Hi, I’m Stu — a solo game developer who swapped a construction career for game development during the lockdown and never looked back. Since 2020 I’ve taught myself Unreal Engine, Blueprints, writing, art direction, and system design, creating worlds and mechanics from the ground up. I love building games that blend atmosphere, story, and gameplay into one experience, and my current project — The Debt of Souls — is where all my skills and passion come together.

---

I’m Stu, a self-taught, multidisciplinary game developer who began building games seriously during the 2020 lockdown, after years of making levels, maps, and small projects just for fun. What started as a temporary break from construction became a full-time pursuit: learning Unity, Unreal Engine, C#, C++, and eventually finding my true momentum with UE5 and Blueprint scripting. Since then, I’ve dedicated myself to creating complete experiences — designing systems, writing worlds, directing art, and building every part of my games by hand.

Over the last few years I’ve developed several projects, each one teaching me a new discipline. Skedaddle was my first experiment in C++ and puzzle mechanics; Iron Man Pinball explored physics and game feel; Survival Game and Surgical Strike taught me point-and-click movement, AI behaviour, and RTS fundamentals; and Mortar Meat proved I could build an entire game — systems, code, visuals, and design — entirely on my own. Each project strengthened a different weakness, and together they shaped the multi-discipline approach I use today.

My strongest skills lie in world-building, system design, and creating full games from a single core mechanic — the way a jump defines Mario. I take that philosophy into every project, building gameplay, tone, and story from one unified idea. My creative style is gritty, logical, patient, and detail-driven, but also experimental and playful. I love making things move on screen, shaping moods, and telling stories that pull players into another world.

With The Debt of Souls, I’m developing a dark, atmospheric pirate RPG that merges stylised 2D art, 3D environments, a custom turn-based sword-duel system, and a rich narrative world. My goal is to create games that let players lose themselves — to inhabit a character, explore with freedom, and feel the depth of the world around them.

In the future, I’d love to work within a game studio, grow as part of a team, and keep making new projects of my own. Whether I’m designing systems, building levels, writing scenes, or “planting digital trees,” I simply love creating — and I plan to keep doing it for as long as I can.