Taha

I love making games! Obviously. I try to find energy to keep working on games in my spare time, and that has steadily involved learning more and more about the other crafts for solo dev. In-so-doing I have discovered a passion for music! Particularly playing piano (poorly) and composing (even more poorly). I also really enjoy narration and dabbling in VO/VA, and hope one day to have my voice in a game (at least, one where my name isn’t 50-100% of the credits). I’m not terribly good at relaxing, but my favourite way is to curl up in my big armchair and read, play m piano, or play Dark Souls 1 or 2. Again. I also love playing MTG and TTRPGs!

_favourite Game

Dark Souls 2

_favourite BOOK

The Lies of Locke Lamora

_Currently learning

How to compose better music, how to drive, how to fly

Questions & Answers

Earliest gaming memory?

Answer

Probably either playing the Voodoo Vince on the xbox demo disc, or playing the Grandstand Caveman tabletop computer game at my uncle’s in Pakistan (It was dreadful)

What was the game that triggered you looking at games as a career

Answer

I’ve wanted to pretty much since I can remember, but I think the biggest inspirations were Voodoo Vince and Blinx the Time Sweeper. They both had such fun themes and interesting twists in gameplay that I just loved

What did you study at School or Uni that you feel was valuable for a career in games?

Answer

Computer Science! I took any chance I could to shift my coursework into something game related, from researching maze/dungeon generation algorithms to doing a presentation on collision detection by making a fully functional version of asteroid in p5.js!

Game that has inspired you the most?

Answer

Incredibly difficult to pin that on one game, but I think perhaps Dark Souls II!

What is the first game you worked on?

Answer

Probably some awful flash game I made when I was 10. First one of any consequence was my first game jam game Pressurized when I was 15 for Ludum Dare 27, which sparked my love of game jams. Professionally, none of my games have seen the light of day, but the first was Tomorrow Falls.

Games you’re the proudest to have worked on?

Answer

Project Gemini at People Can Fly. It was never announced, sadly, but in a game that had a heavy emphasis on combat and weapons, I was the one programmer in charge of… the weapons!

If you weren’t making games?

Answer

I narrowly avoided choosing a career in astrophysics, but today I would 100% want to learn to compose and focus on music.

Top 3 games of all time?

Answer

#1 - Dark Souls II #2 - Dark Souls #3 - Rhythm Heaven Fever

Hardest Game Boss?

Answer

I may have struggled more with others, but none bring me greater despair than the Bed of Chaos (Dark Souls again)

_TIME REMAINING