GDA063 - Recruiters Talk Hiring, Job Strategies, Plan B, Call of Duty, Networking, ATSs, The Industry Layoff Trend, Resume Tips, and LinkedIn’s Value with Keith Plesha of Krafton
In this episode, I spoke with Keith Plesha, Sr. Recruiter with Krafton Americas who offers valuable insights from his recruiting career. He emphasizes the significance of networking, continuous learning, and staying on top of industry trends for career success. Topics such as interpersonal skills, mentorship, and the impact of remote work on hiring are also discussed.
The conversation transitions into challenges faced by current (and aspiring) game developers, including layoffs and the effects of mergers and acquisitions. Keith expresses interest in the decision-making processes behind job cuts and the metrics driving those. Additionally, we discuss the surge in gaming during the pandemic and its implications for industry growth and adaptation.
We then get into topics around previous overhiring, shifts in user acquisition strategy due to Apple privacy changes, and the repercussions of job cuts. The importance of proactive career management, financial readiness, using ArtStation, and maintaining an updated LinkedIn profile is also stressed. Hear some personal stories, playtesting mishaps, and favorite games, along with the importance of resilience and adaptability in this changing field.
In conclusion, we talk more about the importance of financial preparedness, career flexibility, and proactive networking. He advocates for staying informed about industry developments, possessing a versatile skill set, and being open to temporary alternative career paths in this current industry climate.
Bio:
As a Recruiter with nearly 20 years of experience, Keith Plesha has spent the last decade focused on the games industry. He’s currently serving as a Sr. Recruiter with Krafton Americas, supporting corporate roles in publishing as well as multiple studios including Striking Distance Studios, Unknown Worlds, and PUBG Madison. Prior to this role, Keith spent 7 years with Activision and Meta, and loves leveraging his experience to identify top talent and help shape the future of the gaming industry.
Show Links:
* M+DEV - website
* GrackleHQ - website
* ArtStation - website
* Amir’s 14 Games Jobs Resources - website
* Meta Lays Off More Than 11,000 - CNBC website
* What’s Going On With All Of These Game Industry Layoffs - Polygon website
* Richard King - LinkedIn
* The Psychology of Money - Amazon
Connect With Links:
* Keith Plesha - LinkedIn
* KRAFTON, Inc. - website
Game Dev Advice Links:
* YouTube - check out this episode with 100% more video
* Patreon - 1:1 career coaching through the Gain Wisdom membership
* website - show notes, links, stuff
* info@gamedevadvice.com - reach out!
* Game Dev Advice hotline: (224) 484-7733
* Level Ex Jobs - Current openings for advancing the practice of medicine through play
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GDA062 - Working on Jedi Starfighter, Portfolios, DirectX’s Mission, Embracing AI, the Neuroscience of Play, Empathy, the Industry’s Next Growth Market, and Helping Ukraine with Founder and CEO Sam Glassenberg of Level Ex
In this episode, I spoke with Sam Glassenberg, Founder and CEO of Level Ex, as we dive into subjects encompassing the gaming industry, technology, and healthcare. Sam recounts his unexpected journey into gaming, beginning as an animator at LucasArts and eventually helping lead Microsoft’s DirectX Graphics team. We then transition to discussing the critical importance of having a portfolio for job seekers, the interesting challenges of working in Tech Art, the foundational value of solid engineering principles, and the innovative ways Level Ex pushes Unity3D beyond its limits.
Our conversation also touches on the essential qualities of empathy, adaptability, and curiosity in the gaming industry. Sam fondly recalls working on his two favorite projects, Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter and Gastro Ex. We also explore the role of generative AI in skill enhancement, the unique challenges of movie-based games, and the exciting yet still maturing potential of AR/VR/XR technologies. Sam then shares an amusing story from a medical conference and emphasizes the need for improved medical training, along with his interest in casual and hyper-casual mobile games.
As the episode nears its end, Sam provides insights from his recent trip to Kiev where Level Ex is helping assist the Ukrainian armed forces in medical training and his experiences presenting at NATO. He sheds light on the neuroscience behind game design and identifies professional video games as a burgeoning opportunity within the industry. We conclude with Sam encouraging game developers to embrace AI and where to find him online for further discussions and collaboration.
Bio:
Sam Glassenberg is the CEO and Founder of Level Ex - the world's first medical video game company. Sam leads a team of veteran game developers and designers who are establishing a new genre of medical games: pushing the limits of game design, physics, and rendering to capture the most terrifying challenges of medicine. Offering the only games certified to provide AMA Category 1 Continuing Medical Education credit, Level Ex's games are played by over a million medical professionals. 20 out of the top 40 medical device and pharmaceutical companies use Level Ex game technology to train and sell their products. Level Ex's games are used by leading medical societies - and NASA - to disseminate the latest guidelines and techniques for topics ranging from COVID to Space Health. Through their work, Level Ex is rapidly establishing 'play' as a fundamental force accelerating adoption in medicine.
Show Links:
* DirectX - Wikipedia
* FarBridge - website
* ArtStation - website
* SIGGRAPH 2019 Real-Time Live! - YouTube
* Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter - Wikipedia
* Gastro Ex - website
* ChatGPT - website
Connect With Links:
* Sam Glassenberg - LinkedIn
* Sam Glassenberg - blog
* Sam Glassenberg - X/Twitter
* Level Ex - website
* Level Ex - YouTube
Game Dev Advice Links:
* YouTube - check out this episode with 100% more video
* Patreon - 1:1 career coaching through the Gain Wisdom membership
* website - show notes, links, stuff
* info@gamedevadvice.com - reach out!
* Game Dev Advice hotline: (224) 484-7733
* Level Ex Jobs - Current openings for advancing the practice of medicine through play
* Subscribe and go to the website for full show notes with links
* X/Twitter - not really using it to be honest
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GDA061 - Starting Bungie, UEFN, Teamwork, Making Halo, AI Concerns, Portfolios, UGC, Game Industry Optimism, Diversity, Building EQ, and the Fourth Curtain Podcast with founder and CEO Alex Seropian of Look North World
I welcome Alex Seropian, founder and CEO of Look North World on this episode kicking off the 5th (wow, 5th) year of the podcast. Hear as Alex shares insights about his current role, including hosting The Fourth Curtain podcast and his new studio, Look North World. Learn about the growing significance of user-generated content (UGC) in the gaming industry and the potential for UGC to become a major part of the industry in the coming years. Alex also reflects on his journey in the game industry, from his early exposure to video games to the founding of Bungie after college and working on games like Marathon and Halo.
We then get into his curiosity about the future of the game industry, particularly in relation to the impact of technology, such as AI and virtual reality. He also raises concerns about job stability and diversity within our industry, emphasizing the importance of building a diverse workforce. Alex then shares his excitement about the Steam Deck hardware and highlights his ongoing passion for gaming.
In closing, Alex offers a piece of advice for those working in the industry, expressing optimism about the future of the game industry, and the role of entertainment in people's lives. We acknowledge the fluctuations and challenges within the industry but maintain a positive outlook for its future.
Bio:
Alex Seropian is an entrepreneur and video game developer who has been creating video games for more than 30 years. He is currently the founder and CEO of Look North World, a developer of games & entertainment for creator communities. Alex started in the video game industry by founding Bungie (Halo, Marathon, Myth). He is also the founder of Wideload Games and Industrial Toys. Alex has held executive positions at Microsoft, Disney, and Electronics Arts. Along with starting companies, he is the host of The Fourth Curtain Podcast, a mentor and advisor to numerous startups, and serves as a board advisor to the Tumo Center in Armenia.
Show Links:
* The Fourth Curtain Podcast - website
* UGC - GamesBeat
* Bungie - Wikipedia
* UEFN Game Engine - website
* Steam Deck - Steam website
Connect With Links:
* Alex Seropian - LinkedIn
* Look North World - website
* Alex Seropian - X/Twitter
Game Dev Advice Links:
* YouTube - check out this episode with 100% more video
* Patreon - 1:1 career coaching through the Gain Wisdom membership
* website - show notes, links, stuff
* X/Twitter - pretty dormant
* info@gamedevadvice.com - reach out!
* Game Dev Advice hotline: (224) 484-7733
* Level Ex website - Careers page for advancing the practice of medicine through play
* Subscribe and go to the website for full show notes with links
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GDA060 - From Improv to the Game Industry, Charting Your Path, Being Flexible, Consolidation Concerns, Working with Clients, Future Tech, the M+DEV Conference, and Taking Care of Yourself with Jennifer Javornick of Filament Games
I welcome Jennifer Javornick, the Chief Partnerships Officer at Filament Games on this 60th episode. Learn about her current role, the company’s connection with UW Madison, and how she transitioned from a traditional IT role into the game industry. Hear about being in improv comedy, learning to be less formal, and how the industry embraces being yourself. We then share advice about starting out, having content to show, testing, and being able to hit the ground running.
Hear about the intricacies of doing client work, opportunities to work in marketing, and the importance of being flexible in this industry. We then get into teamwork, communication skills, and one of her favorite projects, iCivics.org. Learn about industry consolidation concerns, questions about the future, supporting VR/AR/MR, and hype cycles.
Our discussion then pivots to a funny story about Minecraft, the NY Times Spelling Bee, and spending time away from games outside of work. As we wrap up, hear about some unusual projects she’s worked on for dairy farmers and pediatric MRIs to help kids, taking care of yourself, keeping your skills current, and the upcoming M+DEV 2023 conference in Madison, WI.
