Pursuits – My Projects – Work History – Back to Home
Games That Shaped Me
Video games have been the most impactful form of media in my life. While I loved books as a kid, the moment I discovered how expansive and immersive games could be (~20 years ago), I was hooked. A great game doesn’t just tell a story — it builds a living, interactive world filled with choices, challenges, and meaning.
Many of the titles below introduced me to fantasy, historical themes, scientific ideas, and philosophical questions. Many of them were just fun! Some of them may have even helped me through common life struggles as a kid, gave me common ground to form friendships at school, and shaped my perspectives on life. More than anything, they’ve inspired me to pursue game development — to create the kinds of games with dynamic storytelling that had such a profound impact on me growing up, and to provide that experience for someone else.
This list contains just some of those games that I grew up with, played through different generations, and that I may even revisit from time to time. Not limited to just this list of course, because this is just everything I could think of, or that I had hard copies of from forever ago.
Nintendo Systems (NES, SNES, N64, GameCube, Wii, Switch, DS, Game Boy)
Action-Adventure / RPG
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
- The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Pokémon (Gen I–III)
- Metroid (Game Boy version)
- Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Platformers / Party Games
- Super Mario 64
- Super Mario Sunshine
- Super Mario Galaxy
- Mario Kart 64
- Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- Super Smash Bros. (64, Melee, Brawl)
- Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland
- Kirby Air Ride
- Star Fox 64
Licensed / Miscellaneous
- Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
- King Arthur (GameCube)
- Spider-Man 2
Sony Systems (PS1, PS2, PSP, PS4)
Action-Adventure / RPG
- God of War (Original, II, Ragnarok)
- Shadow of the Colossus
- MediEvil
- Spider-Man (PS1)
- Spider-Man 3
- Final Fantasy VII (+ Advent Children, Dirge of Cerberus)
- Final Fantasy VIII, IX, X
- Kingdom Hearts II & III
- Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
- Rayman 2: Revolution
- Thief
- Lords of the Fallen
Shooters / Tactical
- Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell series
- Ghost Recon 2 & Advanced Warfighter
- Rainbow Six Siege
- Killzone: Shadow Fall
- Battlefield 3, 4, Hardline
- Medal of Honor: Frontline, Rising Sun, Vanguard, Airborne
- Wolfenstein: The New Order, Youngblood
Fighting / Rhythm / Miscellaneous
- Tekken 4, 5, 6
- Guitar Hero (I, II, III, Encore)
- WWF SmackDown!
- Namco Museum 50th Anniversary
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Third Age
- LOTR: Tactics (PSP)
- Harry Potter series
- Peter Pan: Return to Neverland
- Inspector Gadget: Gadget’s Crazy Maze
Microsoft Systems (Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
Shooters / Action RPG
- Halo: CE, 2, 3, 4, Reach, ODST, Infinite
- Call of Duty (all)
- Battlefield: Bad Company 1 & 2, Battlefield V
- Destiny 2
- Fallout 3, Fallout 4
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Red Dead Redemption I & II
Multiplayer / Online / Co-op
- Apex Legends
- Rocket League
- PUBG
- Paladins
- The Division 2
- Warframe
- Smite
- Rogue Company
- Vigor
- The Culling Origins
Open World / Adventure / Miscellaneous
- Assassin’s Creed (multiple entries)
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, IV, V
- Sunset Overdrive
- South Park: The Fractured But Whole
- Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse
- Anthem
- SoulCalibur IV & V
- DayZ
- Dauntless
- STEEP
- Warface
- Hitman 1 & 2
- The Forgotten City
- Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey
- Atlas
PC (Windows & Mac)
Melee Combat / Medieval Slasher
- Chivalry: Medieval Warfare
- Chivalry 2
- Mordhau
- Half-Sword
Shooters / Tactical
- Halo: Combat Evolved
- Counter-Strike: Source / Global Offensive / 2
- Apex Legends
- Valorant
- Battlefield 2042
- Escape From Tarkov
- Ready or Not
- Insurgency: Sandstorm
- Squad
- Hell Let Loose
- GTFO
- Black Mesa
- Half-Life 2
- The Cycle: Frontier
RPG / Action-Adventure / Story-Driven
- Fallout 76
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series
- Far Cry 4, 5, 6
- Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
- Days Gone
- Diablo III & IV
- The Long Dark
- Lost Ark
- SCP: Secret Laboratory
- The Sims 4 / SimCity 4
- Detroit: Become Human
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Hollow Knight
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Planetside 2
- New World
- World of Warcraft
- The Lord of the Rings Online
- Project Zomboid
- Powerwash Simulator
- Marauders
- Control
- BioShock series
- Deus Ex: Human Revolution
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- The Outer Worlds
- Dark Souls trilogy / Elden Ring
- Titanfall 2
- Dishonored series
- Borderlands series
- Resident Evil 4, 7, Village
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Mirror’s Edge
- A Plague Tale series
Co-op / Puzzle / Simulation
- Vampire Survivors
- Halls of Torment
- It Takes Two
- Portal 1 & 2
- Besiege
- Shatterline
- BattleBit Remastered
- Multiversus
- Hellish Quart
- Sons of the Forest
- SCUM
- Deathloop
- Immortals Fenyx Rising
- Splitgate
- Warhammer 40K: Space Marine / Darktide
- Valheim
- Jazz Jackrabbit 1 & 2
- Quake
This list is a just snapshot of some games that not only entertained me growing up but contributed in part to shaping how I think and feel about interactivity, narrative, and creative expression. These experiences laid the foundations for why I pursue game development.