My name is Hayden Holley, and I was born in Newport, Isle of Wight on September 20, 2000. From a young age, I was captivated by the world of video games as I watched my parents play, particularly when they embarked on thrilling raids in World of Warcraft. The awe-inspiring experience of World of Warcraft drew me in, and I became enthralled by the game's immersive world and vibrant community. I vividly remember delving into every quest, meticulously studying weapon damage numbers as I progressed through the levels. This early exposure to gaming not only fueled my passion but also honed my numerical and reading skills, prompting me to dedicate myself further to subjects like Maths, Physics, and Computer Science during high school.
Throughout my high school education, I embraced Python as my first programming language, and my love for Maths, Physics, and Computer Science led me to choose these three subjects for my A Levels during further education. After completing my A Levels, I faced the daunting task of deciding my future career path. While initially considering Robotics due to its alignment with my specialized subjects, I found myself consistently drawn back to video games when contemplating what truly made me happy. By that point in my life, I had explored various genres of video games and had formed lasting friendships with fellow gamers I met online.
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I find tremendous admiration in the intricacies involved in creating a game and appreciate how they serve as masterpieces crafted by the collaborative efforts of different departments within a studio. While playing games, I can discern the amount of love and care poured into their development, which resonates deeply with the gaming community. The prospect of contributing, even in a minor role, to this creative process seemed incredibly fulfilling to me. This conviction led me to enroll in the Games Technology course at the University of West England, which I am graduating in July. I am actively seeking a graduate programmer, junior developer, or game tester position to start my career in the industry and continue refining my skills in after I finish university. My coursework has equipped me with a comprehensive understanding of how the industry operates, proficiency in C++, and the ability to begin creating games using Unity and Unreal Engine 5.
Though I appreciate various game genres, my favorite remains MMORPGs, undoubtedly influenced by my childhood experiences with World of Warcraft. However, I also derive great enjoyment from standard RPGs, particularly those reminiscent of D&D, as they offer engaging combat systems, immersive world-building, and opportunities for role-playing and strategic character development. Additionally, I have developed a strong affinity for card games, having been an avid player of Hearthstone. This passion led me to explore Magic: The Gathering as a hobby, and I actively participate in local events at my favorite game shop on Friday nights.
Project ZipZap
Studio 4.8 formed in our 'Commercial Game Development' module where we were tasked to fully develop a video game from idea to presentation within the last year of university. We were given two themes to make our game from, which were: "Isometric" and "Movement".
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The studio used Github to manage issues, delegation of tasks, and timeline planning for alpha, beta, and full releases.
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My involvements were:
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Player Character (mainly involving the player's 'Drone')
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Developing the 'Particle System Manager'
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Creating all non-player particle effects
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Game testing
Itch.io link: https://studio4point8.itch.io/project-zipzap
Dissertation
"Analysis of Immersion in Video Games"
I chose to focus on "Immersion" due to its vague nature in the games industry and I believe an understanding of Immersion leads to better game development. I used secondary research to understand the feeling of "Immersion" as shown by Csikszentmihalyi's 'Flow', and Sweetser and Wyeth's 'Game Flow'. I then researched elements in video games that contribute to immersion which showed that these elements can be put into one of two groups: "Diegetic" and "Intra-Diegetic". Diegetic Immersion is where the player feels engaged in the act of the playing the games; the gameplay loop itself. Intra-Diegetic Immersion is where the player is engaged in the game's narrative space; the story and the environment. To obtain some data to help support the secondary research, I conducted a test, changing different game elements and recording how it affected players.
Global Game jam 2024
Global Game Jam Link w/ Game download: https://globalgamejam.org/games/2024/messy-theatre-7
Video showcasing my teams submission, Messy Theater
Theme: Make Me Laugh
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We reflected and decided that the most a game has made us laugh was when models ragdolled and when we were playing with friends.
So we decided to make a 4-player local ragdoll fighter-like game, reminiscent of "Gang Beasts".
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The game objective is to keep the King laughing by hurting each other using slaps, throwing objects, and using traps. Players got points added to their individual score based on hurting the others. This was to incentivise players to mess with each other.
My main responsibility was creating the ragdoll on the player character and the controls.
Unreal Engine 5 Space Platformer
Github Repository: https://github.com/Hayden-Holley/UE5_Space_Platformer
Video showcasing the game level and all its implementations
Task: To create a simple space platformer that showcased the following
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Lighting
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Interactive physics objects
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Logic states using at least 3 collectible/interact-able objects
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Timed run to the end with visual indicators when time was running out
Project: Escape
Github Repository: https://github.com/Hayden-Holley/Project--Escape
Video of me explaining my individual contribution to Team Choc's multiplayer game and the challenges I faced
My responsibility: To create the networking for the game that required the following
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A packet based network requiring custom packet overrides for class objects and other variable types
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The network to work on a LAN so the game can be hosted and played on one computer, and another computer to be able to connect and play
Unity Technical showcase
Github Repository: https://github.com/Hayden-Holley/Unity_Technical_Showcase
Video of me going through the technical showcase in-game
My task: to implement simple gameplay features that could be expanded when used in games. The gameplay features included are
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A controllable avatar with animations and a 3D rotating camera
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Collectible power-ups with visual indicators
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A switch to open a door with a cutscene
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Combat against an A.I enemy
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A platform sequence using spline
