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Meet Ming Zhang

Sr Software Engineer Team Lead at Serato
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About Ming

About Ming

Mentor of Game Programming

With over 6 years of experience in the game industry, Ming has worked for Ubisoft, Activision, and Gameloft. He has also applied his programming skills in a wide range of areas including protein folding simulation, cryptography, computer vision, and music production.

Ming had a passion for game development since he was young and later discovered that he was also keen to share his knowledge about game development with others. He has made game development tutorials using Flash, GameMaker, Unity, and Unreal Engine. Currently, his interest lies in Godot Engine.

  

Ming's games

Credits include Tom Clancy's EndWar, Call of Duty Online, and My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

Ton Clancy's EndWar
Call of Duty Online
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Q&A with Ming

Which city are you currently based in?

Auckland, New Zealand

What did your pathway into the industry look like?

As a game programmer, I don’t have a degree of Computer Science or something like that. I majored in physics and my research was about how to simulate the protein folding process.

When I wondered whether it was possible to choose game programming as my future career, a thought came to me: game development is about the simulation of real life things, which is exactly what I was doing. And that thought inspired me to get into Ubisoft Shanghai.

What has been the best experience of your career so far?
I think the best part of working as a game developer is you are always surrounded by people who love games!
What’s your advice for students?

You may get frustrated from time to time in the process of game development. That’s totally normal. Just hang in there. All the hard work you put in it will pay you back some day.

Learn game development from industry pros 

Game Design Essentials

Game Design Essentials

3 months - Beginner

Find out what makes an addicting game, exploring game mechanics and systems, genres, level design and world building. Expect a mix of theory, paper design, concepting and hands-on practice.
Game Programming Essentials

Game Programming Essentials

3 months - Beginner

Ideal for beginners, you’ll start with the fundamentals, learning the basic syntax of C++. Gain and understanding of key programming concepts used in development, and create a simple game from scratch.
<b><br>Game Design</br></b>Bachelor of Game Development


Game Design
Bachelor of Game Development

24 months - Beginner to Advanced

Learn to plan, develop, and implement immersive and interactive games. Using industry software and practices, build the techniques and knowledge that will help you succeed in the video game industry.
<b> <br>Game Programming</br></b>Bachelor of Game Development


Game Programming
Bachelor of Game Development

24 months - Beginner to Advanced

Learn to program game systems using industry workflows and techniques. Guided by game dev experts, you'll create a playable game while building essential interpersonal skills and industry knowledge.
Game Design Foundations

Game Design Foundations

9 months - Beginner to Intermediate

Go from beginner to intermediate as you learn to deconstruct games, tackle design problems, create great user experiences, write design documents, and develop a game pitch. Finish with a playable game!
Game Programming Foundations

Game Programming Foundations

9 months - Beginner to Intermediate

Develop excellent game programming foundations in this comprehensive course. Using C++, learn to build fun 2D and 3D levels with fully interactive animated characters. Finish with a playable game.
What do you enjoy most about being a CG Spectrum mentor?
Helping others make games is as fun as making games myself, and both the mentor and the student can learn from this.
How do you stay creative outside of work?
I will try to learn something about how to be a game artist or a game designer. That can help you, as a game programmer, communicate more effectively with other team members, especially since that is something you don’t do in your main job. So you won’t feel any pressure, just fun.
What excites you most about the future of games?
As VR is becoming increasingly popular now, the next generation of games might bring more interesting challenges to game programming.

Your mentor is ready, are you?

New intakes at the beginning of the month, every month. Enquire today to secure your seat.
Get in touch
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