Bio:
Jennifer Javornik is a video game executive who specializes in partnerships, business development, revenue growth, and entrepreneurship. She is currently the Chief Partnerships Officer for Filament Games, a video game studio that specializes in digital games, simulations, VR and AR experiences for positive impact. She is also a founding member and former Executive Director of the Wisconsin Games Alliance and currently serves on the Unity Global Education Board.
Show Links:
* What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy - Amazon
* iCivics.org - website
* Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard - The Verge
* Magic Leap - website
* M+DEV 2023: Nov. 10, 2023 - website
Connect With Links:
* Jennifer Javornick - LinkedIn
* Filament Games - website
Game Dev Advice Links:
* Patreon - please support the the show if you find it useful or interesting so new episodes can keep coming out
* website
* email: info@gamedevadvice.com
* Game Dev Advice hotline: (224) 484-7733
* Level Ex Careers website
* Subscribe and go to the website for full show notes with links
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GDA059 - Video Games Cause Violence Fallacy, Find Your Why, Indie Development, Mental Health Crisis, Neuroplasticity, Forgiveness Matters, VR Deep Dive, Creator Keys, Robotics and More with Ryan Douglas of DeepWell DTx, NeuFluent / Founder, Nextern
I welcome Ryan Douglas, the Co-Founder at DeepWell DTx, NeuFluent / Founder, Nextern to this episode. Learn how DeepWell DTx is working to meld medical professionals, scientists, and game developers to create mental health digital therapeutics through play and neuroscience.
Hear about the power of gaming to improve mental health, citing games like Tetris and Animal Crossing that have shown mental health benefits. Ryan then shares the value of creating experiences that make players feel better without consciously realizing it, along with potential negative effects around boundary conditions in medicine
We then get into the meteoric rise of the game industry, how it’s still immature at times, and the need for individuals to understand their motivations to be successful. Ryan then shares about the importance of building a culture centered on individual passions and shared purpose, how “crunch” isn’t unique to the industry, and work/life balance challenges.
Hear about Ryan’s diverse career journey, the mental health emergency, F2P issues, digital therapeutics, flow states, the problem with gamification, and finding the overlap between game mechanics and treatment mechanisms. We then go into his 5 Creator Keys, EQ, finding people you trust, social media, regulation, AI, and both the power and over-hype of VR and AR.
As we wrap up, we hear an unusual story about his career, life changes, excitement around their upcoming game, video game violence fallacy, working with the FDA, improving mental health, medicinal media, sharing on LinkedIn, finding your why, avoiding toxicity, and listening to your gut.
Bio:
Ryan Douglas is a renowned expert and innovator in mental health, artificial intelligence, and surgical robotics with nearly 20 years of experience. Ryan is the co-founder of DeepWell DTx, a video game publisher and developer focused on creating medically therapeutic games with compelling gameplay. He has commercialized over 20 medical devices, including treatments for depression, hypertension, breast cancer survivors, women's health, chronic pain, and neurological conditions. Additionally, Ryan holds pivotal patents in medical AI and robotics and has achieved FDA clearance for breakthrough therapies.
Show Links:
* Simon Sinek - Find Your Why YouTube
* Animal Crossing and Mental Health The Gamer
* da Vinci Surgical System website
* Pistol Whip Oculus
* 1941: Counter Attack Wikipedia
Connect With Links:
* Ryan Douglas LinkedIn
* DeepWell DTx website
* DeepWell DTx Twitter
Game Dev Advice Links:
* Patreon - please support the the show if you find it useful
* website
* email: info@gamedevadvice.com
* Game Dev Advice hotline: (224) 484-7733
* Level Ex Careers website
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GDA058 - How to Successfully Pitch to Publishers, Learning to Script, the Importance of Sound Design, Chance Encounters, Doing Great Work, Being Calm, FMOD and More with Jeff Linville of Ritual Studios
I welcome Jeff Linville, the Co-Founder and Sound Designer at Ritual Studios to this episode. We discuss topics like sound design, pitching your game to publishers, and the future of AR and VR. Jeff shares about the importance of your personal network, learning how to script and work in-engine, and maintaining a healthy mindset with the ups and downs of the industry.
We then go into the importance of sound design, highlighting the transformative power of sound that enhances player experiences. Hear about the challenges faced by sound designers, such as time constraints and file size limitations, plus having content cut.
Jeff shares why he’s bullish on VR and thoughts around AR possibly replacing smartphones through spatial computing. We then get into the concerns about AI's impact on game development and copyright issues, along with ideas around the benefits.
Hear how the team pivoted their game pitch to get better results by focusing on bite-sized call-to-action prompts, plus using gifs and game audio to create the game experience. Learn the importance for sound designers to be able to work in-engine and script, plus having an engineer connection to help implement ideas and tech.
Jeff and I then talk about the importance of seizing opportunities, networking with peers, and maintaining a positive attitude through setbacks. We then wrap up discussing chance encounters, the abundance of good people in the industry, and the power of doing great work.
Bio:
Jeff Linville is Co-Founder of Ritual Studios, a Chicago based indie studio working on their first title, Fretless: The Wrath of Riffson. Jeff has been in the game industry for over 6 years as a Sound Designer and Composer working on various titles, including Fretless and Cardio Ex.
Show Links:
* Fretless: The Wrath of Riffson Reveal Trailer YouTube
* Cardio Ex Game Soundtrack on Spotify
* FMOD website
* Apple’s Vision Pro spatial computing Apple website
* Guild Wars 2 website
* Alien: Isolation App Store
* The 2023 Hollywood Strike for Dummies Vulture
Connect With Links:
* Fretless: The Wrath of Riffson Steam page
* Ritual Studios Twitter
* Jeff Linville Twitter
* Jeff Linville YouTube
* Playdigious home page
* Playdigious TikTok
Game Dev Advice Links:
* Game Dev Advice Patreon - please support this work if you find it useful
* Game Dev Advice Twitter
* Game Dev Advice email: info@gamedevadvice.com
* Game Dev Advice website
* Level Ex Careers - we’re hiring for lots of roles!
* Game Dev Advice hotline: (224) 484-7733
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GDA057 - The Job Episode - Resume Strategies, Applying For Positions, Portfolios and Websites, Interviewing Tips, and Much More with John Podlasek
I put this information together for a presentation at DePaul University in Chicago recently. The audience found it helpful, plus listener Chris Hardin thought it’d make a great episode. So I made some tweaks and recorded - it solo as a short episode :)
While it’s intended for folks looking to get their first job there are different ideas and strategies that should be helpful if you’re already working in the industry. I cover strategies around resumes, applying for jobs, doing due diligence, interviewing strategies, following up afterwards, the importance of your portfolio/website, and other areas.
It’s not meant to be extensive, but tips and ideas to help in your game development journey. (Plus if you’d like to go deeper my Gain Wisdom Patreon level has monthly private coaching included.)
Bio:
John Podlasek is the Director of Talent Acquisition at Level Ex, bringing over 30 years of experience in the video game & technology sectors. He is known for recruiting top game development talent and has played key Production roles in successful game franchises such as Mortal Kombat and Marvel Avengers Initiative. With a deep background in team organization and growth, John’s worked at companies like Midway Games, Disney, Zynga, Viacom, and others, plus is the host of the popular Game Dev Advice podcast with a global following.
Resources:
* Joe Hobbs Game Development Advice Contact List, also follow him on Twitter: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/e/2PACX-1vRYveFAl_GuvBo0iuy3EvgPm0fWAGci-Z8e5CZ6hoYz9n8gcoK4dgE0RML-x0pWqRNjGqte-V7phtqB/pubhtml
* GrackleHQ: www.gracklehq.com
* GameDevMap: www.gamedevmap.com
* Game Developer (formerly Gamasutra): https://www.gamedeveloper.com/
* GDC YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UC0JB7TSe49lg56u6qH8y_MQ
* Unity blog: https://blog.unity.com/
* Unreal Engine blog: https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/feed/blog
* 80lv: https://80.lv/
* Designer Notes: http://www.designer-notes.com/
* GameIndustry.biz: http://gamesindustry.biz
* Game Industry News: https://www.gameindustry.com/
* Breaking the Wheel - Producers: https://www.breakingthewheel.com/
* VentureBeat’s GameBeat: https://venturebeat.com/category/games/
* YouTube Why Level Ex? https://youtu.be/GsWoygM_r3Q
* My interview about the TurboGrafx 16-bit gaming days and other things: https://youtu.be/U4BP-3GX2kc
* My YouTube presentation Careers Beyond Traditional Game Development mentioned earlier: https://youtu.be/ib_MegZm5-4
Game Dev Advice Links:
* Game Dev Advice Patreon - please support this work if you find it useful
* Game Dev Advice Twitter
* Game Dev Advice email: info@gamedevadvice.com
* Game Dev Advice website
* Level Ex Careers - we’re hiring for lots of roles!
* Game Dev Advice hotline: (224) 484-7733
* Subscribe and go to the website for full show notes with links
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GDA056 - Starting Your Own Studio, BioShock Infinite, Anti-Crunch Culture, Learning Patience, Rendering and Graphics, ChatGPT, and Shifting Business Models with Steve Anichini of Disbelief
I welcome Steve Anichini, the CTO and Co-founder of Disbelief to this episode. We start off discussing programming at a young age, taking a job after college, and then deciding to pursue a game development career with his first job at Jellyvision. Hear about working at Midway Games and Irrational Games and then starting Disbelief after layoffs. Learn advice about developing patience with yourself, others, project timelines, and not freaking out over deadlines.
