Mitch Wittenberg

Background

About Mitch Wittenberg

Hello! My name is Frank Mitchell Wittenberg (Mitch), and I am a video game technical designer. The term technical designer can mean a lot of things depending on the studio, and for me it means I am a very hands-on game developer with a wide range of skills and a passion for problem solving. I came into this role as a result of my deep love of learning and wide range of interests. Ever since I took my first video game development class in 2011, I was hooked and knew I needed to learn everything I could about making games. In those early days, design, particularly level design, was my primary focus and strongest skillset, but by the end of my master's program I'd also taken courses in gameplay programming, production and team management, 3D modeling, traditional and digital 2D art, animation, art theory, musical theory, and game optimization. I started my career as a level designer, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time working in that capacity. Level design lends itself well to someone with wide-ranging interests, as a game's levels contain work from every department all working together. In the positions where I worked in a lead capacity, I enjoyed being able to proactively address challenges and work on studio level processes. They were also great opportunities to learn from and mentor the teams I led. Over the course of years working in the industry, my broad knowledge base and analytical nature put me in the position to solve problems that required more technical skills and involved multiple disciplines. This gave me both the opportunity and the desire to shift into the technical designer realm. This shift allowed me to work on a wider variety of tasks and take greater initiative in solving or preventing development challenges. What I love most about working on games is that there is never a dull moment during the development of a game. There are always problems to be solved, and they require a mix of skill, creative thinking, testing, and teamwork to be resolved. I have (unsurprisingly) a wide range of hobbies, including travel, hiking, biking, fencing, history, reading, painting, and of course, games. I play all kinds of games, but the Dark Souls series has to be my favorite. The tough but fair gameplay, the sense of triumph at each victory, the brilliantly interwoven levels, and the excellent use of music will forever inspire me. Some other noteworthy favorites are the Dishonored series, Darkest Dungeon, Baldur's Gate, League of Legends, and 4X strategy games.