Dmitry Shibanov

The Education Paradox

My path in GameDev didn't start at a specialized university, but despite the circumstances. Upon entering college, I quickly realized that the curriculum wasn't bringing me closer to my dream, so I took responsibility into my own hands.

I studied programming right during classes, sitting in the back row with my phone, and turned theory into practice at home. This persistence led to a unique paradox: while still a college student, I got a job at a company affiliated with the region's leading technical university. I developed complex 3D simulators for higher education students — people who were formally a step above me. This experience taught me the most important lesson: a diploma doesn't matter, only skills and real results do.

Self-Made Approach (The Method)

I believe the best teacher is curiosity backed by a system.

• Knowledge Systematization: To effectively absorb gigabytes of video courses, I wrote my own site generator that structures materials and helps track progress.
• Fundamental Base: My mentors were not only dozens of completed courses but also classic books ("Clean Code", "CLR via C#", "Game Programming Patterns"...) which shaped my architectural thinking.
• T-Shaped Development: I never limited myself to one role: if a game needed a shader, I learned HLSL; if it needed marketing, I mastered ASO.

From Coder to Architect

This approach allowed me to make a quantum leap in my career: in just 9 months at Playgendary, I grew from a Unity Developer to a Technical Owner on AAA projects. I learned to see the big picture and build ecosystems (like in my studio, Grindset Studios) that turn development chaos into a predictable quality pipeline.

Today, I genuinely enjoy my craft. Whether it's rendering optimization or creating "juicy" gameplay, I do it with the same passion with which I once secretly studied my first code in the back row.