Why study Physics for Games?

I made the decision to pursue a degree in Physics and Games & Interactive Environments because I’ve always been fascinated by the logic and problem-solving side of games. For me, the fun isn’t just playing the game, it’s also figuring out how things work behind the scene. My physics education has given me a firm analytical head and math skills, but I've always been drawn to the interactive puzzle of programming, especially when I can break down a problem into individual steps and reassemble it from scratch into something that is responsive to the player.

When I first began to study for my degree, I had thought that I would love design or storytelling most, since games are such a powerful medium for expression. But the more I became involved in creating projects, I discovered my greatest passion to be systems and mechanics. I love observing how rules play off one another, how code can influence player choice, and how enemies can adapt in response to the actions of the player. While narrative or art was not for me, I've found my niche at back-end programming and hope to become a gameplay or systems programmer in the long run.

My experience with different genres has grown my knowledge in coding with Unity and C# through my studies and projects. I've created a semi-world exploration game, a 2.5D educational game, and currently working on an idle garden game that sits on the bottom screen. Both gave me the chance to learn mechanics, resource balancing, and player interaction from a different perspective. As these projects have covered core mechanics of most games, I'm most interested in building up my usage of artificial intelligence and how enemies should react towards the player’s choice. That's where my IGB400 project comes in to fill the gap.

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The Job I Am Most Suited For

Professionally, I desire to do gameplay, backend and physics/math-based programming work within the industry. Gameplay programmers are charged with taking design ideas and making them concrete mechanics: weapons that are a pleasure to wield, enemies that are tough but not unfair, and systems that are still enjoyable after dozens of hours of play.

These coders are anticipated by studios to be proficient with engines like Unity or Unreal, steady in languages like C# or C++, and proficient in mathematical thinking and teamwork. They are also expected to understand player psychology, such that mechanics are used to encourage diverse playstyles and increase interest.

This resonates with me because it needs problem-solving skills, technical skill, and creativity. It also speaks to my own love of adaptive-strategy games — the likes of Doom, Halo, and Elden Ring, where the player can't simply ride through using one weapon or one strategy, but must change continuously in order to maintain pace with adaptive enemy patterns.

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The Industry Context

As far as the local industry here in Queensland is concerned, there are prospects and challenges. According to the Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (IGEA) reports, Australia's games development sector grew in 2023 by 21%, with revenue levels reaching historic highs and government support helping small studios to thrive. However, most Queensland-based studios are independent or mid-sized businesses with little room to hire juniors. It is for this reason that graduates need to prove not only technical skills but also flexibility and adaptability.  

Trends that shape the global and local industry confirm where I would like to put my efforts:

• Adaptable AI and system-based design are more common, with studios utilising state machines, behaviour trees, and procedural systems to drive replay ability.

• Hybrid combat mechanics (mixing melee and ranged) are at the core of successful games, yet balancing them remains an elusive design and programming challenge.

• Optimisation and efficiency are to be valued, particularly within the indie market in which games must be compatible across many platforms on limited budgets.

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Skills I Need to Develop

While I've built a solid foundation in Unity, C#, and problem-solving, I acknowledge that I need to build on those areas:

1. Artificial Intelligence Programming – My previous projects used simple scripted behaviours. I'd like to implement more sophisticated AI that responds dynamically to the player, using systems like finite state machines or utility-based AI.

2. Balancing Combat System – I'd like to improve at designing mechanics where melee and ranged weapons are equally effective, encouraging players to adapt rather than one dominating strategy.

3. Performance and Optimisation – I haven't had much practice profiling or optimizing performance-critical code. This is crucial for pro projects.

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My Proposed Project

My IGB400 project will be a first-person 3D fighter in Unity. The user will possess three weapons, a bow, sword, and shield and fight against one main AI boss, which will spawn other enemies to counter the player.

The most important innovation is that the AI will adapt according to the player's choice of weapon. When the player overuses the bow, the enemies will counter with shields or their own range capabilities. When the sword is overused, faster or more dodgy enemies will spawn. The shield will excel at defence, but enemies will learn to push players into attacking rather than turtling.

This system will disallow players from being able to "spam" any single weapon, encouraging varied strategy and replay value. The game will be quick and action-packed, borrowing from classics like Doom but overlaying it with modern AI responsiveness.

This project directly targets the skills I need to learn:

• AI Programming – Programming enemies that respond dynamically to player action will push me to develop more advanced decision-making systems than I have yet tried.

• Fight Balancing – Practice three different weapons repeatedly will teach me balancing for fairness and fun, an important ability to make gameplay programming work.

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Expected Deliverables

By the end of the semester, I wish to deliver:

1. Playable Prototype – A fine-tuned first-person combat experience with three distinct weapons and adaptive AI.

2. AI System Documentation – A write-up of the enemy decision-making system, showing my technical flow and iterations.

3. Combat Balancing Framework – Notes and log of testing weapon interactions, demonstrating my learning of playtesting and iteration.

4. Reflection Report – A review of what I have learnt, what skills I still need, and how I will cover them in the future.

Overall, this project delivery should help with further increases my chance in this industry as it will show the versatility of my coding background and my design process.

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Conclusion

I enrolled in this degree drawn to the challenge of coding, and from my experience I have established a more refined career goal of working as a gameplay programmer. I am aware that the Queensland market is competitive and has a tendency to work in small flexible teams, so I need to be able to bring both technical ability and adaptability.

By making a 3D first-person fighter with adaptive AI, I will be focusing on my biggest areas of improvement in AI and combat balancing. Not only does this project make me a better developer, but it also shows future employers that I can make entertaining systems based on industry trends.

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References

• Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (IGEA). (2023). Australian game development industry revenue: AUD $345.5 million in FY2023 (Australian Game Developer Survey).GamesHubPocket Gamer

• Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (IGEA). (2024, December 19). Australian video game development industry stays steady, generating AUD $339.1 million for the economy (AGDS Snapshot).IGEA

• Wright, L. (2025, August 10). Tax relief and Carmen Sandiego: Australia's once-dismissed video game industry is experiencing a significant revival (The Guardian).The Guardian

• Moldstud. (2024, [approx. last year]). What are the key skills and experience required for a Unity game developer to be successful.MoldStud

• Lamwork. (2025, April 9). Gameplay Programmer Skills, Experience, and Job Requirements.lamwork.com

• ScreenSkills. (n.d.). Gameplay programmer in the games industry: role, responsibilities, and collaboration.ScreenSkills

• Into Games. (n.d.). Gameplay Programmer | Role & Requirements.Into Games

• Jobicy. (n.d.). Unity Game Developer Career Path, Skills & Advice 2025.Jobicy

• The Knowledge Academy. (2025, last month). Essential Unity Developer Skills and Techniques.The Knowledge Academy

• Wikipedia. (2025). Video games in Australia.Wikipedia