Hello
Larger than life, passionate about learning, and having a love for people, I am someone that enjoys a team working environment! Everyone is here to do something and I want to help them achieve it — in whatever way possible. My specialty is in concept art and game design, but I have 2 years in computer science as well. Feel free to look around!
projects
In my experience as a student, I have done programming, art production, and project management. If you are interested in my art only, please visit my ArtStation! Below are some of my proudest works, categorized into sections of what my roles were. From newest to oldest!
Creative Production
Art & Animation
Game Programming
About
Hi there! I am Zoe. I'm an artist, with a passion for creature design, concept art, animation, and programming. I enjoy problem-solving and discovering tools to help others and I am an excellent communicator. I was born in Taiwan and raised in Canada. I have a humbling family that I would do anything for and I am on a quest to help others get to where I am today.I am a learner. I have discovered since I was young that I always have to be learning something new. I am currently looking for an environment that would allow me to tackle new challenges regularly as well as meeting people of different backgrounds!
Graduating Class of 2022 at Sheridan College
Bachelor of Game Design, Faculty of Arts & Animation
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Two years in Specialization in Computer Science at the University of Ottawa
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XP Summit 2022
Work
Game Artist (Multiple Projects)
Character Concept Artist
Art Production Coordinator
Project Manager (Internship)
Extra-Curricular
CSSA Vice President of Internal Affairs
During my stay at University of Ottawa and Sheridan College, I participated in the student council for the student body.In my two years of Computer Science, I was part of the CSSA (Computer Science Student Association) in the University of Ottawa as VP of Internal Affairs. We had weekly office hours in which we would help any students with questions about the program. We would also host hack-a-thons and manage trips to CUSEC exclusive to Computer Science and Engineering students.
GDS Event Coordinator
At Sheridan, I spent two years in the GDS (Game Design Society) to help host weekly game nights, game jams events, and tournaments, as well as represent the Game Design student body. We also managed a trip to MIGS (Montreal International Gaming Summit) to all students who were interested.In both of my experiences, I have created posters and banners for event advertising and really enjoyed the planning! The most rewarding part is definitely interacting with all of the students that came to our events.
Contact
If you would like to contact me, I am reachable in any of the links below. Alternatively, I can be emailed at [email protected]
The nine tales
A fourth-year capstone project. The team was made up of hardworking talented people I knew over the course of the years. What contributed to the success of this project was the trust and communication we had built in this team. Of course, we weren't without problems! Below are my experiences throughout this project categorized into technical know-how, purpose, challenges, and takeaways.
| Role | Period | Team Size | Development | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art Producer | 09/2021-04/2022 | 14 | Scrum | Unity |
purpose
Genre: Visual Novel/Platformer
Target Platform: PC
Players: Single-player
Pillars: Ambience, Self-Reflection, Humanity
Estimated Game Time: 30 minutes
The narrative of The Nine Tales follows a naiive fox who meets with a mysterious spirit that offers her a Celestial Trial. The divine tasks would grant immortality on the condition that the fox fully understands the human heart through the 9 stages of grief. In the product demo, the story of Asha, a mother who refuses to accept the inevitability of her son's disappearance, outlines the first challenge the player would face.
skills
As an art producer on this project, my role was to facilitate the delivery of concept art, storyboards, character portraits, and sprite animations while being involved in the creation of these processes along the way. An important part of this role was also in the communication with other leads - whether it is in regards to team conflict, delivery conflicts, or to discuss the requirements needed in between disciplines.
challenges
There were a number of challenges during this project: spine integration, world building, people-management (art prompt), hierarchy control (who was in charge), direction, and conflict. However, one of the biggest challenges we faced in the art team was in style-merging.Because all of our artists (although very talented!) had very different styles, we needed to create a coherent style among all of us. As a solution to this, I created a little art prompt allowing all artists to explore a style using the same scene. We were able to gauge everyone's skill and comfortability this way and split each artist up into roles they were most comfortable in based on their exploration.
takeaways
Perhaps my biggest takeaway from this project was in how absolutely useful an asset list and a master schedule was. It's important that the team uses these tools, and making it easy for everyone to keep track of their work was the key to meeting deadlines and avoid redundancy. I have also been given feedback to create more exercises like the art-prompts I used. I had no idea it received such good reception so I didn't think to create more!
