Rob began his journey in video games by trying to combine his love of music, sound, and games as a freelance sound designer. After completing one contract, Rob realized his passion for development extended beyond audio, and entered SMU’s prestigious Guildhall program as a level designer. After graduation, Rob worked on such titles as Bioshock Infinite, Batman: Arkham Origins, and Prey 2, all during his five years at Human Head Studios. His personal favorite title, however, was 2011’s cult hit Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon (during Rob’s time at Vicious Cycle Studios). After working for three years in Silicon Valley for 21st Century Fox and Disney at Cold Iron Studios, Rob was appointed to the faculty of Purdue University in 2019. He is now a Professor of Practice in the Computer Graphics Technology department, teaching game design, level design, and game audio. He also taught at Madison Media Institute in Madison, Wisconsin from 2013-2016.
In 2022 and 2023 Rob authored two books: A Career In The Video Game Industry (eAcademicBooks) and Game Design Essentials (Kendall Hunt). He led student teams to develop Virtual Lab software for Mechanical Engineering classes and a Korean language and culture adventure game called Stranger. The beta version of Stranger was finished in October of 2023. This project was developed as part of a collaboration with the School of Languages and Cultures.
Titles:
Stranger (TBD, PC/Steam/Itch.IO)
Aliens: Fireteam Elite (August 2021, PS4/5, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, Steam)
Protostar (March 2016, Samsung S7 Demo, Unreal Engine Tech Demo)
Lost Within (April 2015, iOS, FireOS)
Batman: Arkham Origins (October 2013, Wiiu, Xbox, PS3, PC)
Bioshock Infinite (March 2013, Xbox, PS3, PC)
Prey 2 (Human Head Studios, TBA 2013)
Ben Ten Galactic Racing (Monkey Bar Games, Oct. 2011).
PS3, X360, Wii, DS, 3DS
Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon (Vicious Cycle, July 2011).
X360, PS3
Despicable Me: The Game (Monkey Bar Games, July 2010).
Wii, PSP, PS2
https://meettheprof.com/view/professors/entry/rob-howard/
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