Hello! My name is Matt Surdej and I am a Game Designer. I love creating new and innovative ideas and levels to express these ideas . Games have always been a passion of mine and I love playing all forms of games, from video to traditional, and learning how and why they work. Within the gaming field, my interests lie in level design, narrative, mechanics/system design and the overall user experience. I really enjoy focusing on how the player will act and react, within the levels and systems I create. I also enjoy programming/scripting.
In the summer of 2013, I worked at Arkadium, working on Release The Ninja as a Quality Assurance Intern. Before that, I worked with Lukewarm Media in testing out Primal Carnage. From there, I have went on to work at both Vicarious Visions and Epic Games, working on titles such as Skylanders:Superchargers, Fortnite, and Destiny 2:Warmind. I gained a great deal of skills/knowledge regarding game development, teamwork, and communication from the teams I have worked with and am always excited to see how the fans react to what comes out.
My favorite video game of all time is Paper Mario for the Nintendo64 by Intelligent Systems and Nintendo. It is one of the inspirations that lead me to decide that I wanted to make games. This game enchanted me with its whimsical art direction, memorable story and characters, and unique turn based reaction combat when I was growing up. The combat is turn-based (similar to traditional RPGS), but allows players to increase the damge of their attacks, or block enemy attacks by performing certain actions, such as pressing the A button at the right time, or holding back on the control stick. This makes for a more engaging turn-based combat that rewards the player for doing well and timing their attacks.
My Other Favorite Games: Mass Effect 2, Bioshock, Half-Life 2, Dungeons and Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Fire Emblem, Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Batman: Arkham City, Bastion,
Outside of the gaming field I achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in 2011. This so far has been one of my crowning achievements, the reward for years of dedication, communication, and organization within my community.