Sam Harper

Game Development • Software Engineering

Photo of Sam Harper

About Me

Sam Harper at the Cliffs of MoherSam Harper in Kilkenny

I'm a software engineer and game developer studying Computer Science & Engineering at The Ohio State University, with a specialization in Computer Graphics & Game Design. I like turning new and interesting ideas into reality and viewing development holistically, from concept to implementation. I pride myself on keeping a multifaceted approach to development, and blending technical expertise, creative thinking, and attention to detail to create something functional and aesthetically pleasing.

Right now I'm working as a Software Engineering Intern at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center for the summer. Outside of work and school, I play trombone as one of the fourteen members of F-row in The Ohio State University Marching Band, and I spend a lot of time playing games, reading, writing, and playing around with new ideas and technologies.

Education

The Ohio State University — B.S. Computer Science & Engineering, Computer Graphics & Game Design specialization · Expected Spring 2027

Skills & Experience

Click a skill to see where I've used it. Links go to project writeups when available.

Languages
C#
  • Super Mario Bros. 3 Recreation

    CSE 3902 group project in MonoGame — gameplay, collision, and level systems.

  • Temporal Stasis

    Gameplay programming and level design for a 2D puzzle platformer at Game I/O 2026.

  • Dungeon Generator

    Standalone Unity library for procedural dungeon generation.

  • web

    Short 2D game in Unity made for a class project.

  • Peggle-like Physics Demo

    MonoGame exercise implementing a basic Newtonian physics engine.

Java
  • CSE 2221 - Ohio State

    Introduction to software development and design in Java. Covered foundations of software engineering such as object-oriented programming and design patterns, unit testing, and design-by-contract.

  • CSE 2231 - Ohio State

    More in depth course building on CSE 2221. Covered data representation and component design such as arrays, linked lists, and hash tables. Focused on building small projects to demonstrate various data structures and algorithms.

TypeScript
  • Sam Harper Homepage

    Personal site built with Astro, Tailwind CSS, and TypeScript.

  • CCHMC internship

    Built new features, UI, and performed maintenance for a large suite of internal web applications utilizing JavaScript, TypeScript, and React.

JavaScript
  • Teaching - Code Ninjas

    Taught coding lessons in JavaScript to kids, primarily focusing on basic game development.

  • CCHMC internship

    Built new features, UI, and performed maintenance for a large suite of internal web applications utilizing JavaScript, TypeScript, and React.

C
  • CSE 2421 - Ohio State

    Introductory and systems-oriented programming in C. Created a game similar to *Asteroids* to demonstrate low-level programming concepts like memory allocation, pointers, and file I/O.

  • CSE 2431 - Ohio State

    More in depth course building on CSE 2421. Covered operating systems and computer architecture. Learned about process management, memory management, file systems, storage, and multithreading.

Web
React
  • CCHMC internship

    Primary framework for most internal apps I worked with during my internship. Built new features, UI, and performed maintenance for a large suite of internal web applications utilizing React.

  • REST APIs

    Consuming internal APIs with standard HTTP request patterns for data and forms.

Material UI
  • CCHMC internship

    Most commonly used component library for React apps I worked with during my internship. Built new layouts, forms, and data display components.

Angular
  • Inpatient Helper - CCHMC internship

    Spearheaded a full development phase of an Angular project working with designers to create a comfortable user experience on a client-facing chatbot application.

Radix UI
  • Radlauncher - CCHMC internship

    Single-handedly built the frontend for a preexisting .NET application using the Radix UI component library. Used as a pilot project for the Radix UI component library as a part of the team's tech stack for future projects.

Astro
  • Sam Harper Homepage

    Personal site with blog, interests, and projects, all of which have content translated from markdown files using Astro.

  • This portfolio

    Static portfolio built with Astro and deployed at /portfolio. Projects use markdown files to generate content.

Tailwind CSS
  • Radlauncher - CCHMC internship

    Used Tailwind CSS to style frontend for a preexisting .NET application as a pilot project for the team's future use of the library.

  • Sam Harper Homepage

    Used Tailwind CSS to style personal homepage.

Game Dev
Unity
  • Temporal Stasis

    Gameplay programming and level design for a 2D puzzle platformer at Game I/O 2026. Built using Unity 6 and C# in a team of four.

  • Dungeon Generator

    Reusable Unity library for procedural, tile-based dungeon generation. Built around multi-use principles, allowing it to be used in a variety of different projects and genres.

  • web

    Short 2D game in Unity made for a class project in 'Writing in Video Games'. Made as a 24-hour project to demonstrate the unique qualities of interactive media to tell stories.

MonoGame
  • Super Mario Bros. 3 Recreation

    CSE 3902 group project recreating SMB3 in MonoGame and C#. Built in a team of four, we worked to recreate the game as closely as possible while also adding our own unique features.

  • Peggle-like Physics Demo

    2D physics sandbox built to learn Newtonian simulation basics. Implemented a basic from-scratch Newtonian physics engine with collision detection and response.

Workflow
Jest
  • CCHMC internship

    Built and maintained unit and integration tests for various codebases during my internship.

GitHub Actions
  • Site deployment

    CI/CD pipeline that builds the homepage and portfolio and deploys to GitHub Pages.

  • Azure DevOps

    Worked around existing Azure DevOps pipelines, performing YAML edits and config updates.

Agile / Scrum
  • CCHMC internship

    Sprint planning, standups, and task tracking in an Agile team environment. Worked in a four-person "squad" as part of a larger team of developers with a large suite of projects.

  • ServiceNow - CCHMC internship

    Primary task board used for tracking work items across the team.

  • CSE 3902 - Ohio State

    Used Agile methodologies to manage the development of this group project, managing responsibilities and deadlines during the semester-long project.

Languages
Web
Game Dev
Workflow

Projects

A few of my favorite projects I'd like to highlight. For the full list, see my homepage.

Connect with Me