About

I’m Russ Treadwell, a self-taught programmer and the studio head at GhostJam Games. Over the past decade I’ve specialized in Unreal Engine, multiplayer architecture, and high-performance back-end infrastructure - shipping everything from rapid gameplay prototypes to deep engine customizations.

At GhostJam Games I direct business development and high-level technical strategy while staying hands-on with code architecture and implementation. You can spot my fingerprints on titles like No More Room in Hell 2 and VAIL VR.

Whether I’m prototyping a new mechanic at 2 a.m. or scaling backend services for thousands of concurrent players, my drive comes from a deep love of technology, games, and the people who create them.

How I got here

I started writing code in early 2010 so I could make mods for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The code was bad and the mods were really cheats, but that’s how I learned to program.

I picked up my first contract work on Unreal Engine games in 2018. In August 2020 I quit my day job in golf course maintenance to do it full-time. Outside of my own studio, the games I’ve spent the most time on are VAIL VR at AEXLAB and No More Room in Hell 2, which I worked on for more than three years, first at Lever Games and then at Torn Banner Studios after it acquired Lever.

I started GhostJam Games in April 2022 as a place to make my own things. Our biggest game so far is Backseat Drivers, whose demo was one of the 20 most played at Steam Next Fest in June 2025.

Outside of work

I’m married with two kids. Some of what I write here is about them: why they read and write every day, and how we cut back on screens in a house where my wife and I both work from home.

I travel when I can: New Zealand in 2022, and Maui for our honeymoon in 2024. What I’m focused on at the moment is on the Now page.

This site

I’ve been writing here on and off since 2015. There are weekly updates that are rarely weekly, technical posts that are mostly about Unreal Engine, and more recently posts about running a small studio, the games industry, and parenting. All of it is under Posts.

trdwll is Treadwell with the vowels removed. It has been my alias for years, so that’s the name you’ll find me under almost everywhere else.

Get in touch

Email me at russ@trdwll.com, or book a time below.