Steve then shares ideas for getting a first job, including the importance of debugging skills and learning more languages and game engines. We then discuss advancing as a programmer, including the importance of communication skills.
Hear about some of his favorite projects, including Borderlands 3 and BioShock Infinite. We then dive into rendering and graphics technology, including real-time ray tracing and Unreal Five's Nanite. Hear about the threat and opportunity he sees in the industry, along with benefits and numerous concerns around AI.
Steve then shares a funny story about a John Woo’s Stranglehold press event, some games he’s playing, the company's journey towards an anti-crunch culture, along with strategies for not getting into bad situations. At the end he shares advice about never being too late to strike out on your own, giving yourself enough runway, and getting in touch with him online.
Bio:
Steve Anichini has worked on many titles throughout his 24 year career, including Borderlands 3's PS5/XSX ports, Gears 5, BioShock Infinite, and John Woo Presents Stranglehold. He worked on tools and systems used in Blitz: The League, Psi-ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy, and Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. At Disbelief, Steve focuses on systems and graphics programming, training, recruiting, and company strategy
Connect With Links:
* Disbelief website
* Disbelief Career Page website
* info@disbelief.com email
* @solidangle@mastodon.gamedev.place Mastodon
* Solid Angle blog
Show Links:
* Debugging: The 9 Indispensable Rules for Finding Even the Most Elusive Software and Hardware Problems Goodreads
* Google Technical Writing Courses website
* Nanite Virtualized Geometry in Unreal website
* Lumen Global Illumination and Reflections in Unreal website
* Midway’s 2007 Game Event in Vegas website
* Pentiment Xbox
Game Dev Advice Links:
* Game Dev Advice Patreon - please support this work if you find it useful
* Game Dev Advice Twitter
* Game Dev Advice email: info@gamedevadvice.com
* Game Dev Advice website
* Level Ex Careers - we’re hiring for lots of roles!
* Game Dev Advice hotline: (224) 484-7733
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GDA055 - The Pinball Episode with Roger Sharpe from PINBALL: The Man Who Saved the Game
I welcome Roger Sharpe, President and CEO of Sharpe Communications, and the star of the new movie - PINBALL: The Man Who Saved the Game. Hear about his marketing agency and how the idea to turn his story into a movie started back in 2020. We then discuss how pinball used to be illegal in New York City, discovering pinball in college, working at GQ, being challenged to write a book, and testifying at City Hall it was a game of skill, not a game of chance.
Learn about life choices, working in advertising, how others got their start in pinball, plus ideas how you could get into the industry now. Hear about home enthusiasts being a huge boost, going international, and thousands of events, tournaments, and leagues happening every year.
We then dive into some of his favorite games and projects, including the ones he designed, along with his licensing work on Elvira, NBA Jam, Mortal Kombat, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Terminator 2, Arctic Thunder, and other games. Learn about the growth of barcades, the explosion of the industry, the difference to video games, and cooperative play. Hear about his concern on the recent pricing of pinballs, not going too hardcore on the game design, and thoughts on licensing.
Towards the end he shares a great story about Gary Stern, the legendary Harry Williams, his pinball book, and some current games he’s playing or interested in. Learn about websites you can check out, the March 17th, 2023 release date, the irony of making pinballs in Chicago but not being legal years ago, and how this little indie movie is winning awards (go check it out).
Bio:
Roger Sharpe’s demonstration of pinball as a skill-based game overturned New York City’s thirty-five-year ban on pinball machines in 1976. His story, now a film, “PINBALL: The Man Who Saved the Game” came out March 17th, 2023. Roger is also the former Director of Marketing and Licensing at Williams Bally/Midway, a pinball historian, a player, and former pinball designer at Stern, Williams, and Game Plan.
Show Links:
* Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game website
* Apple TV Movie link (U.S.)
* YouTube Movies and TV link (U.S.)
* Moving Picture Institute website
* Vertical Entertainment website
* Stern Pinball website
* Jersey Jack Pinball website
* IFPA website
* Midwest Gaming Classic website
* Texas Pinball Festival website
* Scorebit website
* James Bond 007 website
* Bally Midway Wikipedia
Game Dev Advice Links:
* Game Dev Advice Patreon - please help support the show if you find it useful
* Game Dev Advice Twitter
* Game Dev Advice email: info@gamedevadvice.com
* Game Dev Advice website
* Level Ex Careers - we’re hiring for lots of roles!
* Game Dev Advice hotline: (224) 484-7733
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GDA054 - Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable, The Last of Us, ChatGPT, Uncanny Valley, Pizza Is Pizza, Compassionate Leadership, Halo 2 Double Team, No Jerks Policy, Document the Results, and Being Unflappable with Ray McCaffrey of Steel Wool Studios
I welcome Ray McCaffrey, Executive Producer at Steel Wool Studios. Hear how he got started in the game industry through a friend by joining a band with some NetherRealm artists who later encouraged him to apply for a short-term Assistant Producer contract job. Learn about his transition from IT, working with industry legends, and wishing he’d known to be more quiet and listen better.
We then discuss advancing your career in Production, the importance of documenting feedback and results, and providing context to the team to build trust. Hear about the value of being calm and centered for others and the value it brings to the team and a company.
Learn about the critical skill of being comfortable being uncomfortable, accepting change in the search for fun, along with the role of acting as a confidant to team members. Hear about being honest with yourself about your flaws, putting constructive feedback into practice, plus sharing feedback without being a jerk. Listen about how insufferable it is working with jerks, ways we avoided it, and what a relief it is not to.
We then dive into the uncanny valley of console hyper-realism, go deep into God of War Ragnarök, how accelerated technology is now, and some thoughts on ChatGPT, AI art, and the futility of trying to predict the future. Hear why he’s bearish on AR, and bullish on VR for the entertainment value, plus the way it’s changed how we interact with each other at times.
Towards the end we talk about a game cancellation that taught him how to be a compassionate leader, the importance of an open dialogue with your team when in a position of authority, the genius of The Last of Us, other game licensed content, Halo 2 Double Team, pizza, and accepting that nothing is ever final.
Bio:
Ray McCaffrey is the Executive Producer at Steel Wool Studios, an independent studio based in Oakland, CA. Ray’s been in the game industry for almost a dozen years and has worked on games like Injustice: Gods Among Us, Batman: Arkham Origins, Mortal Kombat X, WWE Immortals, Cardio Ex, Pulm Ex, Five Nights at Freddy’s and more.
Show Links:
* God of War Ragnarök website
* ChatGPT website
* TRIPP VR website
* The Room VR: Dark Matter website
* STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor website
* The Last of Us website
* Halo 2 Double Team Fandom
Connect Links:
* Ray McCaffrey Twitter
* Steel Wool Studios website
Game Dev Advice Links:
* Game Dev Advice Patreon - please help support the show if you find it useful
* Game Dev Advice Twitter
* Game Dev Advice email: info@gamedevadvice.com
* Game Dev Advice website
* Level Ex Careers - we’re hiring for lots of roles!
* Game Dev Advice hotline: (224) 484-7733
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GDA053 - Skywalker Ranch, Persistence, Game Designer Qualities, Working With Steven Spielberg, Being Bold, The Power of AR and VR, Not Being a Jerk, and Traveling the World with Noah Falstein of The Inspiracy
I welcome Noah Falstein, a legendary Game Designer on this episode. Hear about his current work as a Designer and Consultant, along with how he began straight out of college at Milton Bradley before going to Williams and to create arcade games. Learn about being an early employee at Lucasfilm Games, and working on the amazing Indiana Jones titles along with others.
We then discuss what he’s learned reflecting back to the beginning of his career, moving to California, and advice to expand your horizons beyond triple-A games when starting out. Discover the importance of persistence, curiosity and other key qualities for Game Designers to have, along with learning psychology to understand yourself, co-workers, and players.
Learn about digital therapeutics to treat diseases and disorders, AR, Google Glass, and being bullish on the future. Hear about the one trillion dollar world health market, esports, web3, and threats to the industry being localized versus global. We then talk about the Wii Fit and dive deeper in VR and AR, including Pearl the interactive movie, and Skip Rizzo’s important work. Hear about working with (gamer) Steven Spielberg, working at Skywalker Ranch, for Google, and new technologies impacting games and healthcare.
Towards the end we talk about merging his love of travel by presenting at conferences, where to find Noah online, the differences between the games, movies, and TV industries, plus why you shouldn’t be a jerk.
Bio:
Noah Falstein was one of the first 10 employees at Lucasfilm Games/LucasArts where he led projects including PHM Pegasus, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and co-designed Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. After serving as Google's Chief Game Designer Noah’s been focusing primarily on games for healthcare.
Show Links:
* Milton Bradley Wikipedia
* Lucasfilm Games website
* WMS Industries Wikipedia
* Monkey Island Games Wikipedia
* Akili Interactive website
* E.T. Cartridges Buried in New Mexico PCMag
* Pearl VR and Fun
* The Dig Wikipedia
* Skywalker Ranch Wikipedia
* Level Ex website
Connect Links:
* Noah Falstein Google
* Noah Falstein website, The Inspiracy
* Noah Falstein Wikipedia
* Noah Falstein Twitter
Game Dev Advice Links:
* Game Dev Advice Patreon - please help support the show if you find it useful
* Game Dev Advice Twitter
* Game Dev Advice email: info@gamedevadvice.com
* Game Dev Advice website
* Level Ex Careers - we’re hiring for lots of roles!
