jake o'reilly

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Indie game developer and games programmer based in Dublin, Ireland.

Building systems-driven games in Godot, Unity, and C++. Solo and team projects, from prototype to release.

jor.gamedev@gmail.com | Bluesky | LinkedIn | Discord

index

projects

Starshot Idle (Solo)

Screenshot of Starshot Idle. The desktop of a Windows 11 computer with a Space Invaders-style game sitting on the taskbar. The background is transparent and 5 Aliens (Navy Egg, Orange Spider, Yellow Puddle, Red Egg, Green Cyclops) can be seen at the top with red bars displaying their health, the Orange Spider doesn't have one as it is dead. On the bottom of the screen there's a Star Counter in the bottom left that says 1054 and a SHOP button in the bottom right. Just to the left of the SHOP button is the Player's Ship, shooting a big bullet and a small bullet, both headed for the Aliens above.
  • Designed and implemented a persistent idle game in Godot.
  • Built UI-heavy systems with emphasis on UX experiments.
  • Implemented progression, upgrade, and stat tracking systems.
  • Shipped a complete solo design-to-release game.
itch.io

is it real? (Team)

Screenshot of is it real? The player is walking around a kitchen with a fridge, table and chairs, pet food bowl and water bowl, plant stand, kettle, stove, sink, window, and drying rack. The UI has a day count and success/fail count in the top left, it says Day 3: Pass Fail Pass. The bottom right has a task list that looks like a sticky note with the texts: 'Tidy Bookshelf in Living Room', and 'Brew Tea in the Kitchen'. The bottom left has a Journal with a J on it. Above the player is a large red E to show the player that they can interact with the sink, which is highlighted blue. The window and table with chairs are both highlighted red which shows that the player has selected them as being suspected Anomalies.
  • Gameplay programmer and composer on anomaly-based horror game.
  • Implemented event scheduling system for anomalies to override each other.
  • Built core interaction systems including Highlight Mode and validation logic.
  • Created custom animators and behaviours for interactable objects.
itch.io GitHub

GolfBots (Solo)

Screenshot of GolfBots. A girl is seen aiming a blue bar at a red button. This is the trajectory of the blue robot she will send out, which will open the yellow door when it presses the button. The land is vibrant green in a purple sea.
  • Designed and programmed physics-based puzzle mechanics.
  • Implemented checkpoint systems and multiple robot abilities.
  • Created 7 puzzle levels with full level art direction.
  • Modelled gameplay robots using Blender.
itch.io GitHub

Balor's Chosen (Team)

Screenshot of Balor's Chosen. A Deer-skull headed person with two scythes is running around an old Irish camp, killing dark grey and silver armour-cladded soldiers. There's a minimap and enemy count in the top right, and a health and visibility bar in the top left.
  • Implemented player movement and modular health component system.
  • Edited and published a promotional trailer for the game.
  • Designed and built the project's itch.io page.
  • Produced all graphic design and visual branding for the project.
itch.io

skills

Gameplay & Engineering Design Soft Skills
Godot 4 (GDScript) Systems design Cross-discipline teamwork
Unity (C#) Puzzle & level design Self-directed work
C++ (networking fundamentals) Rapid prototyping Iteration from playtesting feedback
Physics & calculus foundations Technical design documentation Clear technical communication
Git / version control German & Spanish (Basic)

hobbies

I've always loved learning things, which is one of the reasons I love game development. Games let me explore any topic and turn that curiosity into something playable.

Outside of games, I'm really into music and languages. I've played guitar since 2020, used to take piano lessons, and also use an online sequencer for music ideas. Although I've never gotten into much theory, I like doing interesting things like visualising notes in fun ways. I also enjoy learning languages — I'm native in English, want to re-learn Irish, have spoken casual Spanish for 8~ years, and picked up German when I lived in Trier for 6 months.

I didn't try programming until college, but it clicked immediately and I knew I'd love it. I started with Java, and it was the first time code made sense because it was statically typed and I could see what every variable was (I tried learning Python from a magazine, I got to for i in range(5) and got stumped... WHAT IS i??). I also enjoy exploring lower-level systems like 6502 Assembly to C (not that low, I know!), which led me to an interest in optimisation, how computers work, and cryptography.

My gaming taste has shifted over time, but I love systems-loaded games like Terraria, RPGs like Fallout 4 and Persona, and casual puzzles like Picross and Sudoku. Although I seem to love buying games more than playing them... my backlog's always getting bigger!