactive Design & Game Development in March 2021.
Starting in April 2021, I worked as a full-time Programmer for Little Red Dog Games (LRDG),
up until the studio's closure in January 2024. While none of the projects I worked on were released,
I spent my time there working in the Unreal, Unity, and Godot game engines. I was passionate about the work I did,
coding new gameplay systems and developing editor tools and extensions for use by our dev team. My curiosity
was encouraged and cultivated by my team, and I am grateful for the experience and learning opportunities they
gave me, through which I became a better game developer.
I discovered my passion for game design when I first started picking up tabletop role-playing games in college.
As a GM, I learned to deconstruct games to see how all the pieces fit together into a unified, thematic experience,
and wanted to expand upon that for my own campaigns. It taught me the importance of interactive design,
of considering how guiding the emotions and behaviors of the players is crucial in creating rules, systems, and mechanics.
Anyone can make a functioning game, but to make it a memorable, enjoyable experience requires care and
consideration outside of pure mechanization.
Outside of game development, I have many hobbies I like to occupy my time with. I'm a pianist with an affinity
for ragtime. I enjoy illustration, painting, and printmaking. Many of my evenings are spent playing
small-press and indie tabletop RPGs with friends. I also partake in TTRPG design on my own, writing
games and supplements when I'm struck with inspiration.
Portfolio
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