* Game Dev Advice hotline: (224) 484-7733
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GDA052 - Game Jams, Resiliency,Game Dev Resources, The Future, Mentors, Neurodiversity, Bodystorming, Tech Art, Networking, Art Automation, Anxiety, Mixed Reality, and AI with Angel Muniz
I welcome Angel Muniz, a 3D Generalist and Technical Artist who shares about her transition into the game industry, talking with Bungie, getting a first job, and going back to school. Hear career advice about how the art field is changing, creating automation, learning integration, and getting your first position. Learn about knowing your value, having mentors, passion and curiosity, and advancing your career.
We then discuss hackathons, growing your skills, her VR portfolio, and the love of learning. Hear about emotional intelligence, politics, listening, bodystorming, and how we process information. Discover AI machine learning, building an experience to help with anxiety, XR, wearables, aerospace, and NASA.
Learn about integrating XR into education, roles outside of triple-A, different projects she’s worked on, challenges around hiring, toxic environments, and thoughts on being neurodivergent. Hear about overwhelming job descriptions, changing skills, the metaverse, wantrepreneurs, reading the room, and not being critical when playing games.
Towards the end we talk about networking, connecting with the IGDA, Global Game Jam, the value of GDC, and the game dev community in Houston. Hear about games like Graveyard Keeper, kind words for this podcast, where to connect online, new tech battles, keeping your skills sharp, her mentor’s advice on making progress each day, and info on my YouTube presentation about careers outside of traditional game development.
Bio:
Angel Muniz is originally from Texas, former NASA JSC - Animation & Graphics Lab 3D Intern, worked on growing the game industry in Houston —mainly in the XR field. Angel served as a Co-PI for an National Science Foundation Grant & Adjunct Professor for the Dynamic Reality Technology program (AAS in XR) at Coastal Alabama College. With a background in public speaking for high performance art/PBR & optimization, she was a keynote speaker for the University of Pennsylvania, a guest lecturer at the University of Houston - Computer Science, Microsoft’s HoloAcademy in Redmond, Immersive Tech Conference, IGDA and more. For over 7 years, Angel has worked as a 3D Generalist and Technical Artist - CGI for Amazon AWS, TenGun, TYM Studio, Practical VR, Ong Innovations and served as a consultant to many more. She’s been a professional mentor for the game developer community co-creating and participating in boot camps, hackathons and one-on-one sessions with artists and developers. She is currently building an application in XR and plans to apply for her 2nd NSF grant to fund her research in behavioral health, communication and technology. Angel is an advocate for neurodiverse individuals in the field as she continues her work in the game industry. She is an avid learner and seeks to build and utilize new tools in automation for game art in the industry.
Show Links:
* Substance Designer website
* SMU Guildhall website
* Digipen website
* NSF Grants website
* Rain on Your Parade Steam
* IGDA website
* Global Game Jam website
* GDC website
* Graveyard Keeper website
* The Survivalists Steam
* Detroit: Become Human wikipedia
* Joowon Kim SMU Guildhall
* Careers Options Beyond Traditional Game Development me on YouTube
Connect Links:
*Angel Muniz LinkedIn
*Angel Muniz website
Game Dev Advice Links:
* Game Dev Advice Patreon - please help support the show if you find it useful
* Game Dev Advice Twitter
* Game Dev Advice email: info@gamedevadvice.com
* Game Dev Advice website
* Level Ex Careers - we’re hiring lots of roles!
* Game Dev Advice hotline: (224) 484-7733
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GDA051 - Making RPGs, Remote Manager Challenges, Porting GTA Vice City, How To Get Promoted, the Power of Messaging Apps, German Game Dev, Resident Evil Design, Working in Different Roles, and The Settlers with Jurie Horneman
I welcome Jurie Horneman, senior gameplay programmer at Possibly Space, who shares about growing up in the Netherlands and his passion for wanting to make games that led to his first job. Learn about making Amberstar, answering calls from players, and making Ambermoon, which still has a dedicated fan base. Hear about moving to Blue Byte, Albion being overly ambitious, learning C, and having your shipping platform changed because of bankruptcy
We then discuss source code, the importance of completing personal projects, and needing to shift your perspective to think as a hiring manager or department lead. Learn about pitching in, how game dev is different from film, and working on Watch Dogs: Legion. Hear thoughts for working in games now, developing interpersonal skills, and why it’s important to enjoy the process of making games versus only focusing on the results.
Discover his favorite games to have worked on, passion around dynamic storytelling, game engines. game AI, and game design. Hear about working remotely, the impact of video conferencing, the need to communicate more as a manager, the value of in-person serendipity, and the power of messaging apps.
Towards the end we talk about how the GTA: Vice City Xbox U.S. update almost shipped with all of the globally controversial settings accidently turned off, working Manhunt 2, The Settlers, Incubation: Time Is Running Out, and interesting games out now. We wrap with Resident Evil, how to connect, enjoying the process, accepting change, and being a good person.
Bio:
Jurie Horneman is originally from the Netherlands, and has made games in Germany, France, Austria, and now Canada. He got started in 1991 as a programmer before becoming a game designer, producer, and now senior gameplay programmer again, plus has worked at Ubisoft, Rockstar Games, Blue Byte Software, and many other studios.
Show Links:
* Demoscene Wikipedia
* Ambermoon Wikipedia
* Albion Wikipedia
* Splinter Cell Wikipedia
* Weird West website
* Emily Short blog
* GTA Controversies KeenGamer
* Manhunt 2 Wikipedia
* The Settlers Wikipedia
* Incubation: Time Is Running Out Wikipedia
* Stray website
* The Quarry website
* Robo: The Allectric Idventurer Steam
* Robo: The Allectric Idventurer Twitter
* Robo: The Allectric Idventurer Discord
Connect Links:
* Jurie Horneman Twitter
* Jurie Horneman website
Game Dev Advice Links:
* Game Dev Advice Patreon - please help support the show if you find it useful
* Game Dev Advice Twitter
* Game Dev Advice email: info@gamedevadvice.com
* Game Dev Advice website
* Level Ex Careers: we’re hiring lots of roles!
* Game Dev Advice hotline: (224) 484-7733
* The Meditations: An Emperor's Guide to Mastery current audiobook
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GDA050 - QA Into Production, Web3 Challenges, Twitter For Game Dev, New Technologies, Problem Solving, Axie Infinity, and Keeping An Open Mind with Carl Leducq of Altered State Machine and Zero To Play
I welcome Carl Leducq, Games Producer at Altered State Machine and the popular Zero to Play podcast who shares about his new role and recently shipped game for Rocketwerkz. Learn how he transitioned from film into the game industry and working in QA changed his perspective. Hear how he transitioned from QA to Production, his passion around the game development community and the NZGDA.
We then discuss advice for getting into the industry, doing game jams, and advancing your career. Hear about the importance of communication skills, ideas for working remotely, and developing interpersonal skills. Learn about his favorite project, his interest in Web3, and the parallels to early F2P games. We then pivot into AR, VR, and potential threats, like Play To Earn and the massive Axie Infinity hack.
Towards the end we talk about his podcast Zero To Play on YouTube, the awesomeness of Valorant, how to get in contact, and his parting advice around having an open mind.
Bio:
Carl Leducq is a NZ games advocate & experienced Games Producer who’s shipped titles on mobile, AR & PC (and now Web3). Carl is busy understanding and exploring the games industry from every angle, always learning, and growing more passionate about it every step of the way.
urrently he’s working as a Games Producer with Altered State Machine, helping to deliver engaging and innovative interactive media experiences to their community using their IP partners.
He also helps local game devs in New Zealand through the work he does as the Vice-Chair of the NZGDA. Plus every week Carl has an in-depth chat with a Game Developer over on his podcast Zero To Play which can be found on YouTube, Spotify and all other podcast services.
Show Links:
* Rocketwerkz website
* Clinton Keith Amazon
* Breaking The Wheel website
* Web3 Wikipedia
* Magic Leap website
* Axie Infinity Hack CNN
Connect Links:
* Carl Leducq Twitter
* Carl Leducq YouTube
* Carl Leducq LinkedIn
Game Dev Advice Links:
* Game Dev Advice Patreon - please help support the show if you find it useful
* Game Dev Advice Twitter
* Game Dev Advice email: info@gamedevadvice.com
* Game Dev Advice website
* Level Ex Careers page - we’re hiring for engineers and other roles
* Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733
* Subscribe and go to the website for full show notes with links
* Current Audiobook: The Practice of Groundedness
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GDA049 - Accountability, College Esports, Alto’s Odyssey, Gaming Culture, Winding Paths, Changing Behaviors, Bad Apples, and an Iceberg-Shaped Problem with Jae Lin of the Games and Online Harassment Hotline
I welcome Jae Lin, the Hotline Director of the ‘Games and Online Harassment Hotline’ who shares about their current role running the hotline, along with the new Culture Shift project. Learn about when they’re available, who it’s helping, and how you can text “support” to 23368 within the U.S. for help. Hear about the new Culture Shift program launched with Take this that goes into game studios and works with top leadership to create custom programs for companies.
