My name is Johan Melkersson, and I’m a game programmer whose primary strength lies within gameplay and tools programming.
Almost five years ago, I decided to chase my longtime dream of becoming a game programmer. It was one of the absolute best decisions I have ever made, and I have loved every minute of it. The first three years, I studied game development at Malmö University. Even though I am fully aware today that this is not the best choice if you actually want to work in the business, I can still value the fact that I gained a basic knowledge in coding and also quite a lot of insight into other parts of the game development process. At this point in time, I realized that The Game Assembly was probably the way to go, and since I had completely fallen in love with writing code and creating worlds, I had to follow through. So right after completing my studies at Malmö University, I applied, got in, and have now spent an additional two years studying to become a programmer here. I have learned so much, and the love for the craft has only grown stronger.
Primarily, I consider myself a gameplay and tools programmer, but I’m no stranger to game engines. I love to create controllers, state machines, and systems, and I always strive towards and take a lot of pride in creating systems that are easy to use and make sense in their structure. This is why I chose to specialize in AI controller development, and it’s also why I have continued the development of Sad Dad Motors, the game engine that my classmate and I started during our time at TGA, in my spare time.
But games are not only work, and I have spent my entire life indulging in everything I could get my hands on. I am old enough to have seen computers go from primarily working stations to these monstrous gaming machines we now sit in front of, but no matter what hardware I had, games were always my primary focus and the things that filled them. They have meant a lot to me during my childhood and still do. My preferred poison has always been on the more strategic side where you have to think about your decisions and plan ahead, something that ties well into my love for the actual creation of these systems.
I have been hooked on games my entire life and am extremely thankful that I now finally get to be a part of the industry that creates them.