Who am I?

My name is Safwan Almashnouk. I am a 20-year-old game developer living in Haarlem, in the Netherlands. I have been living here since 2017.

I can confidently call myself a game developer since 2021, when I started my journey at Media College Amsterdam, where I found my passion after searching for so long. My future plans are to get an HBO diploma in game design at the HKU, as my dream is to become a respected Game Designer and, one day, a director.

Why is this my passion?

Ever since I was young, I always loved video games more than playing outside. I always felt so immersed and in wonder when playing on my PSP. I remember how I used to always wonder how games were made and how I loved taking apart different objects at home out of curiosity.

I love game development and design because I love puzzles, I love testing my problem-solving skills, I love creating, and I love sharing ideas and concepts. I want to give people the same feeling I got from playing my favorite games, and I want to one day share all these stories in my head through a game, as I believe games are the most expressive artistic method to communicate ideas and concepts.

Professional identity

I am known as the guy who always tries to learn something new. I always—*and I mean always*—am open to learning new things, to expand my skill set and broaden my view. I have been a lead developer as well as the designer in multiple projects that I have worked on. I've also been called laid back, but can get serious when needed, and I’m right in the middle between introverts and extroverts.

My best social skill, according to my first internship manager, was the fact that I focus on my work and do not let others distract me. And while my team was rather loud, I remained quiet and brought the noise level in the office down, keeping it manageable. When I have something that needs to be done, I sit and work my hardest until it is finished.

Hobbies, likes and dislikes

Being a game developer and future designer, it is no surprise that I play a lot of games. The genre that I love the most has always been Action RPGs. I love creating my own character and having long adventures. Some of my favorite games have been: Bloodborne, Dark Souls 1 to 3, Elden Ring, Baldur's Gate 3, and Home Safety Hotline, as well as Persona 5. I also enjoy racing games; however, I can confidently say that I do not enjoy multiplayer games that much.

I also play DnD and run my own campaign, which two of my games have taken inspiration from (Forsaken Kingdom and Witch&Knight). I am an animal person—I have 4 cats and a bunch of fish—and in my free time, I am trying to get better at digital art.