We then discuss gender-based harm, why it keeps happening, and the culture around it. Hear ideas around accountability, changing behaviors, and how the program just launched in March of this year. Learn about Jae’s experience being pushed out of esports, doing volunteer work in Austin, and getting involved with the hotline, along with how they define gender-based harm.
Towards the end we discuss Signs of the Sojourner, Alto’s Odyssey, where to find these services online, and advice about practicing accountability, even in the smallest ways.
Bio:
My guest is Jae Lin, the Hotline Director of the ‘Games and Online Harassment Hotline’ and a mental health advocate for video game spaces. They have a background in queer community health and suicide prevention, with roots in collegiate esports. Jae is also a Community Organizer around trans liberation, queer arts, and racial justice based in Austin, TX.
Show Links:
* GameIndustry.biz article
* Take this. website
* Signs of the Sojourner Steam
* Alto’s Odyssey website
* Text “support” to 23368
Connect Links:
* Gameshotline website
* Gameshotline on Twitter
* Gameshotline YouTube
* FemFreq website
* FemFreq Twitter
* FemFreq YouTube
Game Dev Advice Links:
* Game Dev Advice Patreon - please help support the show if you find it useful
* Game Dev Advice Twitter
* Game Dev Advice email: info@gamedevadvice.com
* Game Dev Advice website
* Level Ex Careers page - we’re hiring for engineers and other roles
* Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733
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GDA048 - Speeding Up Development, Interviewing Strategies, Game of Thrones, Beginner's Mind, Open Economy Games, The Metaverse, Humility, and Guilty Pleasure Games with Jon Radoff, CEO of Beamable
I welcome Jon Radoff, CEO of Beamable who shares his inspiration behind starting the company. Hear how D&D and computer programming got him hooked on games, and the companies he’s created along the way. Learn how he began his entrepreneurial journey as a kid, along with advice for others who love games and have a passion to create.
We then discuss his thoughts around entrepreneurship, who to listen to, and who not to listen to. Hear why it’s important to have a portfolio, along with strategies for interviewing. Learn the value of having humility, a beginner's mind, not being afraid to throw things away, and getting player feedback.
Hear stories on the development of huge IP games like Star Trek Timelines, Game of Thrones Ascent, and his very first game, Legends of Future Past. Learn about his passion for understanding what makes shipping games so hard, different business models, and how big and diverse the industry really is.
Towards the end we discuss the lack of skilled people to fill roles, optimizing around creativity and reducing complexity, his broad definition of the metaverse, VR, AR, and making things more accessible. Hear a funny story about a party, his current favorite games, and wanting to hear from other developers. We then wrap up talking about how to reach out online, and doing research on new business models instead of being too cynical.
Bio:
Jon Radoff is CEO of Beamable, a Live Services platform for game developers. He is also the author of the "Building the Metaverse" blog, where he open-sources his thinking about the future of the internet. Jon is a lifelong entrepreneur who started making online games as a teenager before going on to build one of the first multiplayer commercial games on the Internet: Legends of Future Past. Since then, he's built businesses in Web publishing, ad networking and mobile games reaching tens of millions of consumers.
Show Links:
* Beamable
* Omni (Magazine)
* The Office Somehow We Manage
Connect Links:
* Jon Radoff on Twitter
* Jon Radoff YouTube
* Jon Radoff on LinkedIn
Game Dev Advice Links:
* Game Dev Advice Patreon - please help support the show if you find it useful
* Game Dev Advice Twitter
* Game Dev Advice email: info@gamedevadvice.com
* Game Dev Advice website
* Level Ex Careers page - we’re hiring for engineers and other roles
* Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733
* Subscribe and go to the website for full show notes with links
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GDA047 - Giving Back, Diversity, Self-Promotion, Cultural Revolution, People Skills, Immersive Experiences, and Game Jams with Renee Gittins of the IGDA
I welcome Renee Gittins who shares about her role as the Executive Director of the IGDA, along with her new position at Phoenix Labs. Learn about how Renee transitioned from biotech into game development, the various roles she’s had, along with making lifelong friends at Riot Games. Hear the importance of having confidence, starting your projects sooner, building a portfolio, and making connections.
We then discuss the importance of self-promotion and mentorship as keys to advancing your career, especially working with cross-discipline. Learn the importance of people skills, especially self-reflection and empathy, along with her favorite project, Potions: A Curious Tale. Hear about the cultural revolution going on in the industry, thoughts on the Metaverse, and an inspiring story.
Hear opinions on AR & VR, a surprising audience for her game project, and a wonderful story about her game’s impact. We wrap up talking about the importance of newer developers sharing and helping others, finding her online, and being kind to yourself during times like these.
Bio:
Renee Gittins is the Executive Director of the IGDA, and a multi-disciplinary leader with expertise in software engineering and creative direction. She is a passionate advocate and connector for developers and diversity in the game industry, with a background that spans across engineering, design, and production. She is outspoken about initiatives to increase diversity both within the game industry and gaming overall to help the game industry grow and improve for everyone.
Show Links:
* IGDA website
* IGDA Discord
* Creativity, Inc. book
* Crucial Conversations book
* Potions: A Curious Tale Steam
* Guide For Game Companies whitepaper
* Geek Girl Con website
* Dauntless website
* Dishonored wikipedia
Connect Links:
* Renee Gittins Twitter
* Renee Gittins LinkedIn
Game Dev Advice Links:
* Game Dev Advice Patreon - please help support the show if you find it useful
* Game Dev Advice Twitter
* Game Dev Advice email: info@gamedevadvice.com
* Game Dev Advice website
* Level Ex Careers page - we’re hiring for tons of roles
* Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733
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GDA046 - Work with Meaning, Unity, Treating PTSD, Magic Leap, AI, Healthcare Heroes, GDC, and the Future with Skip Rizzo from the USC Institute for Creative Technologies
I welcome Albert “Skip” Rizzo, a clinical psychologist and 25 year veteran of gaming technology and VR for clinical uses. Learn how a patient playing Tetris sparked his interest in gaming to help patients recovering from strokes. Years later he took the leap to join USC and use VR to help kids with ADHD back in the 90s. Hear the critical importance of building content that engages and motivates patients, along with the differences between games and film.
We then dive into the Bravemind program to help vets suffering from PTSD to carefully revisit, confront, and replace terrible situations they’ve encountered. Hear how they rebuilt their technology, added new locations, and created a pre-deployment program to help prepare new soldiers. Learn how he expanded into helping with sexual trama around a civilian context and working on different types of civilian PTSD, along with teenagers who’ve grown up with abuse and difficult living conditions.
Learn Skip’s mission is to get the content into the hands of people who can benefit with ADHD, stroke rehab, pain management, and other areas. We then discuss the importance of mutual respect, a shared purpose, and curiosity. Hear about the need for meaning in one’s work, the heroes who work in healthcare, and the enormous stress they’re under in this COVID world. He then shares a new project for helping healthcare professionals dealing with stress using questions and dialogue.
Hear about his favorite projects around work for autism, ADHD, disadvantaged youth, resilience training for pre-deployment, the importance of narrative, and one of my favorite games I worked on. We then talk about technology, the future, metaverse concerns, and companies investing in VR. Learn how Brainlab is using AR to help neurosurgeons prepare for difficult surgeries and the value of the Magic Leap.
We wrap up with him sharing how he and others worked with a young Palmer Lucky, how he’s getting back into moderate gaming through VR, the challenges he’s had to overcome to gain acceptance in the traditional clinical psychology field, how AI is the next big frontier, and where to find him online.
Bio:
Albert “Skip” Rizzo is a clinical psychologist and Director of Medical Virtual Reality at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies. He is also a Research Professor with the USC Dept. of Psychiatry and at the USC Davis School of Gerontology.
His career began as a clinician providing rehabilitative services for persons with traumatic brain injuries and stroke. Over the last 25 years, Skip has conducted research on the design, development and evaluation of VR targeting the areas of clinical assessment, treatment and rehabilitation across the domains of psychological, cognitive and motor functioning in both healthy and clinical populations.
This work has focused on PTSD, TBI, Autism, ADHD, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke and other clinical conditions. Some of his recent work has involved the creation of artificially intelligent virtual human (VH) patients that novice clinicians can use to practice skills required for challenging diagnostic interviews and for creating online virtual human healthcare guides, and clinical interviewers with automated sensing of facial, gestural, and vocal behaviors useful for inferring the state of the user interacting with these virtual human entities.
Show Links:
* ImmersaDesk workstation article
* How Video Games Are Saving Those Who Served article
* Full Spectrum Warrior Wikipedia
* My You’re Not Getting Any Younger; Learn How To Ride a Motorcycle article
* Level Ex website
* Brainlab website
Connect Links:
* Skip Rizzo YouTube
* Skip Rizzo Twitter
* Skip Rizzo website
* Skip Rizzo email - rizzo@ict.usc.edu
Game Dev Advice Links:
* Game Dev Advice Patreon - please help support the show if you find it entertaining/useful
* Game Dev Advice Twitter
* Game Dev Advice email (info@gamedevadvice.com)
* Level Ex Careers page - we’re hiring for tons of roles!
* Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733
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GDA045 - Game Dev People, Starting a Studio, Discord’s Power, Send the Resume, Steam’s Dead for Indies, and Dota 2 with Dan Nikolaides from Studio369
I welcome Dan Nikolaides, CEO of Symmetric Games and the CTO of Studio369 on this episode. We begin discussing his current role leading development efforts on their game MetalCore, along with the studio’s first game, Rune II. Learn about the concepts in MetalCore, how they found investors, and how he started in the industry.
We then dive into switching over to game teams, having projects canceled, and leaving to join Phosphor. Hear about shipping a bunch of games, then starting his studio in 2016. Learn about not being intimidated by hard problems along with the importance of a growth mindset. We then talk about the importance of new engineers knowing a game engine, the preferred language behind it, and having a strong engineering foundation.
Learn Dan’s advice for current engineers who want to grow and have more responsibilities, along with the kind of work most working leads actually do. Hear about the importance of being a good listener, rubber ducking, and what kills a person’s morale. We then discuss some of his favorite old projects, blockchain gaming, NFTs, and the Metaverse, and how different companies are approaching this space.
Hear about the industry’s challenge around content overload, Steam being dead for indies, and why it’s better to partner with a console. We then pivot into VR, their VR game in development, and how it’s a few years away from being a breakout platform. Towards the end we discuss working from home, game industry people, Dota 2, the struggles of starting a studio, how to contact Dan, and why now is the best time ever to be looking for a new job.
Bio:
Dan Nikolaides graduated from the University of Illinois in Computer Science, and has been in the gaming industry for over 15 years. He’s well known for being an Unreal Engine guru, and has worked for companies like - Midway Games, Warner Brothers, Day 1 Studios, Phosphor Studios, and Symmetric Games. His game credits include - Mortal Kombat, Stranglehold, Man of Steel, Gears of War, NBC’s Heroes, World War Z, WWE Immortals, Nether, Outpost Zero, and more. Dan’s currently the CEO of Symmetric Games and the CTO of Studio369 where he’s leading the technical and design direction of the studio’s game production for MetalCore, their upcoming release.
Show Links:
* Rune II Steam
* PlanetSide 2 Steam
* BattleTech Centers wikipedia
* Phosphor Studios website
* Unreal Engine website
* Simon Sinek YouTube
Connect Links:
* Dan Nikolaides Twitter
* MetalCore website
* MetalCore Discord
* MetalCore Trailer YouTube
Game Dev Advice Links:
* Game Dev Advice Patreon - please help support the show if you find it entertaining/useful
* Game Dev Advice Twitter
* Game Dev Advice email (info@gamedevadvice.com)
* Game Dev Advice website
* Level Ex Careers page - we’re hiring for tons of roles!
* Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733
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GDA044 - Working on Uncharted, 4-Day Work Week, Crunch, XTC, Psychology in Design, Sustainable Game Development, and the USC Games Program with Richard Lemarchand
I welcome Richard Lemarchand from the USC Games program on this episode. We begin by discussing his Associate Professor role in the USC School of Cinematic Arts and the recent release of his book, A Playful Production Process, for Game Designers (and Everyone). Hear about how he got his first job at MicroProse, the importance of psychology in game design, along with wishing he’d known better how to manage projects. We discuss the effects of crunch, the importance of managing projects, and how his book is a textbook of his class covering intermediate level design and production.
We then share stories of outdated 300 page GDDs, Mark Cerny’s Game Design Macro format, moving over to Crystal Dynamics in the mid-90s to work on the Gex and Soul Reaver series, along with the dynamic scene in the Bay area. Hear about transitioning over to Naughty Dog to work on Jax, three versions of the critically acclaimed Uncharted series, and how the game industry is really more like a dozen genres of industries.
Learn Rich’s advice for game designers to understand psychology, systems dynamics pioneered by Norbert Wiener, along with having T-shaped skills. Hear how soft skills were taught back at Crystal Dynamics, cultivating empathy, and treating others with respect. We then discuss his favorite game to work on, Uncharted 2, how well the team worked together, and the quality of the storytelling and the cast.
Hear about his interests in VR, immersive design, narrative design, and storytelling that doesn’t involve violence as a core mechanic. We then discuss how crunch is the biggest threat to the industry, how it’s (slowly) getting better, and studios moving to the 4-day work week. Towards the end we get into a great story about promoting Uncharted 3, trivia about Jake’s journal, and his recommended games - Subnautica, Boyfriend Dungeon, Beast Breaker, Jett, and Ring Fit Adventure. At the end we discuss music, the band XTC, the importance of audio in games, his book, how to get in contact with him, along with his parting advice around collaboration and conflict.
Bio:
Richard Lemarchand is an Associate Professor in the USC Games program at the University of Southern California, where he teaches game design, development, and production, and is working on a series of experimental virtual reality game design research projects as part of the USC Game Innovation Lab.
Previously he was a lead game designer at Naughty Dog and led the design of all three PlayStation 3 games in the Uncharted series, including Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, winner of ten AIAS Interactive Achievement Awards, five Game Developers Choice Awards, four BAFTAs, and over 200 Game of the Year awards. He also worked on Jak 3 and Jak X: Combat Racing for Naughty Dog, and helped to create the game series Gex, Pandemonium, and Soul Reaver at Crystal Dynamics. He is also the author of a new book, A Playful Production Process, for Game Designers (and Everyone), published by the MIT Press in October 2021.
Show Links:
* A Playful Production Process, for Game Designers (and Everyone) MIT Press
* USC Games program website
* MicroProse website
* Jason VandenBerghe’s 2013 GDC Talk YouTube
*Soul Reaver 2 wikipedia
* Game Design Workshop Amazon
* Mark Cerny wikipedia
* Naughty Dog website
* Jax X: Combat Racing wikipedia
* Uncharted wikipedia
* Cybernetics wikipedia
* Thinking in Systems Amazon
* T-Shaped Skills wikipedia
* Young Horses website
* The Well-Played Game Amazon
* Subnautica website
* Boyfriend Dungeon website
* Beast Breaker Nintendo
* Jett: The Far Shore website
* Ring Fit Adventure Nintendo
* XTC Spotify
Connect Links:
* Richard Lemarchand Twitter
* Richard Lemarchand email
* Richard Lemarchand website
* Richard Lemarchand LinkedIn
* Games and Players, Futures and Predictions 2014 YouTube
Game Dev Advice Links:
* New: Game Dev Advice Patreon - help support the show if you find it entertaining or useful
* Game Dev Advice Twitter
* Game Dev Advice email (info@gamedevadvice.com)
* Game Dev Advice website
* Level Ex website - we’re hiring
* Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733, give a call!
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GDA043 - Marathon Not A Sprint, ArtStation Is Key, Seizing Opportunities, Virtual Boy, Paying It Forward, Working In Mexico, Personal Projects, and My Origin Story with Glenn De Leon Garza
I welcome Glenn De Leon Garza, a talented 3D artist on this episode. We begin by talking about the impact of COVID in Mexico, along with his responsibilities now as an art director. Then hear about his transition from being a 3D artist into an art director and management role, plus his thoughts on giving good direction.
We then transition to getting his first job as a 3D artist, the challenges of working in the industry from Mexico, and differences in salaries with the U.S. Hear what his first years were like as a new artist and his secret for getting better.
Learn what Glenn wishes he’d known when starting in the industry, advice he gives new artists, and needing to understand your weaknesses. Hear about the importance of finding a mentor and his secret to attracting people to his portfolio. We then discuss the importance of ArtStation, always having your portfolio ready, and advice on progressing through personal projects.
Learn Glenn’s thoughts on managing others, his favorite two projects to work on, and excitement around this new generation of PlayStation and XBox hardware when it’s truly next gen. We then discuss concerns around too many sequels, thoughts around VR, plus Nintendo's failed Virtual Boy.
Towards the end we examine the different communication styles with Eastern European developers, his current favorite game and the upcoming one he’s excited about. Then Glenn turns the table and interviews me about what I’m playing, working on Mortal Kombat, and how I got my start in the game industry. After being interviewed we wrap up with how to get in contact with him, along with his one piece of parting advice to others.
Bio:
Glenn De Leon Garza is a talented 3D artist heading up creative teams that have developed games including Star Wars: The Old Republic, Borderlands 3, Friday the Thirteenth: The Game and The Sims. He’s currently working from his home in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, and welcomes other artists to reach out since he’s passionate about helping others level up their skills and finding their way in the industry.
Show Links:
*Devoted Studios website
*CGBot website
*Star Citizen Wikipedia
*ArtStation website
*Nintendo Virtual Boy Wikipedia
*Fire Emblem: Three Houses Nintendo
*My TurboGrafx-16 Interview YouTube
*GameShark Wikipedia
Connect Links:
Game Dev Advice Links:
*New: Game Dev Advice Patreon - help support the show if you find it entertaining or useful
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email (info@gamedevadvice.com)
*Game Dev Advice website
*Level Ex website - we’re hiring
*Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733, give a call!
*Don’t forget to subscribe
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GDA042 - Startup Principles, Working on StarCraft II and Fortnite, Burnout, Empathic Design, UI is Key, Tools Development, VC Ecosystem, Mental Health, and Crossplay with Matt Schembari
I welcome Matt Schembari, CEO of Lightforge Games. We begin by discussing his lifelong love of games and how he got his first job in the industry, followed by the other studios he’s worked at. Our discussion pivots into burnout and the effects it has on a person, along with a crisis of identity, and thoughts on mental health. We then discuss the industry turnover rate and constant loss of talent that’s happening, along with the key principles Lightforge Games has been founded on.
