This week I am also analyzing 3 of gamer designer portfolios so that I can improve my portfolio and present my work using industry practice at the end of the NHS project.
Jay van Hutten's Portfolio:
This portfolio is simple and effective, there is a video which shows game play of the video which gives any visitors to the website an impression of the game. This is then matches with a description of the game, breaking down the design including the inspiration and design decisions. It also shows the direct contributions such as designing 20 puzzle and level decoration which is good as it gives anyone looking at the portfolio an accurate look at his skill level.
This would work well for my portfolio piece I produce for the NHS project, I will take the layout of this portfolio but include more information regarding design and responsibilities.
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David Shaver's Portfolio:
This portfolio is very detailed for one the Levels from Titanfall 2 that David Shaver did. It breaks down a lot of the information about the level including design goals, scripting and story. I like that he breaks down everything that he did on the project as it allows you to get a good idea of his contribution to level and therefore gauge his skill level accurately. The only issue I have with with portfolio is that it is not very well displayed, it has a lot of bullet points which can make it harder to pick out info. From this portfolio I would take the sort information he has put such as design goals and specific contributions would display it better in more seperated paragraphs which also give more detail.
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Micheal Levealls Game Design Portfolio
This portfolio is has both a trailer at the beginning of the page and screens shots in the middle where he writes about different features and design decisions. This allows users to get an instant impression of the game as they can watch the trailer before reading about it. The screenshots work well as they help illustrate his points about the mechanics he is most proud about. The portfolio also details the skills he learned from the project including project planning and voice coaching a voice actor. This is a good feature which I will include in my portfolio as it shows users your ability to learn and the new skills you got from certain projects. Game awardds are also shown which is very good as it shows that he can make award winning games and therefore become more appealing to future employers. The only downside to this portfolio is that you have to scroll down to see all the information about the game and that the text size fairly small which can make it hard to read.
The main lessons that I take from analyzing these three portfolios are to make the layout nice with information next to screen shots and gameplay footage, make sure to breakdown your contributions clearly, include design decisions to give impression of your workflow, dont make it too wordy and include any awards or reviews of the game.