About

Hi, I'm Patrick!

Right now I'm a "Developer Relations Engineer" on the Android games team over at Google. This means that I sit somewhere in the middle of the big web of various projects, all of which have something to do with Android and game development. Sometimes this means making scalable content, usually around big events like the Game Developer's Conference or Google I/O. Other times this means I'm meeting virtually or on-site with individual games partners. Sometimes I'm writing and shipping code, sometimes samples, and sometimes I'm building the dashboard that everybody needs but no one can quite figure out how to glue together. It's really fun, ask me all about it over on Mastodon as pux0r3@mastodon.gamedev.place.

Previously I worked on Firebase as a "Developer Advocate" (later renamed to "Developer Relations Engineer"). Again I was laser-focused on games, owning all of the Unity and C++ SDKs. You can still find many of my videos around. This is a lot like my Android role except more focused on scaled outreach and less on 1:1 interactions.

What fun would working at Google be without actually working on games. I've worked a little on Google's official Santa Tracker, was the lead programmer on Bingo Blast for awhile, and worked a fair bit on Mecha Hamster. Google isn't really a games company, but I find the fun when and where I can.

Of course, some fo the most fun I've had has been at Sphero. There I got to work on augmented reality projects (even winning an "Auggie!"), robot toys, music, graphics, embedded programming, hardware, and even server stuff. I had my hand in some part of every Sphero product from the second Sphero to RVR before finally leaving. I also helped start the EDU program, which is now Sphero's bread and butter. By the time I left, I was on an embedded prototyping team working on things I still hope will one day see the light of day!

My career all started at Venan Entertainment (although the Wikipedia page may be more up to date). I got in on the ground floor of some of the first iOS games including Space Miner. This is where I learned iOS and Android game dev, and it will always hold a special place in my heart.

We're not our career though, and my hobbies and interests vary. Right now, I'm developing a love of folk instruments learning the hurdy gurdy, Irish flute, pennywhistle, and mountain dulcimer. I also keep my electronics hobbies alive building customized keyboards and mice (my current favorites are the Elora keyboard and Ploopy's "Adept" mouse). I'm also in full-time dad-mode finding fun projects at the intersection of technology, art, and games to work on with my kiddo.