Mia Mohac

Master’s Thesis Project: The Master’s thesis addresses the often-overlooked issue of visual impairments in video game design by examining common visual impairments and proposing tailored combinations of existing game features for improved accessibility. Utilizing a heuristic approach, the research evaluates a Virtual Reality (VR) simulation artifact that depicts various visual impairments, enabling the adjustment of UI elements according to specific impairments. Proposed solutions are discussed with healthcare experts to gain qualitative feedback. By offering customized solutions for each visual impairment, this study aims to enhance accessibility guidelines in video games. The findings are expected to contribute valuable insights for the video game industry, promoting the development of more inclusive and engaging gaming experiences for all players, including those with visual impairments.

Relevant Coursework: “Game Studies”, “Issues in Game Studies: Survival Horror”, “Advanced Topics in Game Research and Game Engineering”, “Representation and Configuration in Games”, “Game Production”, “Practical Game Engineering”.

Key Skills Developed: Virtual Reality (VR) game development, Unity, C++, C#, Time and Project Management, Creative Content Creation, Problem Solving, Research, Accessibility

Extracurricular Activities: Klagenfurt Critical/Coding Game Lab (KCGL) - The KCGL is a junior research hub. I was attending regular game labs, events and other activities, as well as exchanging and advancing the ideas on the development and study of videogames.

Notable project: Group game “Blooming Regards” (https://dehayat.itch.io/blooming-regards) for one of the Practical Game Engineering module. The game was made around the concept of a one-button game.

Dissertation Research Project: This dissertation explores the feasibility of developing a universal algorithmic workflow for creating Physically Based Rendering (PBR) materials that can be applied across various software platforms used by game developers and material artists. Through a literature review and an anonymous online survey targeting game development professionals, the study examines existing PBR workflows and the features of the top three material editing software. The findings reveal that while PBR materials rely on physical and mathematical principles, creating a single algorithmic workflow applicable to all software is not feasible. Instead, the study concludes that PBR material generation involves artistic expression, which varies across platforms. Future research should focus on developing specific workflows tailored to individual software to enhance the creation of realistic PBR materials.

Relevant Coursework: “Programming, Algorithms, and Data Structure”, “Concept Development for Games Design”, “Advanced Games Programming”, “Graphics Programming for Games Development”, “Physics Programming for Games Development”.

Key Skills Developed: Unity, C++, C#, Python, Time and Project Management, Creative Content Creation, Problem Solving, GLSL, Shaders, Autodesk 3DS Max, Virtual Reality (VR).

Extracurricular Activities: Games Society - Attended weekly meetings, shared ideas and discussed game development.

Certifications or Special Programs:

Adobe Certified Associate in Graphic Design & Illustration Using Adobe (May 2021 · Apr 2024)

Adobe Certified Associate in Visual Design Using Adobe Photoshop (Feb 2020 · Feb 2023)

Projects: Developed various game prototype projects focussing on different areas of development based on the module requirements (design, graphics and physics programming, unity game development, VR development etc).