Digital game development careers - Daniel Warmke

Daniel Warmke, a PhD student at Ohio University and teacher of ECT 3401, our third class in Game Development. He has helped many students tap into their interest in game design. Throughout his time spent in the Media Arts & Studies Program, Warmke was able to further develop his own interest as well.

In the past, Warmke worked on numerous projects, including the creation of tabletop RPG (Role Playing Game) books and the development of numerous RPG video games.

Warmke was born in Athens, and upon completion of his PhD, would be earning his third degree from the university. His interest in games has been around for his whole life, stemming from tabletop games as well as old Nintendo consoles.

Warmke’s journey with OHIO began when he received a degree in history. During this time, he took a few media classes near the end of his bachelor’s degree, and he found great enjoyment in the program. Later on, he picked up his master’s degree and shortly after, applied to the doctorate program. Warmke has also served in the Ohio National Guard since 2002.

Warmke has instructed since 2014, and currently teaches ECT 3401.This class, Game Development I, is a class designed for students who have a conceptual understanding of games and serves to expand on their technical applications of learning. Students are responsible for creating 6-8 small games and creating one culminating project. Students also create a ‘games portfolio’ where they make a video showcasing their work.

Warmke states that in his class, he aims to teach students both creative and technical skills that are industry applicable. He states that many of the skills students learn are widely applicable to a wide range of industries, even beyond games. This idea is consistent with that of the games & animation major as a whole, which strives to make its students not only able to excel in games and games-adjacent fields but to be able to fit anywhere within emerging technologies-related fields.

Regarding game philosophy, Warkme poses the question: “How can you build a personality?” Furthermore, Warmke believes that a game is truly made in its polish. He also states that it is actually surprisingly easy to make a game, and people can make a simple game in only a few days, but that a good game lends itself to its nuance.

Regarding his plans for after graduation, Warmke states that he would like to assist in game development by doing research for a studio to study the interactions that players make in game worlds. Such a job would pertain to understanding how players interact with game terrain, learning how players choose to move around, and fully understanding how players interact with a game. All of this is done to ensure a game is as engaging as it can be.

Warmke is thankful for his time at OHIO and says that he has enjoyed his time at Ohio University.

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