Hear Matt’s thoughts on empathic design, targeting tool development as a career choice, the importance of UI, and ideas around focusing your career. We then discuss the need to be a team player, mentoring others, and developing as a leader. Listen to the most important skill he thinks people should have and the importance of learning and developing.
We then pivot into his experience working on StarCraft II and FortNite, including the development of crossplay, along with the rise of Twitch players. Hear about threats to the industry around big companies needing to get their shit together, the rise of startup studios working together and sharing ideas collectively, and the VC ecosystem. Listen to his excitement around AR and a funny story about a trip to Korea to promote StarCraft II.
Towards the end we discuss thoughts about being all-remote, how the studio was founded on not asking people to move, and working asynchronously with employees in different parts of the world. We then wrap up talking about the importance of empathy and the belief in it creating better games.
Bio:
Matt Schembari has spent his career in the video games industry with a resume that spans both Blizzard Entertainment and Epic Games. He is currently the CEO of Lightforge Games.
Show Links:
*Lightforge Games website
*StarCraft II Wikipedia
*FarSide Cartoon JPG
*Crossplay Fortnite The Gamer
*StarCraft II expansion pack Korean news
*Miro website
*Notion website
*Tangle website
Connect Links:
*Lightforge Games Twitter
*Lightforge Games website
*Matt Schembari LinkedIn
*Matt Schembari Twitter
Game Dev Advice Links:
*New: Game Dev Advice Patreon - help support the show if you find it entertaining or useful
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Game Dev Advice website
*Level Ex website - we’re hiring
*Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733, give a call!
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GDA041 - Creativity is a Business, LotR’s Inspiration, Toxic Workplace Cultures, Using Agents, Defining Your Terms, Twitter For Connecting, Asking For Advice, and Creating Friendships with Marta Svetek
I welcome Marta Svetek, a London-based actor working in video games, film and TV. We begin by discussing the state of COVID-19 in London and how her roles of acting and other work are centered around creating digital characters. Learn about her passion of playing games from a young age, Lord of the Rings, and how she landed her first game VO role working for Creative Assembly.
Hear about how her work has dramatically picked up over the last year, including as a lead character in the upcoming Battlefield 2042. We then discuss the actual process of doing VO in a recording studio, protecting your voice, along with what she’d wished she’d known when younger. We talk about a key mentor, the business of agents and talent representation, and working on her own terms.
Learn the importance of asking advice, types of typical contracts, and how actors can work from anywhere now. We then get into the need of meeting people, why more work is moving to the UK because of buyouts, and sticking to your rate. Hear about the dicey world of talent agents, how to connect with people when networking, using Twitter as a resource, and how to connect with people.
Towards the end we talk about the importance of understanding the gaming medium if auditioning, what to never say during the casting, and her favorite projects to work on. Learn about the importance of the collaboration process, her thoughts on indie development, and what it’s like doing “efforts” for games.
Hear about our anger and frustration with the recent news, again, of toxic abuse in the industry, how crunch contributes to this, and a personal experience of hers. We then wrap up with the games she’s playing, how to connect online, parting advice on making friends, and the value of the Games Industry Gathering network.
Bio:
Marta Svetek is a London-based actor working in video games, film and TV. Specialising in Voice and Mocap work she has worked on a variety of popular titles, including lead roles in Total War: Warhammer 2 and the newly announced Battlefield 2042. She is represented globally by Audere Talent Management and The Mocap Agency.
Show Links:
*Will Tidman interview
*Aranessa Saltspite character
*Beavis & Butt-Head’s Weiner Takes All
*Activision Blizzard on GamesRadar
*The Mess on Soundcloud (drums)
Connect Links:
*Marta Svetek on Twitter
*Marta Svetek website
*Marta Svetek on YouTube
*Marta Svetek voice reels on Soundcloud
Game Dev Advice:
*New: Game Dev Advice Patreon - help support the show if you find it entertaining or useful
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Game Dev Advice website
*Level Ex website - we’re hiring
*Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733, give a call!
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GDA040 - Battlefield Mobile, Gratitude, Getting Sh*t Done, Marvel XP, Bad Interview, Pareto Principle, Game Dev Identity, and Surviving a Layoff with Justin Fischer of Industrial Toys/EA
I welcome Justin Fischer, Lead Development Director at Industrial Toys of EA. We begin by discussing the state of COVID-19 in LA and how his scrappiness landed him an internship at Chicago’s Wideload Games. Learn about how he cut his teeth at Wideload Games and Disney Interactive working on projects with tight budgets, like Hail to the Chimp, Guilty Party and Marvel XP.
Hear about the challenges and life lessons of tieing too much of your identity into being a game developer, going through a layoff, and the hidden value shown over time. We then pivot into advice for aspiring designers, artists, engineers and producers, along with how to advance in production, and what it means to view it as a service role.
Learn about the value of seeking to understand before being understood, validating someone’s viewpoint, and his excitement around working on Battlefield Mobile. Hear about the other favorite game he's worked on, the industry’s challenge of so few mid-tier publishers, along with thoughts on AR.
Towards the end we talk about the power of the mobile and tablet platforms, a challenging interview story, and the current games he's playing. We then wrap up sharing how to connect with Justin online, along with parting advice on working with others.
Bio:
Justin Fischer has worked in one form of production or another for almost 20 years - in music, television, software development and, primarily, games. He is currently the Lead Development Director for Industrial Toys, an EA studio in Pasadena currently working on Battlefield Mobile. He also holds an MBA from Northwestern University.
Show Links:
Connect Links:
*Justin Fischer Twitter
*Breaking The Wheel website
*Better Development Through Science: How Aliens, Odysseus, and Toyota Can Help Improve Production GDC Talk on YouTube
Game Dev Advice:
*New: Game Dev Advice Patreon - help support the show if you find it entertaining or useful
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Game Dev Advice website
*Level Ex website - we’re hiring
*Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733, give a call!
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GDA039 - Horror Games, Career Strategies, What Publishers Want, Capital Is King, Poland and Israel’s Game Dev Scenes, and Finding Your Own Way with Scott Millard of Feardemic
I welcome Scott Millard, Managing Director at Feardemic. We begin discussing his Krakow, Poland location, and the country’s forward-thinking and vibrant game development industry. We then shift to COVID-19’s impact, plus his current role as a Managing Director at Feardemic working on horror games.
Listen to his origin story starting at Sega’s Oziesoft followed by lots of acquisitions, along with a controversial perspective on big companies, and his advice to finding your own way when starting out. Hear his idea on the most important skill to learn, what publishers are looking for in developers, and helping distribute classic games like DOOM II, Tomb Raider, and Command & Conquer.
We then talk about game classification ratings, a time-intensive mistake, and what’s happening with Stadia and Xbox in the console wars. Hear about Game Pass, niche markets, the music industry’s approach to streaming, plus the chip shortage.
Towards the end we talk about the challenges around AR/VR, an AK-47 themed meeting room, current games he’s excited about, Israel’s game dev scene, where to find online, and the importance of being thankful.
Bio:
Mr. Millard is Managing Director of FEARDEMIC sp. z o.o, a wholly owned subsidiary of BLOOBER TEAM S.A, a publisher of computer games and their related entertainment products.
Previously Mr. Millard had held various positions in the games industry. Most notably the Asian distribution of Bethesda games including the Award winning Elder Scrolls Skyrim and Asia versions of The Elder Scrolls Online.
Previously Mr. Millard served as Managing Director of Namco Bandai Partners Singapore Pte Ltd and Namco Bandai Partners Korea Ltd, a post he held for near 7 years that saw him oversee the releases of dozens of triple A titles.
Mr. Millard was co-founder of a Korean Games Association that represents the interests of foreign and local publishers operating in the packaged games sector in the Korean domestic market. In 2005 Mr. Millard held the post of Vice President, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Committee, European Union Chamber of Commerce Korea. He consults for several games industry organisations and companies, and is a regular blogger and producer of opinion pieces for various publications.
Show Links:
Connect Links:
Feardemic website
Feardemic Twitter
Game Dev Advice:
*New: Game Dev Advice Patreon - please help support if you find this useful
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Game Dev Advice website
*Level Ex website - we’re hiring
*Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733, give a call!
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GDA038 - Self-Taught Coding, Importance of Tools, Crunch, NLP, Snow Crash, Ageism, GitHub, Toastmasters, and Quake’s Elegance with Norman Morse of Perforce Software
I welcome Norman Morse, Triage Engineer at Perforce Software. We begin by discussing COVID-19’s impact, and his current role helping game developers. Hear thoughts on the importance of git and Perforce, how a previous job led to his current one, and the challenge of layoffs.
Listen to his origin story around doing kernel development, building a team, and getting absorbed into EA. Learn his theory for success, going door-to-door for a job, teaching himself languages, and the importance of Linux and enthusiasm.
We then talk about the importance of GDC and social skills, Toastmasters, studying NLP, along with learning technical skills. Hear about working in Unity back in 2008, supporting P4, and how GitHub is an engineer’s resume. Learn about favorite games he worked on, thoughts on the future, concerns about how studios fill roles, ageism, sharing a game engine, and crunching.
We then wrap up talking about triple-A dev concerns, missing co-workers during COVID-19, commuting, a bad air conditioner, connecting with people, engineering tips, and how the industry is finally evolving.
