I work with designers and gameplay coders to create engaging and reliable systems that power popular online games, like profiles, matchmaking, communications and monetisation.
Since August, 2021
Senior Online Services ProgrammerFiresprite
I'm working at a Sony studio on a ground-breaking, next generation PvP shooter project with a Games-as-a-Service focus
Read moreI’ve been playing online games since dial-up, and I feel privileged to help make them now - I get to be technical and creative. I care about designing and building inclusive, living worlds by creating tools to support their development and global communities.
My favourite parts of the job are getting to learn from the diversely talented people around me, and hitting go on some work and watching data move around on dashboards "as if by magic"!
With some middleware and a lot of caffeine, I created a game engine in C++ with all the necessary subsystems to create a 2.5D platformer.
Read moreMy computing science degree covered game physics, graphics, and human-computer interaction in addition to system and network security.
I'm used to working in Agile teams, and I'm comfortable quickly getting to grips with new technologies.
My strengths are in C++ for Unreal, Java and Python to develop back-end services, and React (TypeScript) for front-ends. I occasionally pick up and forget other domain-specific-languages for dev-ops, and I have experience with AWS and Azure cloud.
You’re a big squid monster, they’re all of human history. You got this!
Read moreI enjoy open-sourcing the tools I make to help me with my own work, and sharing them with other industry professionals.
Skills Gap
I lead workshops on coding for game design for groups of young adults on behalf of a non-profit skills accelerator
Read moreThe games industry has a reputation for being secretive and inaccessible. I'm trying to help change that by promoting the same kinds of inclusive opportunities and mentorship that I've benefitted from throughout my career
I run a comedy Twitter page and e-commerce site selling merchandise to raise money for Special Effect
"Josh is an asset to our online team and a pleasure to work with. He has one of the best can-do attitudes and applies both solid programming logic and creative design-based thought processes to all the problems he solves for our project. This unique mindset allows him to quickly ascertain issues and plan for contingencies where many wouldn't even see them.
His positive outlook and questioning nature mean that he's always at the cutting edge of implementation and always strives to put our players first and foremost in whatever systems he's working with. Alongside this, he always has an avid interest in systems and games design that ensures he is able to act as a rock solid bridge between design and code, and always works hard to improve himself, the systems he works on, and the overall game and project."
- Mike Moreton, Lead Systems Designer @ Firesprite
"Josh is a proactive and diligent Software Engineer who prides himself in bridging communication between business and end customers. Josh is an evangelist for new and emerging technologies and practices that can better his work, using them to great effect. I particularly like working with Josh because of his positive, thorough and forward thinking principles."
- Adam Barnwell, Engineering Manager @ Jagex
"Josh has been really proactive in supporting us with our online work experience programmes for schools. He gave a real insight into his journey and career which really opened students' eyes. They came away from the event having a better understanding of the variety of roles and skills required within this sector. Josh is a great presenter and we look forward to welcoming him back in future."
- Katharine Olie, Senior Account Manager @ Pathway CTM
If you’re interested in knowing if I have experience doing something specific, would like to enquire about consulting, or you're a student looking for a CV/portfolio review, feel free to get in touch and take a look at my blog in the meantime!