I'm Ethan Minnich. I program gameplay and interaction systems in Unreal Engine, and I've led teams, set project scope, and worked with artists, scientists and clients to take ideas to working builds.
Programmer at Horizon Productions · Duke M.Eng. in Game & Interactive Media, graduating May 2027
Four projects, from a one-week mixed reality prototype to a game built by a 17-person team.
A hand-tracked Meta Quest prototype where a full-scale CTD rosette rises through your floor. You prepare it, run a simulated ocean cast, fire a sample bottle at the depth you planned, and explore the temperature profile you collected.
My part: I formed and led a three-person team, narrowed a broad ocean-data challenge to one complete CTD workflow, and built it in Unreal Engine 5.7 with C++ in a week.
A roguelike card battler inspired by War. Each round goes to the higher card: you outplay a deterministic opponent, use modifiers to swing a round, and get three lives per run.
My part: I handled the tech on a three-person jam team, building the gameplay architecture, game-state flow, rules resolution and card interactions.
Best 3D Visual Identity, Triangle Game Jam 2026
A first-person management sim where you, a living human, run a hotel for ghosts: upgrade it over a week and keep a cast of ghoulish guests happy.
My part: As lead programmer and technical lead, I built core management systems and UX flows and guided how the team's work came together in Unreal Engine.
Bronze Medal, International Serious Play Awards 2025
A first-person sci-fi puzzle-platformer about moving through a damaged space station with black holes: place one, ride its pull, and release at the right moment to carry your momentum.
My part: I led marketing and growth, including the website, domain and hosting, and social campaigns, and worked with the lead programmer to improve and test the core physics interactions.
Programmer · since January 2026
I build interactive 3D experiences in Unreal Engine for business clients, and work with them directly on requirements, revisions and delivery dates.
Teaching Assistant, Pratt School of Engineering · since August 2026
I help graduate students learn Unreal Engine, from lighting and materials to physics, UI and player interaction, and give feedback on their projects.
I led development end to end in Unreal Engine, building the interaction systems, UI and menu flow, and level scripting for mission progression.
Watch on YouTube
As lead programmer, I built the core gameplay loops, AI and combat systems, and mission progression in Unreal Engine.
Watch on YouTubeI'm looking for roles in product management, simulation and XR engineering, and solutions engineering.
edm58@duke.edu
Before Duke, I earned a B.A. in Simulation & Game Design at William Peace University.
I work mostly in Unreal Engine with C++ and Blueprints. I also use Unity and C#, Blender, Maya, Substance Painter, Photoshop and Figma, with Git, Perforce and Jira on team projects.
