Bio
Jimmy discovered programming when he got an Atari 800XL and hasn't looked back since. Prior to Gearbox, he paid his dues as a level designer with work featured in Final Doom, X-Men: Ravages of Apocalypse, and Quake Mission Pack No 1: The Scourge of Armagon before returning to his true calling of ifs, whiles, functions, and classes. Jimmy is a graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas where he studied Compiler Construction, Operating Systems, Distributed Programming, and other such geekery. While in college, he spent 3 years of pure bliss lost in the world of web applications and shell scripting, elevating him to the status of Perl Monger. Since joining Gearbox he worked on the PC version of Halo: Combat Evolved, creating network messaging systems, dedicated server architecture, and quite a ruckus anytime someone broke the build. For Brothers in Arms, Jimmy works on the multiplayer team creating game code and network systems, in addition to complaining when the build breaks.
Length of time I have been employed in the industry
Over 10 years
Game companies I have worked for
Gearbox, and have done contract work for Ritual Entertainment (then Hipnotic Interactive), Wraith, and id Software (through the TeamTNT group).
Titles I have worked on
At Gearbox: Halo PC, Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30, Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood
Prior to Gearbox: Final Doom, Hell 2 Pay, Perdition's Gate, X-Men: Ravages of Apocalypse, Quake Mission Pack No 1: The Scourge of Armagon
Resources I would recommend for those interested in getting into game development (books, tutorials, sites, etc)
Pickup a game like Quake or Unreal Tournament and start making some mods. Download the Torque engine and try to do something interesting. Download the Microsoft Game Studio Express and try creating a simple game.
First game I remember playing
An Atari 800XL game that had a maze in it. I think it was called Preppie II.
