heya!
I'm a Sydney-based independent game developer with recent experience in accessible game design research. I'm also a passionate musician skilled in sound design, music production, and audio engineering. This hand-crafted webzone highlights games and other cool things I've made!
Last year, I put out my first commercially-released game on Steam!
I've recently completed my Master's thesis at the UTS Games Studio researching accessible design for mainstream games. I'm about to have my first academic publication in the field!
In 2023 I completed my Bachelor of Science at UTS, from which I graduated with distinction. See my Bachelor's academic record here.
Games
i'm passionate about game design and a confident programmer.
i've been making games in unity since 2014 and coding since before then.
in 2025 i released my first solo game on steam!
quantum loop
Quantum Loop was my first commercially-released game, published on Steam in November 2025, and it's one of my proudest achievements. Leading up to release I was given the opportunity to showcase at PAX Aus, SXSW Sydney, and Steam Next Fest! I made Quantum Loop almost entirely solo, using a custom engine based on the PyGame framework for Python.
It's a non-linear adventure game in a time loop, all about problem-solving by exploiting your knowledge of the world. With no quest log or specific directions, there's a big emphasis on player choice and freedom. Objectives can be completed in a multitude of ways that aren't explicitly stated.
I started Quantum Loop in January 2024 as a passion project, and after over a year and a half of development shipped to Steam on 26 November 2025. I made almost everything; a couple of my talented friends helped with the promotional art and about half of the soundtrack. I ran regular playtests across development, and put to use everything I've learnt about iterative design as the game concept gradually morphed from a simple space-sim into the unique time loop gameplay it has today.
Releasing Quantum Loop was one of the most incredible experiences I've ever had. I learnt so much about managing large-scale game projects and getting a game ready to ship, and I'm immensely proud of how it turned out.
Python PyGame Git Trello Game Design Playtesting Self-Publishing Steamworks
moar games!
Here are some other game projects I've worked on!
Gambit
Gambit is a medieval-themed isometric turn-based strategy game, and won the People's Choice Award at the Autumn 2022 UTS Games Showcase. The game was initially developed as a university project by a team of 6, in which I primarily worked on gameplay code, UI design, and audio including related back-end systems. We went on to use the game as a case-study for commercialisation prospects, during which we made UX improvements and prototyped a mobile version.
Heavy Metal
In Heavy Metal, you wield a giant sword that you swing using the mouse or right joystick. It's a wave-based arcade fighter with imaginative enemy designs and three abilities to collect, that can be linked together to create new combat approaches. Developed during uni, this game taught me about iterative prototyping and playtesting to generate innovative game design and 'find the fun'. Heavy Metal was featured in the Autumn 2021 UTS Games Showcase.
other projects
Pirate & Dragon UE5 Animation
A comedy Unreal Engine 5 animation where a pirate and a dragon go to the big city to deposit some treasure! Made at uni with 2 other talented students. Uses real-time animation techniques in Unreal Engine 5, with kit-bashed stock assets collected from the Unreal Marketplace and Adobe Mixamo.
Remote Object System
A system I designed for Unity projects to communicate with Raspberry Pi devices over a local network. I created a simple protocol to network a host device to many child devices. I primarily experimented with audio, making external physical devices play sounds remotely to reflect gameplay. I also implemented interfacing with GPIO, allowing you to control LEDs and other basic electronics. The goal was to allow developers to cheaply and easily use off-the-shelf electronics to create a novel physical representation of their games for presentations and showcases.
The documentation is pretty rock-solid and I break down all the systems at play pretty thoroughly. From completing this project, I learnt a lot about networking and problem-solving through iterative development. There's a a rough demo video available here.
Quack
Online multiplayer FPS demonstrating a networked game with runtime procedural generation made in Unreal Engine. Features a procedurally generated arena with randomised weapons.
accessibility
My research
For my master's research, I looked into practical accessibility considerations included in mainstream gaming. I performed an analysis of games currently on the market to determine which features are commonly included, and where there are gaps. I also investigated the technical back-end implementation of accessibility configuration features.
After recently getting my first paper acceptance, I will soon have an academic publication in the game accessibility field!
My thesis has been submitted and should be publicly available soon!
Game accessibility advice
I'm open for freelance work giving accessible game design advice and consulting. From examining a demo of your game, I can give practical advice on various categories, including subtitles, controls, colour blindness considerations, visual clarity, and more. My research in the field has given me a deep understanding of the basic needs of accessibility and surrounding guidelines, and I can quickly identify standard features that are missing and areas of your game requiring adjustment.
My experience as an independent developer gives me unique first-hand insights into the practical difficulties and scope creep that can be involved with including effective accessibility. I can take into account your project's state and suggest the best steps your team can take to make your game playable by as many people as possible.
My number one suggestion is always to get people involved in your game who have the needs you want to ensure you cater for, either through playtesting or directly in the design process. This is a reliable method to improve your accessibility and is recommended by academic sources. I can find basic issues and give your team direction, but in most cases cannot give a personal perspective, and will therefore always recommend playtesting to solve these issues more deeply.
I'll be posting more about my learnings from accessibility work on previous projects soon, along with findings from my research!
If you're interested in getting me involved with your project, shoot me an email!
audio
i'm a music producer, sound designer, and audio engineer, and play guitar and synths.
as well as game audio, i'm experienced with audio production including mixing and mastering.
i'm available for soundtrack work, and for general audio production needs! get in touch!
apryl
In my current main music project, Apryl, I explore atmospheric synth pads and melodies that I combine with frantic rhythms. I also love doing more ambient and spacey tracks, and integrate guitar into it.
The debut album was released in December 2023 after years of work. After a long wait, the latest single, Jog, came out in 2025, with more coming soon. Tracks are released on streaming services and Bandcamp.
I've also been creating sets to perform Apryl tracks in a live context.
Links to download and stream below!
Other Music Stuff
I occasionally publish synth jams, guitar cover, and other music content on my YouTube channel.
Prior to Apryl starting up I released music as Delcan, creating primarily melodic progressive house music and occasionally publishing DJ mixes. I still DJ as a hobby and every now and then post mixes on my SoundCloud.
Music is a big passion of mine, and I'll likely have tons more music projects going on into the future! My YouTube linked below is the main place I post about music stuff.
Game audio
My audio background often aligns with my game development projects! Quantum Loop uses a custom game engine, and required me to write my own systems for juggling audio channels to get a clean, crackle-free output without sounds muting each other, and in a way that was elegant to develop with. Gambit's Unity audio mixing system was made by me, and taught me about how to effectively use ducking and compression on a game with many audio sources. Through Remote Audio System, I learnt how to create low-latency audio when sending messages over a local network, and explored the usage of audio in immersive experiences.
I have ample experience in sound selection and sample manipulation; for my own games I often hunt down sounds with appropriate usage rights online, and then use my audio production skills to layer and process them into something that fits just right. In Quantum Loop and many smaller games, I designed my own electronic sounds using both software and hardware synthesisers and processing techniques. Although I don't have as much experience, I'm very interested in audio recording and microphone techniques, and hope to explore this area more in future.
Audio engineering
I am available now for personal mixing and mastering projects! My style tends towards an organic, clean sound, aiming for clarity without sounding over-processed. The best example of how my mixing and mastering sounds is in my own music project, Apryl, and I'll be posting more tracks I've mixed here soon. I'm also experienced with independent music publishing and understand first-hand the importance of maintaining the artist's vision.
If you're interested in getting me involved with your project, get in touch!
Get in touchcontact me
email me: declancarveth at gmail.com.
music bookings: aprylprobably at gmail.com
© declan carveth 2026.