Hi, I'm Ethan Brandt
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Selected Projects
M3D
Minimalistic 3D Game Engine
C++, OpenGL, SDL3, Jolt Physics, Wren
A solo-built 3D engine runtime with rendering, physics, scripting, scene loading, input, and directional audio.
- Built a modular C++ engine runtime around a custom entity component system
- Implemented real-time 3D rendering, rigidbody physics, Wren scripting, input, and 3D audio
- Shipped a working capstone demo under a semester deadline
- Continuing development with an editor and expanded engine features
LDGE
Custom 2D Game Engine
C++, SDL3, Lua
Small custom 2D game engine built around a simple entity runtime, Lua scripting, and SDL3 rendering.
- Led a 4-person team as technical lead and product owner
- Designed & architected the entire engine
- Implemented engine rumtime handling and rendering system
- Implemented easy to use scripting system with Lua bindings
Onkalo
Narrative Visual Novel
Unity, C#
Narrative visual novel with RPG mechanics built in 72 hours for Ludum Dare 57 using a custom Scriptable Object narrative system.
- Built branching narrative tooling for quick content integration
- Implemented inventory-based choices and RPG-style combat
- Helped a 5-person interdisciplinary team ship under tight constraints
A Short Survey
Short Horror Game
Unity, C#
Small horror game made in 1 week for SCREAM JAM 2023.
- Implemented custom text engine for flexible text effects
- Designed & developed the full project solo
- Has been played & enjoyed by thousands of players
RISC-V SNAKE
Terminal Snake Clone
RISC-V, Linux
Snake clone written entirely in RISC-V assembly with real-time terminal input, fixed-timestep updates, and ASCII rendering.
- Implemented nonblocking WASD input using Linux syscalls
- Built full game loop, collision, random apple spawning, and scoring
- Constructed and rendered game frame to the terminal
About Me
Hi, I'm Ethan Brandt, a game developer just getting out of college and ready to tackle the industry. I've been making games since the age of 4, I made many board and card games using my favorite characters from games (fortunately copyright law doesn't usually prosecute toddlers), designing all the rules and systems. Even at that young age, I fell in love with the process of making things my friends and family could enjoy with me. At the age of 11, I started making video games, and I've been programming ever since.
I've worked in almost every popular engine (these days I mostly use Unity), and more recently I've been working on my own game engine projects. I'm confident in C++, C#, Python, & RISC-V. I've released over a dozen projects online and have been slowly improving my craft over many years and iterations. There is nothing I would rather be doing than making games and I'm excited about my long future in the industry.