Morgan James

Video game and application developer

JAMES
MORGAN
MORGAN JAMES

About me

I am an experienced video game and application programmer with a passion for creating engaging and innovative projects. My extensive knowledge and skill set have been demonstrated through my contributions to published applications and games. I am always eager to learn new techniques and technologies in order to push the boundaries of what can be achieved. As a creative and collaborative team member, I strive to create polished and enjoyable experiences for users. At the moment I am not actively seeking new job opportunities, but I welcome any interesting projects or collaboration opportunities that will challenge me and help me grow as a developer.
Contact me

Open University VR
- A suite of VR
healthcare simulations

C# Unity VR Simulation

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DTT Apps
- Shipped apps
I made at DTT

C# Unity CMS IOS/Android

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Emotional
Speed Dating

- An emotionaly
driven game

C# Unity Python Neural Network

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Card Cavern
- A rouge-like card game

C# Unity Procedural Indie Game

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Yokai
Spirits of Battle!

- A 3D fighting game

C# Unity 3D Local Multiplayer

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Character
Creator

- Create custom
characters

C# Unity Custom Generation

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All the way USA!
- An fun AR infographic

C# Unity AR XR

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Loot Swipe
- Solve the maze
of the sea

C# Unity 24H Puzzle

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Unity Shader
Tutorial

- An introduction into
the world of shaders

C# Unity HLSL ShaderLab

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Koopa's Revenge
- A twist on a classic
made for GameBoy

C C++ GameBoy Visual Studio

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Contact me

email linkedin github twitter

Character Creator

I developed a character creator that replicates the functionality of the Nintendo Wii Mii creator. This is a PC application that enables users to create custom characters, selecting from a wide range of options including height, weight, voice pitch, animation style, skin color, hair, eyes, nose, hats, facial hair, accessories, top, gloves, back accessory, waist accessory, pants, and shoes. Each option can be customized with any color. The application also includes an option to randomly generate a character. Once a character is created, it is saved and appears in the character lobby, where users can view, edit, or delete their previous characters. Additionally, users can perform a role call, which organizes all characters in a line. The application is available for download as an exe or you can find the source code on my GitHub.

General Options

Wandering

Upper Body

Lined Up

Color Picker

Picked Up

Emotional Speed Dating

Emotional Speed Dating is the outcome of a research project on human emotion detection and machine learning. I created the study to examine the concept of emotion detection and applied it to creating a game using Unity and C# that uses emotion as an input. The game simulates a speed dating event and the objective is to find true love by empathizing with your dates (mimicking their emotions). The game utilizes a convolutional neural network as the main tool for emotion detection. The study's methods and findings can be read in full or summarized in the poster below. Through this project, I aim to gain a deeper understanding about Emotion Detection and Machine learning applications in games.

Card Cavern

I developed Card Cavern, a rogue-like card game using Unity and C#, in just under 12 weeks while juggling other projects. The goal of this project was to showcase my ability to bring a product to market within a set timeframe, and also demonstrate my knowledge of implementing monetization within applications, which is highlighted by the in-app purchases within the game. Additionally, I used this project as an opportunity to improve my art skills, as all the art in the game was created by me. One of the requirements of this project was to keep a development log which can be seen below. The game is now available on the Google Play store and the source code can be found on GitHub.

Main Menu

Attacking

Exploding

Game Over

Boomerang

Discarding

All the way USA!

I created All the way USA!, an Augmented Reality mobile application, to increase my knowledge of the individual states of the USA. The app is built using the third-party package Vuforia, which handles the majority of the AR functionality. The app displays a 3D map of the USA on a dollar bill when the camera detects one. The user can interact with the map by scaling it with a pinching gesture and toggle different features such as state names, state abbreviations, and capital cities. By selecting a state, the user can reveal more information about the state, including its flag, seal, and a brief article about its history and statistics. Additionally, the app includes three quizzes that test the user's knowledge of the states' names, flags, and capital cities. The user earns a point for correctly identifying the corresponding landmass on the first try, and their high score is saved in the app and displayed over the testing buttons. Unfortunately, since the app was created with the free version of Vuforia, I am not able to distribute it on the Google Play store or Apple App store without purchasing a subscription, but the download link is provided for the Android APK.

Test Your Knowledge

Info On Each State

Scaled Small

Scaled Large

Start Screen

3D Model

Unity Shader Tutorial

I created a tutorial on the topic of shaders within Unity as a project to learn more about the subject and share that knowledge with others. I created a tutorial in C#, designed to teach the basics of the shader language and enable learners to create their own shaders. The tutorial has been quite successful, with over 22,000 views and a 95.25% like-to-dislike ratio, as an indicator of its success. The tutorial comes with a final project containing all the shaders and a link to download it, to help with learning. Additionally, for those who prefer to learn through reading, I created a transcript of the tutorial which is available for viewing.

