Joseph Danaher
About Joseph Danaher
Joseph Danaher is a Senior Technical Artist at Wizards of the Coast, where he has worked since 2020. He has extensive experience in game design and technical artistry, having held positions at various companies including King and Z2.
Work at Wizards of the Coast
Joseph Danaher has been serving as a Senior Technical Artist at Wizards of the Coast since 2020. In this role, he focuses on enhancing the visual quality and performance of game assets. His responsibilities include developing mobile-optimized environment and FX shaders, which improve performance on mobile platforms. Danaher previously worked at Wizards of the Coast as a Technical Artist for 11 months in 2019, where he contributed to various projects before transitioning to his current position.
Previous Experience in Game Development
Before joining Wizards of the Coast, Joseph Danaher worked at King as a Senior Technical Artist from 2015 to 2019. His experience also includes a role at Z2 as a Technical Artist and Game Designer from 2010 to 2015. Additionally, he worked at Social Gaming Network as a Level Designer/Game Designer for one year and at Lamplighter Studios as a Technical Artist for another year. This diverse background in game development has equipped him with a broad skill set applicable to various aspects of game design and technical artistry.
Education and Expertise
Joseph Danaher studied Video Game Art and Design at The Art Institute of California - SF from 2005 to 2008. He also attended De Anza College. His educational background laid the foundation for his expertise in mission and event scripting using Lua, as well as writing Unity scripts. Danaher is skilled in creating rigs and character skinning, which ensures realistic character animations in games.
Technical Skills and Contributions
Joseph Danaher possesses strong technical skills that include developing custom tools for Maya and Photoshop, which streamline the art pipeline and improve efficiency. His work in creating mobile-optimized shaders has significantly enhanced the performance of games on mobile platforms. Danaher specializes in mission scripting and has contributed to the development of interactive game environments, showcasing his ability to blend technical artistry with gameplay mechanics.