James Kocol Email & Phone Number

Mchenry Illinois

Provide IT support to the district's many devices and chromebook fleet

Crystal Lake, Illinois 60014

I teach multiple classes related to Game Design as part of the the college's Digital Media DepartmentGame Design I ---I explain and delve into the vast expanse that is Game Design and focus on the essentials of Game Design Principles. I discuss topics from simple gameplay mechanics and implementation, to game documentation including a Game Concept and a Game Design Document. I also discuss a few various specializations of Game Design as well: UI / UX design, Level design, and Story design3D Game Development I ---Utilizing the Unreal Engine 4, I teach the students how to use the powerful program to create their own custom levels and play spaces. They learn the basics of the engine: BSP and Mesh level construction, utilizing Materials to create custom textures, creating Blueprint sequences to drive gameplay elements, and creating simple in-engine animations with Unreal Matinee3D Game Development II --- This is the next level course from 3D Game Dev I. In this course, focus is on using a modeling software, such as 3Ds Max, to create custom assets ranging from simple game mesh props, to a fully animated and rigged character. The final part of the course is then importing all the content into a custom made game using Unreal Engine 4.

Columbia College Chicago

This is my position on the Senior Capstone Project part of Columbia College Chicago's Interactive Arts and Media department. Our game "Undertakers" is a 3rd person competitive multiplayer shooter set in the Wild West.As Gameplay Lead, it is my duty to ensure our game's systems and mechanics are getting implemented and are working as intended. I work very closely with the project's Lead Designer in order to accomplish this goal, making sure our game follows the vision and path he intends. I also manage a small team of 3 to 6 people, creating tasks for them and scheduling milestone requirements set forth by the Producers.As Build Lead it is my duty to manage the build files. I clean up the repository, deleting old files when necessary, and manage the state of the build. I am also the one in charge of making deliverables for our Milestones.In addition to my Gameplay and Build Lead duties, I have worked on scripting in the game in areas of Systems Design, Network Scripting, and User Interface.

825 W Fulton Market

My restaurant job while finishing up my final year at Columbia College Chicago

Learning from the Teaching pros how to do things the Game Design way

Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.), Game Development

Activities and Societies: Large Team Game ProjectI am currently enrolled at Columbia College Chicago and entering my final senior year.

Associate Of Applied Science, Digital Media

Activities and Societies: Phi Theta Kappa memberI have acquired two degrees from McHenry County College. This accounts for my three years.