Finlay Laidlaw

Heldritch Rush

Embedding Games in QR Codes

Sumo Digital Placement (1 year)

Hi, It’s Me, Finlay

My interest in programming and game development began early, first with GameMaker and then with Python and C++ in high school in Edinburgh. This culminated in me entering the Computer Games Technology course at Abertay.

I have made mods, participated in game jams, the Grads in Games Rising Star Programming challenge, and Abertay’s DARE Academy. From 2024 to 25 I worked as a Placement Programmer at Sumo Digital, and from 2025 to 26 I went back to university to finish my degree while working on Heldritch Rush in the background.

Some games that inspire me today are: Outer Wilds, Deltarune, Tunic, and the Half-Life series.

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Skills

Unreal Engine 5

Unreal Engine 5 is the platform with which I have the most experience. I worked with it professionally at Sumo for a year, working on multiplayer networking, UI logic, and gameplay systems. Outside of work, we used it at Abertay to create Braise Satan. During my final year of university, I continued to use Unreal Engine for the development of Heldritch Rush, where I worked on all areas of game programming.

C++

C++ has been my language of choice throughout my programming journey. I started using it in high school and have continued to hone my skills with it through university and my placement.

Soft Skills

I have worked in large and small teams and firmly believe that good games can only be made when there is a spirit of collaboration on the personal, intra- and inter- department level.

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