✦ Game Designer & Developer

EAN
STOLZER

USC Games Alum · Unity · C#

I design and build games that feel great to play. Two titles shipped on Steam. Comfortable with core mechanics, QA pipelines, level design, and team leadership. Experienced musician and creative writer. Based in Basking Ridge, NJ — available on both coasts and anywhere in the US.

▸ See My Work ✉ Get In Touch
2
Games on Steam
4+
Years in Unity
30+
Max team size
Scroll
Selected Work

Games I've Built

The Unrealtor key art
⬡ Steam ★ AGP Lead
The Unrealtor
Unity · C# · Local Co-op · May 2026 · Homestyle Interactive / USC Games

A couch co-op puzzle adventure where two players explore a surreal house tour spiraling into a shifting maze of impossible architecture. Solve perspective-based visual puzzles by matching split objects across a shared screen.

Built and maintained the full QA pipeline for a multiplayer title — bug tracker, testing plan, and team management
Led a QA team to test co-op scenarios requiring multiple simultaneous players
Embedded with design and engineering to validate puzzle logic and progression consistency
Showcased at USC Games Expo 2026, the largest university-run game showcase in the world
Play on Steam →
⬡ Steam Technical Designer
Donuts!
Unity · Team of ~30 · USC Games

High-energy arcade driving game set in an LA-inspired city. Perform skateboarding-style tricks in a delivery truck to bake goods on the fly, then deliver them to eccentric customers.

Designed and iterated on a 2-minute level loop — densely packed with trick opportunities for continuous player flow
Pivoted away from early grid-based layouts through playtesting to nail the design goals
Contributed to playtesting the vehicle movement controller and environmental set dressing
Play on Steam →
Donuts! key art — delivery truck mid-trick
Donuts! gameplay — grinding a rail in the delivery truck
Donuts! — the 4th Street Donuts shop
Udder Chaos title screen — a barn abducted by an alien tractor beam
♥ itch.io Lead Programmer · Co-Designer
Udder Chaos
Unity · C# · Perforce · Team of 3 · 6 weeks

2D Metroidvania action-platformer. Play as Bessie the cow using milk-based abilities to escape an alien spaceship — built around progressive ability unlocks and environmental puzzle-solving.

Owned the full codebase — player controller, ability framework, enemy AI, and build stability
Co-designed the progression structure so each new ability unlocked both new areas and combat options
Coordinated version control across a 3-person team using Perforce
Play on itch.io →
Doomba title screen — a flaming Roomba in sketched red on black
◈ USC Program Programmer · Co-Designer
Doomba
Unity · C# · Team of 2 · 3–4 months

Tank battle game where you play as a Roomba defending the house from evil intruders. Designed and programmed core gameplay mechanics and level design from scratch.

Programmed the majority of gameplay elements including combat, movement, and enemy behavior
Co-designed level layout and core mechanics over a 3–4 month development cycle
Background

About Me

I'm Ean Stolzer — a recent USC Games grad who makes games that feel good to play.

My focus is QA and core gameplay mechanics: building the systems and processes that keep a game honest. I've worked across roles — designer, programmer, QA lead — and across team sizes from a 3-person indie sprint to a 30-person production pipeline.

I've shipped two games on Steam, led QA on a multiplayer co-op title, and spent four years building in Unity with C#. I also have a minor in programming and a habit of caring deeply about how things feel.

This summer I'm a Coding Coach at The Coder School, teaching game design fundamentals and the Roblox engine to kids. Outside of games I march with the USC Trojan Marching Band — performed at football games, concerts, commercials, and awards shows, and toured internationally in Central Europe. I'm also a lifelong musician and an avid creative writer, which means I think hard about pacing, tone, and what keeps people engaged.

Based in Basking Ridge, NJ — available on both coasts and anywhere in the US.

