About Me

Hi, I'm Marco, better known online as Ares9323, a game developer based in Pesaro, Italy. If you spend time on the Epic Developer Community, you've probably run into my nickname in a thread or two: I practically lived there for a while, long enough to earn the "Devotee" badge for 365 consecutive days of logins.

I started out in web development, building websites and front-end applications for years, until I finally turned a long-time dream into my actual job: making games. What pushed me over the edge was the pandemic: working from home gave me both the time and the nudge to chase that old dream and start building a game of my own. That game is still a work in progress, and it will get its own page here when the time is right.

Today I work in Unreal Engine every day, and I design and sell tools and plugins for it on Fab, helping other developers speed up their daily workflow.

Over the years I've worn many hats: lead programmer, tech artist, gameplay and tools programmer. I've collaborated with studios in Italy and abroad on everything from procedural dungeon generation and enemy AI to VR experiences for the Meta Quest, Steamworks integration and virtual production pipelines. The technical side is what I enjoy most: solving the awkward problems and building the tools that make everyone else's job easier.

I also like competing in game jams. I made Upside Drown solo for the Epic MegaJam 2022 (winning the Amazon AWS "Fully Kitted" modifier), and Melon Husk: Mission to Mars for the Nervos BlockJam 2022, which took the first prize of $15,000.

Beyond pure programming I'm a bit of a generalist: 3D modeling, CAD and 3D printing, graphic design, photo and video editing. It comes from a real curiosity about how things are made, and it pays off whenever I put on the "tech artist" hat.

What Inspires Me

My love for games goes back a long way. I grew up on classics like Monkey Island, the original Pokémon games on the Game Boy, Jak and Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, Prince of Persia and God of War.

More recently, the games that left the biggest mark on me are Skyrim, Assassin's Creed, The Talos Principle, Baldur's Gate and The Witness: the kind of worlds and ideas I hope to create myself one day.

A Curious Mind

My background isn't the typical one for a programmer. I studied at an agricultural technical institute, and it shaped the way I think more than I expected: it's where I fell for the scientific method and developed a lasting love for chemistry, physics and logic in general, the same logic I bring to code every day.

I'm also into languages. The two I speak best are English and Romanian, both self-taught by ear while chasing the artists I love: Linkin Park as a teenager, and Irina Rimeș since 2018. I learned French at school, and Spanish came from a few years of dancing salsa and bachata. I once gave Chinese a try out of curiosity, but quit after the first year: seeing how little even the "advanced" third-year students could actually manage, I decided it wasn't worth my time.

Alphabets fascinate me too: I read Cyrillic fairly well, and right now I'm learning the Arabic script.

Beyond the Screen

There's more to me than code. For over ten years I've been a bartender, and it taught me as much as any tech job: how to stay sharp under pressure, keep a dozen things going at once, and never cut corners on quality, so that every drink goes out exactly as it should. I still love the craft and take part in competitions.

I'm also a maker at heart. 3D printing, laser engraving and all kinds of DIY projects keep my hands busy and feed the same curiosity that drives my work.