Gameplay & systems designer · Unreal Engine 5

JackSlaski

I design and build gameplay systems in Unreal Engine 5. MSc Computer Games Design, Distinction. Most recently I built Recoil Works, a modular weapon crafting FPS.

View my work Download CV

4+

years building in Unreal Engine 5

MSc

Computer Games Design, Distinction 78.7%

BSc

Computer Games Development, First Class 75.5%

13

games and tools in this portfolio, solo and team

01 // Featured

Latest work

My MSc master project, and the solo life sim that placed 2nd at GradEx 2025.

The Recoil Works weapon builder showing a grid of saved weapons
Completed · 85%

Recoil Works

MSc master project · Solo · UE5 Blueprints

A weapon crafting FPS. You build a gun from a chassis and swappable parts, then test how each part changes the way it fires.

  • Modular weapons
  • Data tables
  • Projectile behaviours
  • Builder UI
View project
A villager working at a bench in a timber house in Feudal Living, seen from above
GradEx 2025: 2nd place

Feudal Living

BSc project · Solo · 8 weeks · 82%

A medieval life sim I built solo in eight weeks, with needs that decay, skills that change how you use objects, a build mode, and an AI that takes over your character when you go idle.

  • AI takeover
  • Object manager
  • Needs and skills
  • Build mode
View project

02 // Projects

Past work

Gerbert Games title art

Gerbert Games

Producer & tech lead · Team of 7

A couch party game for two to four players, fighting over tile arenas above a black hole.

Individual mark85%
Leviathan’s Gauntlet title art over a pirate ship

Leviathan’s Gauntlet

Tech lead · Team of 29

Wave-based pirate ship combat, with upgrades at a shop island between waves.

Individual mark87.5%
Wild Magic key art: a wizard by a campfire

Wild Magic

UI & VFX · Team of 18

A survivors-like where I built the whole game UI and created the VFX.

Individual mark87.5%
Arms & Assets title art on a firing rangeOn hold

Arms & Assets

Personal project · Solo

A multiplayer systems sandbox inspired by Garry’s Mod roleplay servers, with procedural weapon stats and player trading.

Module grade74%
Do You Know Ball? title art on a football pitch

Do You Know Ball?

Solo · Mobile

A football knowledge quiz game, built in UE5 for phones.

Grade87%
Formula and Flask title art in the potion factory

Formula and Flask

Solo · Prototype

A first-person potion factory, where you build machines and ship potions.

Grade80%
A procedurally generated cave map

Cave Generation Tool

Solo · UE5 C++

A cellular automata cave generator, with seeds and settings designers can tweak.

Grade79%
Survivors Like title art in a test arena

Survivors Like

Solo · Prototype

A fast arena shooter built around game feel, with bouncing projectiles and area attacks.

Grade68%
An RPG crafting and inventory UI

UI Showcase

Solo · UMG

A full RPG interface in UMG, from crafting to inventory.

Grade64%

Minimal UI for immersion

BSc dissertation · 16 weeks

Research and a playable artefact on designing minimal UI that keeps players immersed.

Grade72%

Loot box ethics

MSc research · 24 weeks

A literature review on loot boxes, gambling, and the effect on vulnerable players.

Grade80%

03 // About

Player profile

I’ve been making games since 2020, when I started running Garry’s Mod servers and taught myself Lua to build their systems.

Since then I’ve finished a First Class BSc in Computer Games Development and an MSc in Computer Games Design with Distinction, both at the University of Staffordshire. I like systems players can poke at: crafting, inventories, economies, and anything with numbers underneath.

On team projects I usually end up as tech lead or producer. I look after Git and integration, and build the core gameplay everyone else plugs into.

Leading isn’t new to me: I was Head Boy at school, and I’ve played team sports all my life, mostly rugby and hockey.

Where it started

Lockdown, 2020. I was 15, stuck at home playing Garry’s Mod, and I started wondering how the games I loved were actually made.

I taught myself Lua from tutorials and the Garry’s Mod wiki, starting with small addons and working up to full server systems. Menus and UI were always my favourite part, and that’s where my love of UI began.

servers founded or co-owned
5
players a day on three of them
100+
my age when I started
15

Running the servers taught me the side of games players never see. I hired developers and staff, set up applications and interviews to find the right people, and trained them once they joined. The servers even turned a profit, and people from back then still message me for help with their projects.

  1. 2020–2023

    Garry’s Mod servers

    Founded three DarkRP servers and co-owned two more, writing their systems in Lua.

  2. 2022–2025

    BSc, First Class

    Computer Games Development. Built the UI and VFX for Wild Magic in second year, then led tech on Leviathan’s Gauntlet and placed 2nd at GradEx with Feudal Living.

  3. 2025–2026

    MSc, Distinction

    Computer Games Design, finishing with Recoil Works as my master project.

  4. Now

    Next quest

    Building a game in Roblox and looking for a gameplay or systems design role.

04 // Contact

Need a gameplay designer?

I’m looking for gameplay and systems design roles. Email is the quickest way to reach me.

Email me Download CV
LinkedIn GitHub itch.io jackslaski04@gmail.com