Hello! I'm Joe Apicella. I'm a Systems and Combat designer who's happiest when I'm creating. Making unique enemies that inspire new strategies, tweaking numbers to make a weapon feel just right, writing tabletop RPGs for my friends, or modeling clean geometry on a simple prop - I love it all. I'm proudest of my design work when I'm able perfectly intertwine the systems and art of a game together. While my focus is in Systems and Combat Design I have experience and enjoy Level Design, Social Design, Generalist 3D Modeling, and Character Animation.

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I'm an adaptable developer with experience working as both an artist and designer and I've yet to find an aspect of game development that I haven't had at least a bit of fun with. I pride myself on my drive and ability to imbue simple game elements with personality. I don't want a door to just open - if we're in an derelict building I want the door to shudder and creak open slowly adding suspense for what lurks beyond; if the door is in an arcade shooter I'd design it to be kicked or thrown open so it never slows the player down in their symphony of battle. 

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I spend my free time working on an armada of diverse personal projects - creating Vtubers for small streamers, coding a co-op survival game, and publishing an RPG system. I also love to read, play tabletop RPGs, and discuss and learn about obscure topics with friends. Lately I've been learning network programming in Unreal and exploring ranked modes in FPS and RTS games to see what lies beyond my comfort zone of casual play. 

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