Robert Finney
Lead Game Designer
Game Development | Rapid Prototyping | Client Engagement | Data Analysis
High-performing, senior game designer offering 15+ years of in-depth industry expertise with full product lifecycle from R&D to beta release to production launch. Hands-on and focused; actively led, created, and launched military training simulations in partnership with subject matter experts, user experience, and support. Proven success as a game designer, figuring out critical needs to deliver client-driven solutions based on pedagogical learning objectives. Influential leader proven to build consensus among stakeholders to provide useful training simulations and transform complex project initiatives into achievable goals.
Core Competencies
Agile/Scrum | Game Design | Software Development Scheduling | Trusted Advisor | Ideation Techniques
User Experience | DevOps | Authoring Technical Proposals | Collaboration and Communication
Technical Skills and Methodologies
Project Management: Jira, Asana, Confluence, Visio, Powerpoint, DevTrack, Trac, Slack, Zoom
Software Development: Unity, Maya, Adobe Creative Suite, GitHub, Word, Excel, TortoiseSVN, Figma, Balsamiq
Design Disciplines: UX/UI Design, Level Design, Narrative Design, Instructional Design, Encounter Design
Computer Languages: JSON, XML, JavaScript basics, C#, HTML5, and C++ basics
Professional Experience
USC Institute for Creative Technologies | Los Angeles, CA | 2009 – July 2023
Lead Game Designer | 2019 – July 2023
Promoted to drive project development, vision, strategy, and execution across all target deliverable platforms and strategic gaming applications. Partner with senior management, engineering, subject matter experts, and client teams to identify and deliver new product solutions and augment the existing portfolio.
▪ Developed and executed detailed project development roadmaps using Agile methodology that laid the foundation for launching 5 new projects in 3 years, including Army Research Lab (ARL), Office of Naval Research (ONR), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS).
▪ Played a pivotal role in shaping project vision and implementation strategy, including product playtests, naming, audience targeting, rapid prototying, and task delegation to development team.
▪ Led the redesign of Balance of Terror, an NPS counter-terrorism strategic gaming application, managing a team of 10 to update the core gameplay loop, resulting in final deliverable WebGL builds used in presentations at the Bucerius Summer School on Global Governance and the George C. Marshall European Center of Security Studies. Led 4 additional projects.
▪ Balance of Terror won the bronze award at the Serious Play Competition in July 2019.
Game Designer | 2016 – 2019
Team lead for Naval Postgraduate School Dark Networks (DN) and Regional Leadership Development Program (RLDP) projects; accountable for forecasting, tracking, and reporting project progress to inform simulation model, key stakeholder decisions, and project development.
▪ Wrote technical proposals, design documentation, and presented current research projects to VIPs and 4-star generals within the USC ICT demo space, Oahu, Hawaii, Garmisch, Germany, Camp Pendleton, CA, and Monterey, CA, resulting in the expansion of our Aerial Terrain Line of Sight Analysis Tool (ATLAS) and One World Terrain (OWT) projects into the Rapid Integration Development Environment (RIDE) project, supporting our team with an additional 6 years ($3 million) in project funding.
▪ Regularly perform responsibilities as a game designer, producer, presenter, project manager, and project director, resulting in a 166% increase in awarded projects from 3 projects to 6 new projects and 2 project modifications.
▪ Dark Networks won the silver award at the Serious Play Competition in May 2018.
Consultant | 2016 – 2016
Brought onto the team to discuss and iterate on initial design concepts with potential and existing military-affiliated sponsors.
▪ Authored design documentation for pre-Alpha and Alpha milestones of simulation based on counter-terrorist tactics.
Programmer Analyst II | 2012 – 2013
Refactored and wrote code for new desired functionality on the Dismounted Interactive Counter-IED Trainer (DICE-T) project.
▪ Designed and programmed new functionality for DICE-T v1.0 final release candidate to military client, resulting in a 30% casualty reduction in American ground forces deployed to Afghanistan previously trained on DICE-T.
Project Specialist Admin | 2010 – 2012
Reporting to Special Project Manager, spearheaded scenario development efforts for a high-profile military project.
▪ Created and implemented UI, UX, and level design on Mobile Counter-IED Interactive Trainer (MCIT), resulting in a 70% casualty reduction in Polish ground forces deployed to Afghanistan previously trained on MCIT.
▪ Identified feature set prioritization, created 3D model and UI art asset lists and prefabs to be used in MCIT, aiding project expansion from an initial $2 million in project funding to over $13 million and 16+ deployed MCIT Conex box instances.
Software Quality Assurance Tester | 2009 – 2010
Utilized prior game industry quality assurance experience and best practices to shore up design and polish on MCIT.
▪ Developed eighteen scenarios within twelve unique maps based on terrain satellite data supplied by military client.
Electronic Arts | Los Angeles, CA | 2007 – 2009
Regular Full Time Tester | 2007-2009
Shattered target work expectations to ensure transition from temp to full time employment and opportunity to travel abroad.
▪ Served as "MP Pod" Lead - Managed a team of 8 testers responsible for testing all multiplayer functionality.
▪ Demonstrated exceptional ability to find issues and worked in Germany at Crytek as embedded tester for Crysis project.
Liquid Entertainment | Pasadena, CA | 2006 – 2006
Game Designer | 2006 – 2006
Dream first design job after graduating from college where I leveraged my passion for good fantasy and Greek mythology.
▪ Developed complex AI behavior in Visual Studio using Unreal 3 engine for Rise of the Argonauts (PC/PS3/Xbox360).
▪ Fully documented two level designs for Rise of the Argonauts project.
Activision | Santa Monica, CA | 2005 – 2005
Quality Assurance Tester | 2005 – 2005
Developed software quality assurance skills working on the X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse (PS2/Xbox) game title.
▪ Competitive, full-time, paid contract position for the summer that exposed me to quality assurance best practices.
▪ Led group of testers on all aspects of project testing for Xbox Live multiplayer platform.
Pandemic Studios | Westwood, CA | 2004 – 2004
Quality Assurance Intern | 2004 – 2004
Opportunity to work on Star Wars Battlefront and Mercenaries and first time I saw how a game was developed and tested.
▪ Tested functionality, gave insights, recommended development direction on two game titles.
Education
M.F.A. in Interactive Media, USC Games #1 game design program | University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA
B.A. in Fine Arts | University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA