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731 followers
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Aims Zhang reposted thisPosting one more time before the big day - if you are at #GDC2025 and want learn some tips on how to run great creative meetings that get the best out of your attendees…. ✨ Check out my talk “Meetings Make Games! Fostering Empathy and Focus in Collaborative Discussion” tomorrow at 2:10pm! plus if you are a nerd about meetings, empowering teams, and psychological safety I’d love to chat after ;) #gamedev #GDC #IGS #indiedev
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Aims Zhang shared thisI am so excited to share that one of the games I've been working on has been announced!!! Virtual Virtual Reality 2 is a darkly funny action adventure game where the player must pilot a mech body through the chaos of a dying metaverse and rescue abandoned avatars in their escape back to meatspace. I was a game designer and artist on this project. My role was multidisciplinary and I got to work on many parts of the game, but what I'm most proud of is leading the design of all the platforming and combat focused levels, creating and balancing enemy encounters over an 8 to 10 hour experience, leading the art and design of all the VVR-style headset levels, and exploring what a VR mech platformer could be. I started at Tender Claws when I was 18 years old. I got to work on the first Virtual Virtual Reality, doing art and design, and to get to work on the sequel was an opportunity I could not miss. What I love most about working at Tender Claws is the team- everyone genuinely cares for the well being of one another and the team culture is supportive, friendly, and accepting. To develop this game remotely during the height of a pandemic was challenging and a learning experience for me, but having amazing and caring teammates made it much easier!! I'm very thankful to have gotten the opportunity to learn and grow so much at Tender Claws over the last four years. I hope people enjoy the very experimental, wacky, genre-bending experience we've made!! Trailer: https://lnkd.in/gk5P76Ga Website: https://lnkd.in/g7FHgH47
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Aims Zhang shared thisAims Zhang shared thisHey folks. Please share our microgrant with anyone trying to break into the gaming industry. https://lnkd.in/drRGuTE
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Aims Zhang shared thisSo stoked to share The Under Presents: Tempest won "Best Narrative Experience" and received two Honorable Mentions for Best Multiplayer Experience and Outstanding Achievement in Design at Raindance! Also, a few weeks ago The Under Presents won "VR Experience of the Year" at the VR Awards! I'm grateful to be apart of the team at Tender Claws and so happy I got to contribute design and art on these projects. It's been almost 3 years working at the studio and I feel so blessed and thankful I get to work on these creative experiences with such creative people. I feel like I've grown so much in that time, both as a designer/artist and as a person, and it's thanks to the opportunities I've been given at Tender Claws.
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Aims Zhang shared thisI'm very excited to share Plasticity is a Games for Change (#G4C) Best Student Game Finalist! The festival is free and happening right now. :) https://lnkd.in/gytXFuW
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Aims Zhang shared thisI am so proud and excited to share that we are launching Tempest. Opening July 9th. Avaliable for Quest and Rift. 🎭 https://lnkd.in/gH6d7Rn I had an absolute blast doing design and art on this project- one of the world's first ticketed, and commercially released, VR theater projects led by remote actors. For a limited theatrical run, join Tempest: a one-of-a-kind immersive theatre experience! Travel through time and space to enact an exciting story of love & revenge - with a little magic, of course! Inspired by Shakespeare’s famed tale, join your intrepid guide Prospero in this intimate, interactive performance. In order to bring Prospero to life, the actor must enlist the help of the audience. The line between real and virtual, and truth and fiction, blur as audience members are "cast" as Prospero's spirits to realize an interactive, virtual version of the story. #oculus #vr
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Aims Zhang shared thisI'm so happy to share that The Under Presents launched a few weeks ago! It's been such a joy to contribute systems design, level design, and art for this multiplayer VR game. I've gotten to learn and grow so much this past year and a half, and it wouldn't have been possible without the amazing team at Tender Claws. Explore a jaunty vaudeville stage featuring different live and recorded acts in a dimension outside time and space, and uncover the harrowing story of The Aickman, a doomed research vessel stranded in time. For a limited time (until 3/29/2020) guests can experience special performances by live actors, so check it out now!! Available on the Oculus Quest: https://lnkd.in/ghSpSzE https://lnkd.in/gANkN5Z‘The Under Presents’ Is A Novel Exploration Of VR And Live Immersive Theatre‘The Under Presents’ Is A Novel Exploration Of VR And Live Immersive Theatre
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Aims Zhang shared thisPlasticity was featured by the LA Times last month, along with a bunch of games I absolutely adore. https://lnkd.in/gtbTYaS
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Aims Zhang liked thisAims Zhang liked thisWorking with trusted partners around the world, it’s always a pleasure when we get to connect in person. We were happy to meet Jason of Colorado PCB Assembly this past weekend at Open Sauce. Colorado PCB Assembly has helped IFM deliver embedded electronics scope with their impressive manufacturing services and robust support. Thanks to their team for being a great domestic resource, and to Open Sauce for continuing to connect makers and creative technologists every year!
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Aims Zhang liked thisAims Zhang liked thisHey gamers! Remember a time when people could read? A time when there were intelligent articles comprised of words written by humans, not AI slop, about the games we love? Gaming websites you could actually enjoy that weren't drowning in vomit-inducing ads? The before times of Click-bait and manufactured controversy to push ad revenues? Skill Up / This Week In Videogames does! This new website is a gift. A love letter to those of us who can remember the good old days. This is absolutely FANTASTIC. |https://lnkd.in/evqhCQyb
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Aims Zhang liked thisAims Zhang liked thisI can’t believe it’s already been 4 years with Lightspeed L.A. 🤯 To all of my wonderful and amazing colleagues, this is, by far, the most talented group of people I’ve had the pleasure of working with. All of you are constantly inspiring me to reach higher today than I did the day before. So thanks to all of you, it truly is an honor. ❤️ And thanks for not running when you see me walking towards your desk with that designer glint in my eye 😂 ✨
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Aims Zhang reacted on thisThank you so much, Andrey!! You've been one of the film's most impactful supporters & constant cheerleaders. We couldn't do any of this without you!Aims Zhang reacted on thisExciting to invest in this incredible team and watch this story come to life. Investing in stellar talent is a variable that transcends healthcare and tech to static art and film. Mary Bronaugh is a generational talent that I'm excited to have latched onto her rocketship :) Stay tuned as this beautiful film comes closer to a theater near you!‘Blue Beetle’s Xolo Maridueña & ‘Matlock’s Leah Lewis To Topline Indie Romance ‘Dog Years’ From Filmmaker Mary Bronaugh‘Blue Beetle’s Xolo Maridueña & ‘Matlock’s Leah Lewis To Topline Indie Romance ‘Dog Years’ From Filmmaker Mary Bronaugh
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Aims Zhang liked thisAims Zhang liked thisThe first boss fight I made for It Takes Two was the Toolbox Boss and it was all made in Unreal Engine Blueprint. I thought making games was only for people who were great at math and knew how to write code, so when I downloaded the engine and started playing around with it in my spare time (I was 31 years old and worked as a janitor at the time), I was very surprised and super excited to realize that I could make gameplay without writing a single line of code. However, during the production of It Takes Two and Split Fiction, the design team at Hazelight has moved more and more towards using Angelscript for our designs (I'll put a link in the comments if you are interested in using it, it's open for all). Using Angelscript has been amazing for us and it creates a really nice bridge between coders and designers, but I'll have to admit, using blueprints will always be close to my heart and I'll most likely keep using it when making my own little side projects in my spare time. So, here's to you, dear Blueprints, and thank you for making me fall in love with making games!
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Aims Zhang reacted on thisToday was my last day working at Lightspeed L.A. - it was so bittersweet to say goodbye to a team filled with such wonderful people and incredible talent, and I am so grateful I got to spend just shy of 4 years cooking up cool stuff 🥰 But for now, I’m off to take some time to rest, travel the world, invest in relationships, and hopefully have many exciting adventures! Im not sure what’s next yet, but I’m excited to take some time to soak up life first 💖 I love games too much to stay away for long, so I’m sure I’ll get up to something 😉 I’m excited to see where life takes me next 💫
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Aims Zhang liked thisAims Zhang liked thisIt's been a while since I've presented at any professional #gameDev events. Still, yesterday I had the great opportunity to give two talks about my work at one of the most important and necessary venues: An Elementary School Career Day for third through sixth graders. Thanks, kids! You were great! Honored to be invited! (P.S. I’m available to present at professional Game Dev venues and conferences too!)
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Aims Zhang reacted on thisAims Zhang reacted on thisMultiple games that I was involved with were announced this Summer Game Fest! Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School with Coin Crew Games & iam8bit Presents: https://lnkd.in/gSQQh5BK Petal Runner with Nano Park and iam8bit Presents: https://lnkd.in/gnmKafAM Dandelion Void with Manzanita Interactive (Advising/Mentoring Only) : https://lnkd.in/gsj9b9W2Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School - Summer Game Fest 2025 Announcement TeaserEscape Academy 2: Back 2 School - Summer Game Fest 2025 Announcement Teaser
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Aims Zhang liked thisAims Zhang liked thisGrateful for everyone who joined us for the Gardens Interactive Teahouse LAN Party this weekend during Summer Game Fest! The team was thrilled to finally share our work-in progress with friends, investors & potential publishing partners. We are absolutely humbled by all of the positive feedback, the demand to try our fully playable demo, and interest in joining our adventure party 🌳 ⚔️ 🌳
Experience
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Education
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Volunteer Experience
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Visual Director
MEGA - Makers of Entertaining Games Association (USC)
- 2 years 10 months
Arts and Culture
Organized and facilitated industry developer talks, community events, open forums, and game jams for a community of 1,300+ game developers, enthusiasts, and alumni.
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Hackathon Mentor
University of Southern California
- 1 month
Education
Assisted the USC president and delegation of trustees at a community outreach event in London. Co-hosted a hackathon and mentored over 30 students from top secondary schools in the UK.
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Festival Juror
IndieCade
- 2 months
Arts and Culture
Reviewed game submissions and provided feedback to developers on entries to help curate the Festival of Independent Games.
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Event Coordinator
The Global Game Jam
- 1 month
Arts and Culture
Registered +300 game jammers, organized liability forms, and coordinated event speakers at the USC Global Game Jam Site. Set up and put together booths, workspaces, flyers, and handed out food for over 45 teams.
Honors & Awards
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IGDA Scholar
International Game Developers Association
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GDC Narrative Summit Gold Winner
Game Developers Conference
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Honor Guard Award
Orange County School of the Arts
Awarded for student leadership and achieving the highest academic honors within the Digital Media Conservatory.
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U.S. Figure Skating Gold Medalist
US Figure Skating Association (USFSA)
The senior test, or “gold” test, is the highest achievement a figure skater can accomplish in any particular discipline. Less than 3% of skaters are at the gold or senior level. This award was received for passing the Senior Moves in the Field test.
I have also passed the Ice Skating Institute (ISI) Freestyle 7 test and Gold Freestyle test.
Languages
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English
Native or bilingual proficiency
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Chinese (Mandarin)
Elementary proficiency
Organizations
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Makers of Entertaining Games Association (MEGA)
Visual Director
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International Game Developers Association
IGDA Scholar
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Recommendations received
3 people have recommended Aims
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