Matt's Portfolio

I've been making games for a long time.

I remember programming tiny games in C64 BASIC for the neighbor kids. Most of those were basically just a random number generator with a graphical frontend. I remember using the native drawing functions on the Amiga to draw primitve 3D dungeons on the screen. I hadn't delved deeply enough into the hardware to use do more, and my aspirations of making my own homebrewed Dungeon Master quickly hit a road block. Once I got my hands on the game construction kits of its day, I quickly figured out that my forte was in design, not programming. So I used Macadam Bumper, the 3D Construction Kit and Unlimited Adventures to create increasingly sophisticated game scenarios.

The big change happened after I bought my first modem and downloaded the first Doom editor from a local BBS. All of the sudden I had an audience, and I could compare my efforts with those of the other amateur builders out there. Some of the were even getting hired, but that possibility didn't occur to me just yet. The simple fact that I could distribute to my creations to more than just a few friends meant that I had to take extra pride in everything I was doing. Making sure that my levels were inspired, entertaining and quality. These Doom and Quake levels are a direct precursor to my professional career, and even today the levels are widely available and still played.

The next chapter started 10 years ago when I moved to Dallas, TX to work on Ritual Entertainment's game SiN. The rest has been good history, and I'm looking forward to the day we present the next project that I'm working on. I don't feel like I've hit one out of the park yet, a game that was critically and commercially successful. So I'll keep working hard on trying to create the next big thing, and hope to add it to my portfolio one day.

I've decided to write an online retrospective for every game that I've worked on, chronicling my career in game development. It's mostly for myself and people who know me, but maybe it will provide a point of reference to anybody who are looking to break into the industry now. Working in this industry is a constant growth process - be wary of the projects that aren't challenging you on a new level.

Visit these game pages to find out more about everything I have worked on so far and to download the free content that I have released.