MSc Serious Games & Virtual Reality School of Simulation & Visualisation

John Shields (He/Him)

john_shields

Hi, I’m John from Ireland!

I completed an Honours Bachelor of Science in Software Development from The Galway Institute of Technology. At The Glasgow School of Art, I specialised in a Masters of Science in Serious Games and Virtual Reality. Through my studies, I acquired a passion for the art of film. I have especially taken a keen interest in Visual Effects (VFX) and have showcased this in numerous projects. In the next stage of my life, I hope to delve deeper into the VFX world by making it my career.

I have become well acquainted with Game Development. In turn, this has allowed me to enhance my VFX skills through 3D modelling and visualisation. I really enjoy spending my time developing games as it is the closest link I have to making films for now. I hope you enjoy my projects!

Contact
shields.game.dev@gmail.com
J.Shields1@student.gsa.ac.uk
Digitial Portfolio
Art Station
GitHub
Instagram
Projects
The Celestial Beyonds
Dunkirk Spitfire Re-creation
The Split Bullet
john_shields
The Celestial Beyonds

The Celestial Beyonds Main Title

Burning Spitfire

The Split Bullet

The Split Bullet Main Title

The Celestial Beyonds

The Celestial Beyonds is a Space Hub Exploration and Action Platformer, with a theme and style of Bees! The research and delivery behind the game focuses on AI companionship in Serious Games.

The Celestial Beyonds is the world the game is set in. The Celestial Beyonds (‘The Beyonds’ for short) is set in the distant future, in deep interstellar space and is far, far away from Planet Earth. Throughout The Beyonds, there are scattered remains of humanity and its history. One of these remains is NASA’s Voyager 1 that has a Golden Record on board, which is a key element to the narrative. The Record contains sounds and images selected to portray the life and culture of Earth.

In 1977, NASA sent the Voyager into space. To this day, they still have hope that if extraterrestrial life exists, an alien life will come across The Record and view what it holds.

 

 

The lore behind the creation of The Beyonds is that there are these ‘God-like’ figures called The Celestial Beings. They created The Beyonds and all living things in it. The Celestial Beings are inspired by Gods and Goddesses from Greek, Roman, Norse and Celtic mythology, as well as Kings and Queens from real-world history.

The antagonist of the narrative, Aristaeus, (inspired by the Greek God of bee-keeping) is a Celestial Being who has gone rogue after seeing the planets’ plants and nature wither away and die. Aristaeus was once the leader and founding father of The Apis Rangers (Apis is Latin for bee). The Rangers explore planets and attempt to pollinate their plants. The game’s protagonist, Captain Hume, is a Ranger himself and Moonbeam is his loyal AI companion. The narrative follows the duo on their mission to pollinate planets and save The Beyonds!

The Celestial Beyonds Main Title

Showreel

Captain Hume and Moonbeam

Witty Banter

Best Buds

Best Buds

TRAPPIST-1

Arthurus' Sword

TRAPPIST-1's Monolith

TRAPPIST-1's Monolith

The Celestial Defier

Proxima Centauri b

Proxima Centauri B's Sunset

Captain Hume and Moonbeam on Proxima Centauri B

A Celestial of Steel Helmet

On the road to Shambala

With the Squad

Kepler-186f's Stonehenge

Captain Hume holding the Celestial Defier

Kepler-186f's Dungeon Light Puzzle

Kerpler-186f's Dungeon

NASA's Voyager 1 on Kepler-186f

Moonbeam scans the Golden Record

Turning Skies

Aristaeus Turning the Skies

Back to Earth

Characters

Characters

Enemies

Enemies

Flowers

Anthophila PS-200

Dunkirk Spitfire Re-creation

This project was a VFX re-creation in 3ds Max of the burning spitfire scene from the film, Dunkirk (2017) directed by Christopher Nolan and VFX by DNEG.

Burning Spitfire GIF

Dunkirk Spitfire Re-creation

The Split Bullet

WebGL Story-based game. Joe Ryder, a private eye in the city of New Annwin, finds a split bullet that leads him to an otherworld. The city has been split into two realities. The first, Ryder’s dream, where it is full of colour. The second, Ryder’s nightmare, where his surroundings are in black, white and gold.

The Split Bullet

The Split Bullet Main Title

Rainy Night Gif

Joe Ryder (Model)

Scott and Walton Revolver (Model)

Scott and Walton Revolver (Model)

Main Menu UI

The Statue Of Victory Gif

Statue of Victory (Model)

New Annwin City Base (Model)

New Annwin City Base (Model)

Scott and Walton pistol Testing