Etheric flow
Etheric Flow was a design week challenge involving the exploration of, literally, "exploration". This one was an interesting one! I was in my third-year and took on a lead role for the first time. For this project, I was in the programming team but I also had the responsibilities of a director-type role as well. The challenge was 4 days and the game we pumped out I think was quite successful! Many takeaways from this project. Below, I outline the purpose, challenges, and skills involved as well.
| Role | Period | Team Size | Development | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead Programmer | 10/2020-11/2020 | 4 | Game Jam | Unity |
purpose
Genre: Platformer
Target Platform: PC
Players: Single-player
Pillars: Exploration, Discovery, Healing
Estimated Game Time: 15 minutes
Part of the theme required for this game jam was to include any form or interpretation of the word "exploration". Our team chose exploration of the "mind" (figuratively) while presenting a world for a player to explore (literally) as a platformer. Etheric Flow is a story about a lost soul navigating through the world of their inner turmoil. As the player traverses through the level, the ambience and background changes to illustrate the journey the player character is going through.
skills
Conflict Resolution
Tools Programming
There was an early observation of needing roles to be established as soon as possible. Each individual had a specialization they preferred, and this honestly worked a lot in our favour! There were a couple of conflicts during the game jam regarding feature-creeping, but this was handled with care. As the leading programmer, I made sure the game programming was legible for our level designer and artist.
challenges
This is one of my favourite things to talk about. The conflict this project presented was a huge learning lesson for me. A wise producer once told me that all members of the team are valuable. Their ideas are also valuable, but may not always be the best decision. In this case, let them try, but give them a deadline. The goal is to fail and fail fast. This was my biggest takeaway, and I was able to apply it to this project. Everyone was happy, because they got to try what they wanted to try even if not everything was implemented.
takeaways
This project really emphasized how important it is to make readable tools for our designers. We can't always expect them to know all the systems in the back-end; we need to make effective tools for everyone. I also learned that letting people do what they want to do is vital for a feeling of ownership in the project, but allow them to give themselves a deadline. This way, not only would there be some pleasant surprises, but when tension is high, the most prioritized tasks are done.
battle for your heart
Battle for Your Heart was an 8-person project where our main focus was to create an aesthetically pleasing game combining rhythm mechanics and your typical dating simulation!
| Role | Period | Team Size | Development | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Background Artist | 01/2020-04/2021 | 8 | Scrum | Unity |
purpose
Genre: Visual Novel, Rhythm
Target Platform: PC
Players: Single-player
Pillars: Challenge, Story, Romance
Estimated Game Time: 30 minutes
This game was a chance for me to put my studies in environments and backgrounds into practice. Throughout the game, I worked with people of different disciplines to achieve this (sound design, programming, and narrative design). The challenges resided mostly in creating the correct mood in the context of the music and narration.
skills
Perspective Rulers
Usage of References
Understanding of Technical Requirements
Being able to work with programmers was a huge plus in this project. Understanding the technical requirements such as resolution, shader usage, etc., was a major bonus in communicating our needs with each discipline. It was also important to provide work-in-progresses regularly to update everyone on the work that was being done. In cases where a full render wasn't able to be provided, the ability to create mock-ups in short amount of time became paramount. Since we did a scrum agile development style, it was organized well to allow for such updates.
challenges
conflict resolution, task delegation, loafing, time zones, being strict when I need to
takeaways
save squiggly
This project was done during one of my first ever game jams hosted by Sheridan College and it was shortlisted in the final selection! The game jam requirements were to create an arcade game by building an alternative controller (so not your traditional keyboard & mouse or console controller). Save Squiggly was made using hardware we got from Home Depot and a makey-makey (watch the video for more info!). The game was a resounding success and garnered much attention from our peers.
| Role | Period | Team Size | Development | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artist | 10/2019-11/2019 | 5 | Game Jam | Unity |
purpose
Genre: Arcade
Target Platform: Alt-Controller
Players: Multiplayer (up to 4 players)
Pillars: Party, Limited-time, Challenge
Estimated Game Time: 5 minutes
My role in this game was to create all the 2D assets for Save Squiggly. It was the first time I had worked in a team of people to create a full game. The unique experience comes from building our own alt-controller. Using that, we were able to create an arcade-like experience with Save Squiggly.
skills
Perspective Rulers
Video Editing
role management, the value of concise role forming
challenges
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takeaways
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