About
Hi there!
I’m John, a dedicated and creative programmer with 9 years of experience in Unity, 6 of which have been in making commercial products. I have worked in emerging technologies, creating and releasing multiple Augmented-Reality applications and have demonstrated my flexibility, tackling other engines such as Unreal, Core and Roblox Studio.
I thrive in environments where I am challenged, where I can continue to develop my skills and where I can use my experience to aid in creating valuable and exciting products.
Outside of work I’m an avid gamer. I enjoy both video and tabletop, playing my fair share of Rocket League, COD and Dungeons and Dragons to name a few. I also play guitar and do bouldering as often as I can. I recently opened a small Etsy shop where I sell clothing featuring my original illustrations.
Commercial Projects
Interactive Educational Apps
Hooked On Phonics
The first in a series of educational apps with interactive games to help children improve in core subjects. This app was aimed at phonics and learning to read.
This project was released 8 years before I started working on it. Therefore, the majority of my work included refactoring legacy code and small UI Updates.
Hooked On Spelling
This followed the success of Hooked On Phonics, focusing on spelling with interactive word lists and tests.
This project was released a year before I started in Unity at Dubit, meaning my responsibilities were mainly fixing bugs and implementing updates to match the front and backend changes made in Hooked On Math.
Hooked On Math
Similar to Hooked On Spelling, this app took what worked well in Hooked On Phonics and applied it to a maths curriculum.
This app was in development of activities for their second and third key stage groups when I joined the team. I was involved in the whole process from implementing UI to setting up scriptable data on the backend.
Educational E-Readers
Twinkl Originals
Twinkl’s first e-reader application available to those who joined their subscription for physical books.
I was heavily involved with this project, but the most impactful part I developed was an engine tool that enabled our team to quickly import new books. This tool would automatically create scriptable objects and add them to specific addressable bundles.
Rhino Readers
Developed from Twinkl Originals, this educational e-reader contained a brand new collection of engaging phonics-led books.
While this project used Twinkl Originals as a starting point, it still went through a full refactor, both in the front and backend. My role involved working on the refactor, fixing bugs, adding new books and pushing updates to the store.
Augmented Reality Apps
Twinkl AR
Twinkl’s first Unity application used augmented reality to bring books alive by scanning and displaying interesting scenes on key pages.
Using my existing Unity knowledge, I led the development of this app, taking it from creation to release.
Twinkl Ages: York
A Journey through the history of York using augmented reality.
Following Twinkl AR, I was tasked with leading their new project. This was in development around the time that ARKit and ARCore were released, so we utilized those new libraries for surface detection.
Little Red Coding Club
A 3D augmented reality game, teaching children the basics of programming.
This app used the surface detection from Twinkl Ages: York and with the added complexity of multiplayer systems, it was quite a challenge. I built several engine tools to make the level creation faster and easier.
Roblox Games
Elf on the Shelf Snowball Fight
A christmas themed first person shooter, built for Elf On The Shelf.
I led the development of Snowball fight and was responsible for the majority of the game’s functionality. This included the weapon system, pet controls and powerups. I also added a battle royale mode in version 2.
Samsung Superstar Galaxy
A rhythm game built for Samsung to promote their flip phones.
After the success of Snowball Fight, I was tasked with building out several key systems in Superstar Galaxy. The most prevalent being the stage creator for players to design and customize their dance area.
Ace Hansel Jr
A first person shooter based off the Croix Noire comics.
This Game used the shooting mechanics from Snowball fight as its base. Therefore I assisted the team with gun balancing, the addition of new weapons and weapon spawning.
Other
Asta Powerproject
A construction project management tool used to prioritise, plan and manage projects.
Powerproject had an aging 3D viewer. So I, alongside an experienced team, built a new version with improved graphics and features.
Twinkl App
Twinkl’s first app, built to make accessing their resources easier.
This was built natively in Xcode for iOS and I was tasked with creating an identical application in Android studio using Java.
Personal Projects
Side & Heek – In progress
A multiplayer, physics-based, party game adaptation of the playground games ‘Hide and Seek’ and ‘Sardines’.
Timeline Rumble – In progress
A multiplayer, deck building, PvP and coop game based on ‘Slay The Spire’.
Launcher – Undergoing updates
A WPF application that can be used to quickly access, download and update my active personal projects.
Recommendations
“I’ve had multiple opportunities to work with John across a variety of projects and consistently he has demonstrated his enthusiasm and creativity in games. He has concrete knowledge of C# and programming in general and a firm understanding of how to architect effective, maintainable systems.
John is strong across multiple areas; gameplay, UI, Shaders, networking, and emerging technology such as AR & VR. Above all else, John is one of the most likable and personable individuals I’ve had the pleasure of working with, he was a highly valued and key personality across each team.”
— Thomas Littleworth
“Working with John at Dubit has been an immense pleasure. He is a fantastic person to chat with and is always happy to help out with tasks. His positive attitude and ability to find humour in challenging situations have helped to create a positive work environment.
Not to mention his technical skills. John is an incredibly skilled software developer with a deep understanding of C# programming. I recommend John for any software development role that requires a combination of problem-solving ability and team collaboration. I really enjoyed working together and I have no doubt that he will excel in any role he takes on in the future.”
— Kadir Eker
John Carpenter
Sheffield, UK
John carpenter 