Jacob Paul McKenney
Who I am...
Hey there! I am a passionate game designer and artist with a love for designing surprising game mechanics, appealing characters, and unforgettable experiences. I am always looking to create awesome games in any way possible, from small indie projects to big AAA experiences. My designing style ranges from wacky party games to heartwarming experiences, just as my art styles range from stylized to realism, and anywhere in between. With a college degree in Media Arts & Game Development, and a minor in Japanese studies, I'm always looking for fun and engaging ways to utilize my extensive skills and knowledge to bring a broad smile to someone's face.
​
When I'm not designing games or drawing characters, you can usually find me skateboarding around town, playing Mario Kart or Smash Bros. with my siblings, or simply brushing up on my Japanese language skills. All to the background music of some Michael Jackson, Gorillaz, or the Offspring, of course.
Where I Started...
My first game, "Pop". 10 year old me would be so proud!
While I have built skills and experience in many areas of game development, my main focus and passion has always been in game and character design. My love for video games started as a small child. One of my earliest memories is of watching my brother play Sonic Adventure on the SEGA Dreamcast and instantly being mesmerized by the little portal into another world our TV had turned into the moment he pressed "START".
Throughout the years, I played more and more games until I started to try figuring out how different components of the games were made. Ever since, I have loved solving design problems in a game's mechanics and levels. At 7 years old, I was already designing fan levels with toy blocks for my brother to "play" through, and by my early teens, I was writing out my own home-made balance sheets for re-balancing the weapons in my favorite multiplayer games (I'm looking at you Uncharted 3 and Overwatch). At the age of 10, I had already made many character designs, and my first small video game in GameMaker (a top-down puzzle/maze game about a kangaroo named "Pop"), and instantly fell in love with all things game design and development!
At UW-Whitewater, I majored in the Media Arts and Game Development program, and minored in Japanese studies. There, I designed and assisted with the development of 4+ larger scale game projects, and 10+ smaller scale projects with both teams of peers, and on my own. I often filled team leadership roles, which gave me experience in writing game design documents, art bibles, communicating between teams of different development areas, and providing feedback for design and development choices. Often being in an art role in addition to my design role, I have designed the characters, weapons, and environments of many of the projects I have worked on, and implemented many level designs from layout sketches to playable 3D and 2D levels in the Unity engine. Because projects often needed to be completed within a 3-4 month semester, I have also gained experience working fast and efficiently through tight schedules and deadlines.
​​
In my Japanese studies, I was able to embrace my love and passion for Japanese culture and history with ​6 language courses (beginner to intermediate) and multiple history and literature courses, making me fairly well versed in both the Japanese language and culture.
The biggest project I've worked on yet, Metronomium.
Where I Went...
Where I'm Going...
I am currently working to make my breakthrough into the video game industry as a game designer or character designer, where I can use my extensive design skills on awesome games and characters. In between part time work, I have been working on small game and art projects, as well as participating in as many Game Jams as I can (many of these projects can be found in detail in the game projects section). While I may be graduated with a degree in game development, learning is a never-ending process, and I'm always happy and looking to learn and grow more wherever I go next! Where I'm going next, God only knows, but if you think I would be a good fit for your team, I'd love to hear from you!