Shreevallabh Kulkarni

Theory-crafting and Bug Reporting:

Theorycrafting is the mathematical analysis of game mechanics. I like doing theory-crafting while playing any type of game. For example, if I am playing an MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) game, then I sometimes do extensive number crunching and will try to find a way to stack multiple items/buffs/abilities in such a way that it increases my character's damage to an "unintended" potential.

As a theory crafter, I actively participate in the Alpha-Beta stages of games when they are open to the public to play and test. I have played and reported game-breaking bugs in such crucial phases of various games when they were open to public testing, some examples of games - World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth (BETA), Counter Strike: Global Offensive (BETA), DOTA 2 (BETA), Survarium (BETA).

 

 

 

Game Developer Community Involvement:

Whenever I am not working on any projects, I like to surf through and be an active part of different game development communities like WorldofLevelDesign.com, MAPCORE.org etc. Additionally, I am a part of many Discord communities which are dedicated to game development. It feels great to be a part of active groups which are always there whenever we get stuck while writing a code and I also try to help out whenever I can.

 

 

 

Attending events and conferences:  

I take delight in attending seminars and events like Global Game Jam, Train Jam, level design contests, etc. I was fortunate to be selected as one of the five students who were supported by my university to attend the Game Developers Conference in 2018. The most memorable event for me was the Train Jam 2018; it's a game jam, but on a train! A MOVING TRAIN! The train jam happens once a year and it starts one week before GDC. The train starts from Chicago and runs to San Francisco over the period of 3 days and people on the train make games. Believe me, it's extremely hard than it sounds because the beautiful scenery keeps distracting you from your work. It was a truly unique experience. The game I made on the train can be found at the following itch.io link: 

 

 

 

 

 

Guest Lectures:

Soon after completing my under graduation, I was invited to Sinhgad College of Engineering(India) to give a lecture on the subject "Gamification and Game Design". This subject has been newly introduced into the syllabus of final-year engineering students. I gave a lecture that consisted of a wide variety of topics including "Effects of Gamification on Industry", "Elements of Game Design", "Game Design Documentation" etc. I was again invited in Summer 2016 at Sinhgad College of Engineering(India) and Cusrow Wadia Institute of Technology(India) to give a detailed lecture on "Intro to Game Development using Unity Engine". 

 

 

 

Experience as Event Organizer:

Being passionate about playing games, I have volunteered to organize Lan Gaming Competitions in colleges and conducted them successfully. Once I had around 150 total participants in a dueling tournament for the game DOTA 2 and I organized how progression works in the tournament by making ladders/brackets and also prize distribution.

 

 

 

Astronomy and Star Gazing:

I find joy in Astronomical events too. Going out for Star Gazing and observing astronomical objects from afar gives me the feeling that "we are not alone". I was a member of "Astroclub"; a public group made of people enthusiastic about astronomy. We conducted many small events in various parts of the city related to science and astronomy. At some events, I have given presentations to school students to introduce them to the beauty of our universe!