Meet Neelam Jani!

Neelam “Nee” Jani is a talented 3D artist with a bubbly personality and a passion for all things gaming. She’s helping us create a variety of cute, cool, and crazy props to fill the world of Pigeon Simulator.

We bribed Nee with some Taco Bell and plushie pigeons to give us a short interview….

So, how did you get into GameDev?

I grew up playing games with my older sister on the PlayStation 1. We would play things like Metal Gear Solid, Tomb Raider, and a lot of Spyro and Crash Bandicoot! We never really got to buy a lot of games outside of those, so we would load up those old demo discs full of so many demos to play! It was exciting and I truly miss those days. [cry emoji face] Since then, Final Fantasy has become one of my favorite franchises. I’ve played a lot of FF7, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15!

I didn’t get into game development until high school when I joined a local gaming club and learned of the game Journey, which showed me that games don’t have to be all about mechanics and solving stuff. They can simply be an experience that takes you out of reality. It really inspired me down this path.

At first, I took my parent’s advice and started working towards a degree in Computer Science–but I was horrible at coding! Before long I transferred to DePaul University to pursue an art degree instead. There I met so many like-minded people who inspired and motivated me to get into the gaming industry!

I started participating in a ton of game jams, dev meetups and more! I also learned that I really enjoyed 3D modeling, rigging and animating! During my senior year, I ended up working 3 jobs: assisting at the college game lab, interning at a small animation studio, and working at my first graduate position at GamerJibe! I even created a game with my boyfriend and launched it on Steam called Murder at Midnight!

After that crazy journey, I joined a company called Funomena. Unfortunately, they shut down in April 2022–but then I discovered HakJak and jumped on the opportunity to work on such a crazy project!

Well, gee Nee… that’s a lot!

What do you love most about games, or what you do?

I think what I love most about games is the love that gets put into them by the devs. It really makes my heart grow to see projects bloom! And for me, it’s always exciting to see my models, rigs, etc. moving around in the game. I’ll never forget the first time I saw my work come to life in a game–it’s the most fulfilling feeling a person can have!

What are your favorite hobbies?

Hmm, some of my favorite hobbies include: crocheting, playing and collecting instruments, baking and cooking. Recently I’ve been getting into gardening, collecting plushies, weird earrings… and tattoos!

What are some Fun Neelam Facts?

Let’s see…

I have synesthesia.

I have had 13… maybe 14 root canals.

I am obsessed with my Mini Cooper. His name is Peabody!

Oh and I’m also obsessed with my Mini Schnauzer, Mochi!

I love doing funky eyeshadows.

Annnnd I used to carry the PS1 Crash Bandicoot 2 booklet from the game disc holder in my pocket pretty much my entire childhood! [laugh emoji]

Neelam in a Nutshell