Jakub Bala

Hello, I'm Jakub, a 19-year-old currently residing in the UK, though I was originally born in Poland. Currently, I'm pursuing a degree in Computer Science at the University of Sheffield, in which I am in my second year of. I have recently secured a placement at Lockheed Martin as a Software Engineer, which I will be starting next academic year.

I have been passionate about Computer Science since I was first introduced to coding through python in Year 9, and since then I'm always working on some project be it big or small.

In my GCSE's I achieved 11, 7-9 Grades along with an A in Polish

For A-Levels, I got the following results:

In my First Year of University, I got the following results:

The following are languages I have used and my experience* with them. Hover over one (or click on mobile) to learn more about what I have done with each language.

C#

I've been using C# for game development in Unity for about 4 years now, however me and my friends have begun using C# to make our own MonoGame based game engine

JavaScript

This was the language we used in A-Levels, particularly in tandem with p5.js. For my Year 2 project, I made an RTS style game using JS with p5.

Java

I have been learning Java through my University modules. My most successful assignment so far was my Software team project, shown in the next section

Ruby

In Year 1 of University, we had a team assignment to build a course finder website, think Netflix + UCAS. We were taught how to use Ruby with Sinatra for the backend of this.

C++

This summer I started up on LeetCode, and since I have also been meaning to learn C++, I have been solving LeetCode problems using it, as a way to drill in the language basics.

Python

I used Python in my Data Driven Computing module in my second year, particularly to make an AI that would classify chess pieces based off of passed in images of a random piece.

Haskell

I learned Haskell in semester 1 of my second year, and completed an assignment where I had to make a player that would intelligently play Dominoes

React JS

This website was made with React! I have been learning react in order to help me make web apps.

*the progress bars are completely arbitrary, they are rather representative of my confidence in using the language due to my experience with it

In my first semester of Year 2, we were put into teams of 4, made up of pairs of chosen partners. Our task was to read a requirements document from a client, then make a design of the software consisting of an Information Diagram, Database Profile and State Machine Diagram (all in UML). We also made a Use Case Diagram, as we thought it would be helpful in checking our progress and delegating tasks, which it was.

The software we had to make was an in-store digital kiosk system, where customers could come in, log in or register, then make orders and send them to the staff to fulfil. The staff had their own interface where they can see incoming orders, they can create new products, update product records, check-in new stock, etc. Think a system similar to how Argos or Screwfix works in-store.

Here are some screenshots of the finished product. Click on the images to flick through them.

Although I have been interested in Game Development since making games on Scratch in primary school, I got really into Unity after the end of Year 11, when I had started to make my first big game project.

I decided I wanted to make a casual mobile game, fit with all the industry-standard services like in-game purchases etc, however I hugely under-estimated how long this would take me while doing it on the side of A-Levels and University, which was my primary focus.

However, in 2021, I got nominated as a Finalist for the BAFTA Young Game Developer Award for an early version of my game!

Springman

The game is complete and is available for download on Google Play!

Sorry iPhone users

Game Jams

Since starting them in 2021, I have participated in 8 game jam events. These are where you are given between 24-72 hours to create a game from scratch based around a theme that is revealed when the time starts. The below 4 games were our most succesful entries, made by me and my friends, Sam and Julius.

Hover over them to learn more, or click to be taken to where you can play the game.

(Click on mobile for info, click to take to game is disabled for mobile)

Event Horizon

Theme: "Space is Limited"

In this game you are orbiting a black hole, while trying to avoid asteroids. We made this game without using an engine, only C# and MonoGame, which inspired us to start making our own engine!

Made for Ludum Dare 54

Made in: 72 Hours

Placed 730th / ~2200

That Wasn't Wheat

Theme: "Harvest"

In this game your job is to harvest all the wheat in time with your combine harvester, but there are obstacles in your way that you must make sure to avoid

Made for Ludum Dare 52

Made in: 72 Hours

Placed 300th / ~2000

The Despicablest of Sky Pirates

Theme: "Villains"

A 2 player split-screen game where you use your cannon to try to either hit your opponents airship vitals, or destroy their ship enough that they fall off!

Made for Sheffield Uni Jam 2023 (ShefJam 9)

Made in: 42 Hours

Won People's Choice Award

Mortal Compass

Theme: "Delay the Inevitable"

You are a Reaper with a compass that points to mortals in the living realm. You must locate them using your compass, then switch out of the dead realm and harvest their soul to grant you some more time to live. But you must be careful, as the ones you reap come back to haunt you in the dead realm.

Made for Ludum Dare 50

Made in: 72 Hours

Placed 718th / ~2200

Mentoring

I'm also a mentor for Project Pixel, which is a student-led game development endeavour for charity at the University of Sheffield. Since I have experience in game design/development and using the Unity engine, I get called in to help out with various aspects of their ongoing projects.

I even once prepared and gave a lecture on State Based Design, consisting of first explaining the problem that having a single controller script brings, then showcasing how seperating behaviours into States can be beneficial to code robustness, scalability, and readability.

I also demonstrated how you can implement a Finite State Machine in C#/Unity, and also covered theory on more complex machines.

Here is the link to the presentation slides

I have been doing general tutoring since A-Levels where I would lead small one-to-one sessions for free for friends. However, I also won an award from the Math Department of my Sixth Form for being the best math peer mentor.

Now I host online private tutoring for A-Level Maths and Computer Science, and you can view my tutoring page by clicking below

My Superprof Page

I run a small YouTube channel dedicated to game development related videos aimed towards beginners. It's named after mine and my friends partnership, Contraband Software.

Latest Upload:

My YouTube Channel