Mike Acton runs CellPerformance.com and is the Engine Director at Insomniac Games. (macton@gmail.com)
Greater San Diego Area
- Current
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- Engine Director at Insomniac Games
- Past
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- Sr. Architect at Highmoon Studios
- Lead FX Programmer at Sammy Studios
- Lead Programmer at FINE
- Engine Programmer at Yukes co, ltd.
- Technical Director / Engine Programmer at VBlank, inc.
- Lead Programmer / Engine Programmer at Bluesky Software
- Lead Programmer / Engine Programmer at Sony Interactive Studios America
- Recommended
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1 person has recommended Mike - Connections
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connections
- Industry
- Computer Games
- Websites
Mike Acton’s Summary
I am a programmer who cares about performance. I understand that all the software we write must eventually sit on top of a real hardware platform and push real content and real experiences out to real people.
I am a programmer who appreciates the needs of the content creators. I understand that what I write is only a conduit between the artists, designers and the users.
I am a programmer who wants to give back to the community. I understand that I could not have done my job well without relying on the work of others and I have a duty to try my best to return the favor.
Mike Acton’s Experience
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Engine Director
Insomniac Games
(Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Computer Games industry)
January 2007 — Present (1 year 5 months)
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Sr. Architect
Highmoon Studios
(Computer Games industry)
May 2005 — November 2006 (1 year 7 months)
Discovering the secrets of the Cell BE processor and the Playstation 3.
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Lead FX Programmer
Sammy Studios
(Computer Games industry)
April 2004 — March 2005 (1 year)
Worked closely with the FX art staff to create custom tools, realtime editing and previewing on the target platform and some very cool special effects.
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Lead Programmer
FINE
(Public Company; Computer Games industry)
June 2003 — January 2004 (8 months)
Worked on the LIME PS2 title. Developed all tools including art converters and a unique scripting language. Developed all console code including graphics engine, scripting engine, streaming engine and game code. Developed the title from start to gold master in record time.
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Engine Programmer
Yukes co, ltd.
(Computer Games industry)
January 2002 — June 2003 (1 year 6 months)
Worked on developing a new PS2 graphics engine.
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Technical Director / Engine Programmer
VBlank, inc.
(Computer Games industry)
March 2000 — January 2002 (1 year 11 months)
Mostly engine programming, plus designed the toolset and formats and co-developed the tools.
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Lead Programmer / Engine Programmer
Bluesky Software
(Computer Games industry)
January 1999 — March 2000 (1 year 3 months)
I wrote and completed the PSX engine (arbitrary portals, no convexity design restrictions, using arbitrary geometry and all the pipeline tools (lightwave for geometry, image converters, etc)
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Lead Programmer / Engine Programmer
Sony Interactive Studios America
(Public Company; Computer Games industry)
1996 — June 1998 (2 years)
Involved in every aspect of the development. Including character animation engine, camera logic, AI and virtual control systems, tools, etc.
Additional Information
Mike Acton’s Websites:
Mike Acton’s Groups:
ACM SIGGRAPH, IGDA (International Game Developers Association), AIAS (Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences)
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Forbes.com Personal Technology Forum member -
Game Developers member