Koopa's Revenge

I created Koopa's Revenge, a game for the Game Boy, with the goal of incorporating both sprites and particle effects into the game scene. The game was developed in C/C++ using Visual Studio and the NO$GBA emulator/debugger. One of the challenges of this project was the limited documentation available for GBA programming and the lack of robust debugging tools. Despite these challenges, I found the experience to be a great learning opportunity for understanding the fundamentals of hardware programming and I enjoyed the process. The NO$GBA emulator I used for this game is available at this link, and the game file can be found on the GitHub repository.

Loot Swipe

I created Loot Swipe, a mobile game, in under 24 hours using C# and Unity. The objective of the game is to collect loot by navigating through a maze of floating crates. The maze is generated using Prim's algorithm, and players can adjust the complexity of the maze. One of the biggest challenges I faced was ensuring that the maze remained on-screen regardless of its complexity. The game is available on the Google Play Store and the source code can be found in the GitHub repository

Menu

Default Complexity

Settings

Projects I worked on at DTT

Edu Play Book

I was a main developer on Edu Play Book, an educational children's application that features games, puzzles, and stories in multiple languages. I was responsible for creating many of the core systems of the app, including integrating a Content Management System within the books, developing a recording feature, creating an interactive home scene, and designing many of the games. These are just a few examples of the parts of the app that I worked on.

Fly Me to the Stars VR

I was a part of the team that developed an app that allows users to explore the solar system in VR, and connect constellations together. My role on this project included general quality assurance, bug fixing, and creating promotional material, such as the video you see here.

Flip Puzzle

I was a core member of the development team for a game whose objective is to reach a chest by any means possible, whether it be flipping to "the other side" or collecting keys to unlock doors, while avoiding enemies and traps. The game features a story mode and a level editor, where players can create their own stages and share them online for others to compete on. I joined the project in its early stages and quickly became a integral part of the team. My contributions included implementing gameplay mechanics, animations, and the backend of the level editor and saving system. I also designed the Web API and worked with the web team to ensure the game could be played online.

OSR Star Finder

I worked on the OSR Star Finder, an app that utilizes a phone or tablet to provide an augmented reality star-gazing experience. The app projects the stars in real-time, so when users point their phone at the sky, they can identify the star, its name, and the constellation it belongs to. My role on this project included general quality assurance and bug fixing, as well as creating promotional material for the app, you can see here.

At Mouse's house

I collaborated with Pauline Baartmans, an illustrator and animator of the children's series 'Thuis bij Muis' (At Mouse's house), to develop a reading app for kids. The app is powered by a Content Management System (CMS) that allows for easy addition and editing of stories. When I joined the project, the app had already been built but the client wanted to make changes. As the project was smaller in scope, I became the sole developer. I was responsible for implementing the client's changes, which included adding animations, a light and dark mode, and a lot of refactoring and bug fixing. Overall, it was a great experience to work on this app with Pauline and bring it to the client's satisfaction.

Randstad Office Configurator

I developed a web application using Unity for Randstad that allows users to digitally design and decorate every Randstad location worldwide. The application operates similarly to the building and decorating features in the game Sims, but all decorations are generated through a CMS, and costs are calculated. Users can also share configurations and leave comments and suggestions on certain features of the designs. My responsibilities included creating shaders, implementing post-processing effects, fixing bugs, and maintaining the overall project. I also created the promotional video for the application.

Yokai - Spirits of Battle!

I developed "Yokai - Spirits of Battle" a local multiplayer 3D fighting game inspired by monsters from Japanese folklore. The game flow allows players to select a character, choose a map to fight on, and engage in battles for superiority. As the sole programmer and developer for the game, I was responsible for creating all the UI elements, sourcing sounds, coding scripts, and putting everything together in Unity. The 3D models for the characters and stages were created by other members of the team. I designed the game with a modular approach, making it easy to add new characters by simply dragging and dropping the necessary elements into predefined slots. The game is currently available for PC and requires a controller to play, the download link to an executable version of the game is provided.

Character Select

Map Select

Pagoda

Courtyard

Pond

Sumo Ring

Open University VR

I created a comprehensive suite of Virtual Reality simulations for healthcare education and training using Unity. These simulations depicted various nursing procedures and made use of features such as voice commands, haptic feedback, head tracking, and hand tracking. The development process required me to create robust, scalable, and reusable classes, components, and systems. As part of a small team working in an emerging field, I conducted research to effectively and comfortably implement various interactions required. The simulations were deployed on the Oculus Quest platform and currently available for limited alpha release. Unfortunately, the suite is not publicly available, the link is to the website of the Learning innovation team at the Open University.

I developed a range of simulated medical procedures, including: injection techniques, observations, measuring blood glucose, catheterization, procedures for drawing blood, respiratory exams, inserting nasogastric tubes, drawing blood from veins, and wound care. Additionally, I created an onboarding simulation to introduce users to the experience in a seamless and intuitive way

Blood Glucose

Catheterization

Blood Service

Respiratory

Blood Service

Nasogastric

Venepuncture

Wound Care

Nasogastric