// ABOUT
// WHO AM I?
I'm Tyler Johnson — I'm a software engineer with a passion for game dev and building things that work. I've been writing code professionally for about 10 years, building everything from indie games in Unity to full-stack web applications. Born and raised in New Mexico, I enjoy learning all I can about new ways of approaching challenging problems and finding solutions! When I'm not sitting at the battlestation, I'm with my family (and our 6 animals), working on house projects and cars, or collecting/playing Magic the Gathering and Pokemon!
// CURRENTLY
Working on game dev projects, experimenting with AI, and creating content on YouTube.
// LANGUAGES
// TOOLS & FRAMEWORKS
// PLATFORMS
// OFF THE CLOCK
// THE JOURNEY
THE SPARK
After playing Legend of Zelda - A Link to the Past, I can remember telling friends and family I wanted to make games and be a programmer.
HELLO, GAME MAKER
The first time that I can recall actually writing some code was back in high school in a class called "Smart Lab" where we got to do fun projects. I believe the project was using Game Maker 5.
HELLO, WORLD
I took my first proper programming class at Central New Mexico Community College (CNM). This was doing Javascript and HTML.
FELL IN LOVE WITH C++
Took my first C++ and C# classes, and where I fell in love with C++!
DEGREE #1, ON TO THE NEXT
I finished CNM with a degree in Programming and Database Design, and then moved to UNM for Computer Engineering.
REDDIT TEAM-UP
My first game dev project with a group from Reddit. The game was Raido, Road to Ragnarok and we went from nothing to a Kickstarter in 4 months. First introduction to Unity.
PLOT TWIST
Swapped from Computer Engineering to Management Information Systems, bought domain for TJ The Programmer
DEGREE #2
Completed UNM and got leads for new job opportunities.
NEW CHAPTER
Moving to web development and re-learning JavaScript!
PLAYER 3 ENTERING
Got married and found out there is a baby on the way!
PLAYER 3 ENTERED
Baby here!
CPP GAME ENGINE STARTED
Changed gears to move game dev projects to my own game engine!
WHAT'S NEXT?
Currently working on all kinds of projects: Subby, Periodic, AI experiments and more!
// WHAT I'M INTO
// GAME DEV
Game dev feels like the one place where creativity really comes to life. I am a huge fan of 2D pixel art games, and I have plans on playing with voxels and giant robots in the future!
// AI & EXPERIMENTS
I have been using AI to build some over-the-top projects to push some new technologies to the limit, as well as build some custom tools for myself to make my life a bit easier. I am still not sure what to think of AI or where it is going quite yet...
// YOUTUBE & CONTENT
I mostly post Dev logs, tutorials for things I find helpful, and I hope to help new devs with the ever-changing tech landscape we are in right now.
// MTG & POKEMON
I have been collecting Pokemon cards since 1999 (started with the Rocket set) and passively collect today. My wife got me playing Magic when we met in 2023, and I have been playing with a Henzie deck.
// CARS & PROJECTS
When I am not working on code, I enjoy working on cars. Currently have a 1989 MR2, 1972 Chevelle (in restoration) and my Great Great Grandfather's 1954 Chevy Bel Air.
// HOW I THINK ABOUT CODE
// LEARN BY BUILDING
I learn best by finding out information and then building projects that use it.
// KEEP IT SIMPLE
The most elegant designs are usually the simplest... Easier said than done!
// EXPERIMENT
I think it is important to play with technology, both new and old, to see what makes the new tech better (or worse).
// STAY CURIOUS
I have always had a love of making things efficient and pushing their limits, and either finding the breaking point or having fun makes the job stay interesting!
// THE BATTLESTATION — "NEPTUNE"
// HARDWARE
- AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (16-core / 32-thread)
- AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT
- 64 GB RAM
- Gigabyte X570 AORUS ULTRA
- 2x 4K monitors (stacked dual 3840x2160)
- 1x 4K monitor (vertical 3840x2160)
// STORAGE
- Sabrent Rocket NVMe 4.0 1TB (boot)
- Sabrent Rocket 4.0 500GB
- Crucial P5 1TB NVMe
- WD 1TB SATA SSD
- Seagate 3TB + 2TB + 8TB HDDs
// SOFTWARE & TOOLS
- Omarchy
- VS Code
- Custom Command Center
// PERIPHERALS
- Cherry MX Board 3.0 S Wired
- Logitech G502
- Speakers: Edirol MA-10A
- Microphone: Blue Yeti Midnight
- Camera: Logitech Brio
// FUN FACTS
Something about NM / Albuquerque: I think Stripes has the best breakfast burrito.
Favorite Video Game: Pokemon Heart Gold
Caffeine of choice: BRCC Tactisquatch for day to day, white Monsters if I need something more!