Cody Watts

WORK EXPERIENCE

Software Engineer II – BioWare Edmonton – February 2010 to Present

  • Designed and developed many of the core gameplay systems for the upcoming AAA role-playing game, Dragon Age: Inquisition. Such systems include the Combat State Machine, the foundation of all combat in DA:I, and the Behavior Decision System, the AI system which drives the behavior of in-game characters.
  • Worked directly with non-technical staff (gameplay designers and graphical artists) to define requirements and technical acceptance criteria for new features.
  • Mentored new hires by providing guidance, along with code and design reviews.
  • Achieved an “above target” rating in my most recent yearly performance review. This rating signifies that I have not only met, but exceeded the expectations set for me in that year.
  • Automated workflows using Python scripts and Windows batch files.
  • Implemented a variety of engine, tools and shader features designed to help programmers and artists recognize, diagnose and correct graphical errors in Dragon Age II.
  • Programmed in C++, C#, Python, HLSL, and ActionScript.

Software Engineering Intern – BioWare Edmonton – May to September, 2008

  • Worked as a user interface programmer on the multiplatform role-playing video game, Dragon Age: Origins.
  • Used Flash, ActionScript and C++ to resolve bugs & implement new features for Dragon Age’s game engine and its in-game GUIs.
  • Was recognized for “exceed[ing the] expectations” of Dragon Age’s lead programmers in an end-of-term performance review.

EDUCATION

Master of Computer Science – University of Calgary – 2007 to 2009

  • Completed graduate coursework with an overall GPA of 4.0 (out of 4.0.)
  • Defended my thesis, titled: “Exploring Interpersonal Touch as a Human-Computer Interface for Video Games.”

Bachelor of Computer Science – University of Calgary – 2002 to 2007

  • Graduated with an overall GPA of 3.93 (out of 4.0) – the highest GPA out of all ninety five computer science students in my graduating class. For this achievement, I was selected to receive the 2007 Department of Computer Science Silver Medallion.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

  • Watts, C., Sharlin, E., and Woytiuk, P. Helping Hands - Designing Video Games with Interpersonal Touch Interaction. In the proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Entertainment Computer (ICEC 2010).
  • Watts, C., Sharlin, E., and Woytiuk, P. Matchmaker: Interpersonal Touch in Gaming. In the proceedings of Edutainment 2009.
  • Watts, C. and Sharlin, E. Photogeist: An Augmented Reality Photography Game. In the proceedings of the 2008 International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology (ACE 2008).
  • Watts, C. and Sharlin, E. Save 'Em: Physical Gameplay Using Augmented Reality Techniques. In the proceedings of the 2007 Conference on Future Play.

SELECTED HONORS & SCHOLARSHIPS

Alberta Ingenuity MSc Student Scholarship – 2007

  • This prestigious and competitive scholarship is given to master’s students who demonstrate a history of outstanding academic achievement and future research potential. In 2007, the acceptance rate was 18% – only 101 scholarships were awarded in the Province of Alberta.

NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship M (CGS M) – 2007

  • This scholarship is awarded to master’s students who demonstrate academic excellence, research potential, and leadership ability. The CGS is awarded only to “top-ranked applicants.”

Department of Computer Science Silver Medallion – 2007

  • This medallion is awarded by the University of Calgary to the computer science graduate with the highest overall GPA in his graduating class.

SELECTED PERSONAL PROGRAMMING PROJECTS

ReviewCloud for Steam (codywatts.com/reviewcloudforsteam)

  • ReviewCloud for Steam is a Greasemonkey script written in JavaScript and jQuery. It can help gamers to make purchasing decisions about games by providing them with an at-a-glance impression of the terms reviewers use to describe a particular game.

Steam Market Shopper (codywatts.com/steammarketshopper)

  • The Steam Market Shopper is a C# application which alerts the user to low-priced items listed on Valve’s Steam Community Market. When a good deal is detected, the Shopper can even purchase the item without involvement from the user.

Matchmaker (codywatts.com/matchmaker)

  • This romantically-themed game for couples harnesses the power of interpersonal touch; when Matchmaker detects that two players are holding hands, it activates the “Power of Love” – boosting the players’ matchmaking abilities!

INTERESTS

I am interested in games of all sorts, whether card games, board games or video games. I enjoy reading (especially works of satire) and I love to go mountain-hiking in the Canadian Rockies during the summer.

I’m a strong believer in the importance of personal-growth. For that reason, I make a conscious effort to be open to new opportunities that come my way and to try things I would not normally do.

REFERENCES

Available upon request.