Hi, I'm Brian Avila

Before gaming

I spent years in a psychology research lab working on mobile brain training games when I realized how much I wanted to learn more about programming and the project development cycle. So you can imagine how exciting it was when Babaroga gave me the opportunity to prove myself in a field that many said I had no business in. 

First Shot

I was fortunate in that my first assignment was working on a VR brain trauma therapy game because I had just spent 4+ years in a research lab working on sensory training games so I felt at ease in some ways. In other ways I didn't, I had never touched Unreal Engine 4 and didn't know where to begin. Nevertheless, I learned what was necessary and met all my deadlines and created not only a VR minigame but a menu system that was utilized throughout the entire game.

First major product

After about 4 months the small project was completed and I was ecstatic to learn that I was getting assigned to work on a major game that was going to be released on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox, and the Nintendo Switch. I assumed I would be getting smaller assignments because of my sudden introduction to the Unreal game engine, but 3 years later I had developed nearly all of the UI in the game and I was lucky to work with many artists the turned my grey boxes into a beautiful artwork. I was thrown into the deep end with all my work and with helping hands here and there I managed to tackled all the problems that came my way. 

Goal:

Convert the inhibition cognitive tasks into a game that would be fun to play while maintaining the values of the original task.

This study was aimed at improving a persons willpower based on the idea that a persons willpower was limited per day and could be strengthened/increased by training.

Responsibilities: (Design & Develop)

As a co-designer and the original lead programmer I utilized various methods to convey the importance of specific designs to stakeholders. Methods such as user stories, wireframes, user flows, workflows, A/B testing, observational research, interviews, and surveys. As a programmer I then created high fidelity prototypes of the various tasks in order to properly understand the game play mechanics.

Results:

After my first iteration proved successful and highlighted the fun aspects while maintaining the value of the cognitive task a second version was created. Its current updated version is available in the Apple App Store

Tools:

C# through the use of the Unity Game Engine which was then deployed onto iOS for use on ipads and iphones

Goal:

This game was aimed at improving memory by means of N-back, Span, and Multi-Object tracking tasks.

Responsibilities: (Research Associate - participant recruitment, data collection, day-to-day tasks)

I ran studies with over 50 participants per quarter on this game alone (Ages 18-late 20s in one group and a separate elderly group). With similar numbers on the original cognitive assessment this game was compared to. This included but was not limited to participant recruitment, pre and post assessments, data collection, scheduling, and payments.

Results:

Current studies are still underway, but the game is available on the Apple App Store.

Tools:

C# through the use of the Unity Game Engine which was then deployed onto iOS for use on ipads and iphones