Skills & Tools

Unity
Unreal Engine 5
C# / C++
Blueprints
Game Design
QA Leadership
Level Design
Perforce / GitHub
Playtesting
Rapid Prototyping
Excel / Google Workspace
Notion / CRM

Experience

2026 Current
Coding Coach — The Coder School
Teaching Roblox game design fundamentals and coding to students
2025–26 AGP
QA Lead — The Unrealtor
Led QA pipeline for shipped Steam title · Homestyle Interactive / USC Games
2022–26
BFA Game Development & Interactive Design (USC Games)
Graduated May 2026 · Minor in Game Programming · #1 ranked collegiate game design program
2023–25
Advisory Assistant — SRL Advisers
Managed client data, generated reports, assisted with presentations for a financial advisory firm
Resume

Full CV

EAN STOLZER
GAME DESIGNER · DEVELOPER · QA LEAD
732-983-1214  ·  eanjs@icloud.com  ·  eanstolzerportfolio.com
2 Games on Steam USC Games Grad '26
Education
University of Southern California (USC)
Graduated May 2026
BFA Game Development & Interactive Design · Minor in Game Programming
Member of USC Trojan Marching Band (Trumpet) — performed at football games, concerts, commercials, and awards shows. Toured nationally and internationally in Central Europe, requiring extensive travel coordination, organization, and time management.
Skills
Engines: Unity, Unreal Engine 5
Languages: C#, C++, Java, Blueprint
Version Control: Perforce, GitHub
Design: GDDs, prototyping, playtesting, level design, grayboxing
QA: Bug tracking, test plans, team management, Notion
Production: Agile/Scrum, burndown charts, vertical slice to release
Business Software: Microsoft Excel, Redtail CRM, Google Workspace, slide deck production
Game Development Experience
The Unrealtor ⬡ Steam
QA Lead · 2025–2026
25+ person USC Advanced Games Project · Unity C# · Puzzle-Action · Homestyle Interactive / USC Games
Built and owned the full QA pipeline — bug tracker, build verification, test plans, and prioritization using Notion and Excel
Managed a small team of testers and coordinated communications between production, design, and engineering using Notion and Jira
Assigned tasks to engineers and ensured puzzle logic and progression behaved predictably across co-op multiplayer scenarios
Showcased at USC Games Expo 2026 — the largest university-run game showcase in the world
Donuts! ⬡ Steam
Designer · 2024–2025
~30 person team · Unity · Perforce · 8-month production · USC Games
Worked under a lead designer in a large-scale 8-month production, receiving tasks and creating prototypes on time and within scope
Helped redesign the level based on usability testing and faculty/student feedback under direction from the lead designer
Contributed to the GDD and overall mechanic design aligned with the game's core experience goals
Used industry-standard Perforce version control throughout the full production pipeline
Doomba
Designer & Programmer · 2024
2-person team · Unity C#
Designed and programmed a mechanically complex tank battle game from vertical slice to spring release
Followed the full production cycle with burndown charts — iterating from alpha through beta based on feedback and usability testing
Co-designed core mechanics, level layout, and enemy behavior with one collaborator over 3–4 months
Udder Chaos ♥ itch.io
Lead Programmer & Co-Designer · 2023
3-person team · Unity C# · Perforce · 6 weeks
Led programming from vertical slice to release candidate — player controller, ability framework, and enemy AI
Co-designed a Metroidvania progression structure where each new ability unlocked both new areas and combat options
Iterated continuously from feedback, updating the GDD throughout the 6-week sprint
Coordinated version control and build stability across a 3-person team using Perforce
Other Experience
Coding Coach — The Coder School
Summer 2026
Game design coach teaching the Roblox engine, game design fundamentals, and core principles; followed lesson plans and ensured no student fell behind
Advisory Assistant — SRL Advisers, Basking Ridge NJ
Summers 2023–2025
Managed client data in Excel and Redtail CRM; generated corporate reports; assisted with slide decks and presentations; managed app store accounts with Apple and Google
Let's Talk

I'm actively looking for full-time roles in game design, technical design, and QA. I work well on small and large teams, ship things, and care about craft. I am also open to occasional project work.

LinkedIn →