Hiya! I'm Dana. I do all the things. I'm an associate programmer at Bethesda Game Studios with a focus on UI related tasks, and an NC State alumni with a Bachelor of Science
in computer science with a concentration in game developement. I love coffee, playing and making video games, all things Disney, and a lot of other things that wouldn't fit
if I listed them all.
Previously, I was the Media Director for Women in Computer Science at NC State, a junior officer in the Video Game Development Club, a workshop leader in STARS SLC, a CSC
Ambassador,a Unity student ambassador (beta class), and the lead media and marketing organizer for DiamondHacks. I also worked for the Computer Science Department at
NC State as a Java 2 (CSC216) Peer Teaching Fellow under Dr. Sarah Heckman while I was pursuing my degree.
I've worked at IBM as a support engineer intern, Juniper Networks as a systems engineer intern, and Bethesda as a programming intern. I make and play games in my free time and I'm constantly
changing my hair color. My current color is very faded rainbow. If you want to know more about me, click on an icon above to contact me!
Unseen
Created by Empathy Studios. Spring 2017
Unseen is a VR first-person survival horror game, built using Unity and DK2's for CSC482 (Adv Game Projects) at NC State.
I was the Art Lead and one of the programmers, and also created the trailer (gameplay captures from Jacob Stone and Jason Buchanan). If you'd like
to know more of the technical details or see code samples from this, please feel free to contact me!
Spilt Milky Way
Created by Empathy Studios. April 2017
Spilt Milky Way was made in CSC482 as part of a class game jam during the last week of classes. Much of this game was rushed (like many game jam games are)
and was handed off from teammate to teammate until the last day of class. The game is a 2D space themed game where you control two spaceships, one with the
left analog stick and one with the right. The goal is to line your ships up to fire at incoming projectiles. It's harder than it sounds to keep them lined up
without dying!
Space Invaders
Created by Dana Christo for CSC 481 (Game Engines). Fall 2016
Basic Space Invaders game. Created using the game engine I designed and developed through the semester, which was made using Java and Processing. Instructions on how to run
and play in readme for the linked repo.
NutraNinja
Created by Emily Sharp, Jacob Stone, and Dana Christo for CSC 499 (Undergrad Research) working under Dr. Tiffany Barnes. Spring 2016
Jacob Stone and I inherited a Kinect game from Emily Sharp. The game, NutraNinja, was created to increase kid's exercise levels. When we inherited the game, there were two levels that didn't have
the player moving much. We added in 3 levels with different challenges to increase the player's movement and tracked their center of mass to see if the levels were improving activity. More details,
including the data and research paper, available upon request.
Shapeshift
Created by Dana Christo, Zach Leight, and Ryan Long for CSC 281 (Interactive Game Design). Fall 2014
A 2D physics puzzle game. Psychic thief Claire Voyant breaks into Cutting Edge Labs and steals a top secret technology that allows her to scan any object and transform into that object for a short time period. Using her psychic powers to move objects around the room and her new shape shifting ability, the player must help Claire move from one place to another during missions to steal more items.
Cryndax
Created by Dana Christo, Zach Leight, and Ryan Long for CSC 281 (Interactive Game Design). Fall 2014
A 2D platform game. Grevya Forest has been cursed and is taking over the town of Arkaley. Damien, an inhabitant of Arkaley, is sent on a mission by the town sage to retrieve a legendary weapon, Cryndax, and use it to stop the forest from destroying Arkaley.
Independent Studies: Technology Research Project
Created by Dana Christo. Fall 2012
During the fall semester of my senior year of high school, I created a research project on "How does the camera affect video games?". I created a game in the Unreal Development Kit with two levels, where the player had to run and jump from one platform to another, avoiding and shooting enemies, until they reached the end of the level. There were two versions of the game: version 1 had a third person camera following behind the player, and version 2 had a fixed camera that imitated a side scrolling game.
The players had mixed feelings about the games. Version 2 was all around easier for most people, which made it more enjoyable for more casual players. Version 1 was more difficult, and the players that enjoyed version 1 more than version 2 tended to be people who had a history of first and third person shooters.
NutraNinja App
Created by Dana Christo for CSC 499 (Undergrad Research) working under Dr. Tiffany Barnes. Spring 2016
An Android app that was a buddy to the NutraNinja game. The app had a set workout for each day of the week and let you set a reminder to go do the workout of the day. The biggest
issue I ran into with this project was getting the alarm to bypass the lock screen on the user's phone.
Game AI: Movement
Created by Dana Christo for CSC484 (Game AI). Public repo coming after graduation~ Please contact me for code samples from this.
For my game AI class, I created different movement behaviors using Java and Processing. Movements include basic kinematic motion, arrive steering motion where the character moves to where the mouse
clicks, wander steering, and flocking behavior.
Game AI: Path Finding
Created by Dana Christo for CSC484 (Game AI). Public repo coming after graduation~ Please contact me for code samples from this.
Different path finding algorithms for a character navigating my old apartment. Java and Processing.
Corgi Petter
Created by Dana Christo. March 2017
A 2D mini game made in Unity using C# and GIMP, where the player must pet as many corgi's as possible before time runs out, or they lose too many lives. I really love dogs and I want to pet lots of corgis, so
Corgi Petter was born! Version 1.1.0 is currently out on GameJolt and
itch.io, and is playable for Windows, Mac, and Linux. A mobile version for Android is
available on Google Play!
Exit Saga
Creation team listed on linked page. January 2014, Global Game Jam
A puzzle and exploration game which revolves around the choices you make in the game. In this first area you will decide your preference in literature. As your character changes so does their "world".
Personal Site
Created by Dana Christo. December 2016 (and always adding to it!)
You're already here, but click the title to get to the repo for this site. I created my own site because I wanted something to show me, but that involved more
skill and creativity than a LinkedIn profile. I decided to design and code the site myself to get more experience with HTML and CSS. It's been fun, and I'm always
trying to improve it.
I'll Go With You
Created by Dana Christo. July 2016
Entry for Spectra, an all-female hackathon hosted at YouTube's headquarters in San Bruno, CA. An Android app to help battle NC's awful HB2 law. The hackathon was a one day event
and I was the only person on my team, so the app is incomplete but mockups for the design will be added to the repo soon!
Bagel Button
Created by Dana Christo, Rachel Baker, Maya Shankar, Kamana Nereg, and Rebecca Register. March 2015
Our team's entry to DiamondHacks 2015. If you've ever been to a bagel shop, you know that there are many bagel and cream cheese combinations to choose from. Our app makes that choice much easier by generating a combination for you. It also allows you to add a combination to your likes or dislikes, rate it, or get a new one. This was my first time working with any kind of mobile app development. I did majority of the UI/UX design, and some of the backend code.