Bio:
Norman Morse is an Engineer and 25+ year veteran of the game industry who’s worked both within game studios and tool companies. EA, Sega, Crystal Dynamics, and Stormfront Studios are some of the bigger game companies he’s been at along with many others, plus ten years as a Triage Engineer at Perforce Software. He’s also a life-long learner and self-taught engineer, Master Practitioner in Neurolinguistic Programming, Toastmasters advocate, and personal coach.
Show Links:
Connect Links:
Game Dev Advice:
*New: Game Dev Advice Patreon - please help support if you find this useful
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Game Dev Advice website
*Level Ex website - we’re hiring
*Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733, give a call!
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GDA037 - Halo 2, Steve Ballmer, IGDA, Gamergate, Star Wars, Diversity and Inclusion, Networking, Going Solo, Cloudpunk, and Developer Leverage with Kate Edwards of Geogrify and the Global Game Jam
I welcome Kate Edwards, game industry pioneer at Geogrify and Executive Director of the Global Game Jam. We start by discussing COVID-19 totally changing everything for her speaking and traveling work along with the Global Game Jam (recorded before the event). We then talk about her culturalization consulting and public speaking projects keeping her even busier now.
Listen to her origin story about arcades, wanting to be an astronaut, Star Wars, going into Industrial Design, and grad school at the HITLab in Seattle. Hear how being a Cartographer started her career at Microsoft and translated into a new role as a Geopolitical Specialist. We then talk about consulting for Google, joining then leading the IGDA, Gamergate threats, 50 over 50 list, and mental health advocacy.
We reflect on lessons learned over time, marketing yourself, imposter syndrome, networking, finding a mentor strategy, and future meetups. Listen to ideas for those working now, parallel career paths, autonomy, bad managers, and her love for Halo. Hear about working on Age of Empires, Bioware projects, the long road left with Diversity and Inclusion, and developer leverage against being exploited. We then explore games as human narrative, VR’s challenges, democratized dev tools, Tehran game dev, and the global game community.
We then wrap up with a challenging situation back on Halo 2, games she’s playing now, how to find online, Mark Twain, not always comparing yourself to others, mentors, and having that creative drive to always get better.
Bio:
Kate Edwards is a 27+ year veteran and an outspoken, award-winning advocate of the game industry and the Executive Director of the Global Game Jam, as well as the former Executive Director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA). She is also a professional geographer and corporate strategist who pioneered and specializes in content culturalization. Following 13 years at Microsoft, she has consulted on many game and non-game projects for BioWare, Ubisoft, LEGO, Google, Amazon, Facebook, and other companies. She was also profiled in the December 2018 publication Women in Gaming: 100 Professionals of Play, and was most recently honored with the Ambassador Award at the Game Developers Choice Awards at GDC 2020
Show Links:
Connect Links:
Game Dev Advice:
*New: Game Dev Advice Patreon
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Game Dev Advice website
*Level Ex website - we’re hiring
*Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733, give a call!
——
GDA036 - Stack the Job Deck, Canada, Iron Galaxy, PSX Conference, Recruiter Horror Stories, Dot-com Bubble, LT, and Wisdom From Perspective with Adam Boyes of Iron Galaxy Studios
I welcome Adam Boyes, game industry veteran and Co-CEO of Iron Galaxy Studios. We start by discussing COVID-19 and thoughts on staying mentally healthy along with his current position. Adam then shares his passion for games and journey for getting in through QA. Learn how Canada’s grown their game industry through tax incentives, plus Adam’s perspective and advice on building a career.
We then discuss him leaving the industry for entrepreneurial pursuits, moving overseas, coming back to Vancouver for Next Level Games, then going to Midway Games. Learn about his inspiration from an EVE Online event to create the PlayStation Experience, plus working on Blitz: The League.
Adam shares about working with linebacker Lawrence Taylor, what he’s excited about, and the value of games for kids. Learn how mobile games have grown the industry and his inspiration for the infamous Red Shirt Gang. Learn what he’s playing right now and tips to help your odds for getting in the industry.
We then wrap up with recruiter horror stories, how to connect with Adam, and parting thoughts about how to treat others - be present and pleasant.
Bio:
As Co-CEO of Iron Galaxy Studios, Adam Boyes is responsible for the Company’s finances, strategic development, partnerships and alliances. Most recently, Boyes was Vice President of Third Party Relations & Developer Technology Group at Sony Interactive Entertainment America where he oversaw Publisher & Developer Relations, Portfolio Strategy, Financial Strategy, Partner Alliance, Technical Account Management, Developer Technology Group and the 3rd Party Production team - driving them to record revenue and profitability numbers consistently year over year. Previously, Boyes was Executive Producer and Director of Product Development at Midway Games and Capcom respectively.
Timeline:
[02:05] Discussion about COVID-19’s impact
[04:10] Hear how Adam got started in the industry
[07:15] Learn the tax advantages for Canadian game dev
[08:15] Thoughts on getting started in the industry then leaving
[15:25] Hear about going to Next Level Games then Midway Games
[20:40] Learn about EVE Online inspiring PSX conference
[25:00] Hear about working on Blitz: The League and Lawrence Taylor
[32:00] Discussion about new games, tech, and the value of play
[40:15] Shares a favorite industry inspired story, the Red Shirt Gang
[46:30] Learn about some of his favorite games right now
[48:20] Hear tips for getting a first job and stacking the deck in your favor
[52:45] Cold solicitors and recruiter horror stories
[55:00] Learn how to find him online and final thoughts on how to treat people
Show Links To Check Out:
Connect With:
Adam on Twitter https://twitter.com/amboyes
Iron Galaxy on Twitter https://twitter.com/IronGalaxy
Game Dev Advice:
*New: Game Dev Advice Patreon
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Level Ex website - we’re hiring
*Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733, give a call!
——
GDA035 - Interviewing Tips, Global Teams, NY Comic Con, Running LiveOps, Crunching, Mentors, Mass Effect, Austin Game Dev, QA Life, and Relationships Matter with Patrick Moran of Kongregate
In this episode, I welcome Patrick Moran, game industry veteran and GM at Kongregate’s Tonic division. We start by discussing COVID-19’s impact and his current role at Kongregate and the background of the company. Learn how his team’s spread over numerous countries like Germany, Canada and India along with the US, plus the unique business model he’s leading around LiveOps and buying existing games.
Patrick then shares what it was like in 2000 trying to break into the industry and the unorthodox cold calling method used for getting his first job. Hear about life crunching in QA on Deus Ex, making early mobile and DS games as a Designer, and the importance of patience.
Learn what people to reach out to and how to get your first job, along with the importance of mentorship and solving problems. Hear the culture challenge he faced at Wideload Games as it was coming to terms with being owned by Disney, being laid off, and thoughts on the company.
Learn the roots of Austin’s game development community and the differences between LA and Chicago. Hear thoughts on how Design is always changing and what to do for advancing your career and not becoming irrelevant. Patrick then shares about being resourceful, knowing your audience, working at Amazon, at BioWare on Mass Effect 2 and 3, and the importance of setting personal boundaries.
Hear thoughts on the advantages of working from home, how it’s been accelerated by COVID-19, and forced some people to change. Hear his passions around LiveOps, metaverses and communities, how Garena solved a key issue around payments to scale into a massive company in Southeast Asia, plus new growth markets like Latin America and Africa.
Learn his opinion about the industry’s lack of mentorship being the root cause of crunch, sexism, burnout, and other huge issues, along with the simple value of being grateful. Patrick then shares about meeting an executive coach and learning how they help people in leadership roles, along with concerns around VR and excitement around AR, especially GPS-enabled.
Hear a hilarious story about promoting Avengers Initiative, New York Comic Con, Deadpool, Stan Lee, and drinking. Thoughts on one of his current favorite games, RimWorld, deep interest in A.I. for procedural storytelling, and amazement in Microsoft Flight Simulator.
We then wrap up with more thoughts around mentorship, final advice, and how to find Patrick online.
Bio:
Patrick Moran is an award-winning video game business leader and entrepreneur, with developer and publisher experience across mobile, console, and PC platforms during his almost 20 years in the industry. He’s currently the General Manager of Kongregate’s Tonic division, and has held various roles at BioWare, Ion Storm Austin, Amazon Games, Disney Interactive, MobilityWare, and other studios.
Timeline:
[01:03] Introducing Patrick Moran
[02:00] Discussion about COVID-19’s impact
[03:30] Talk about his GM role at Kongregate and how they’re evolving and growing
[05:37] Patrick shares about his distributed global team and their business model
[08:20] Hear about the game industry in 2000 and the unusual way he got his first job
[15:40] Patrick shares about his first role as a Designer after working in QA
[20:35] Learn his advice around patience and ambition for working in the industry
[25:25] Who you should reach out to for getting a first job
[31:35] How your career will evolve based on your network of peers
[32:55] Hear thoughts on how to advance as a Designer and stay relevant
[37:50] Learn about the favorite games he’s worked on and the importance of understanding your audience
[41:00] Patrick shares how his career trajectory changed after working on Mass Effect 2 and 3
[44:30] Hear about the advantages of working remotely and how games can have massive growth
[47:50] His passions around LiveOps, metaverses and communities, and markets like Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa
[55:40] How he believes a lack of industry mentorship is the root cause of many ongoing industry issues
[1:02:50] Shares about meeting an executive coach at Twitch and his passion around leadership
[1:05:30] Patrick discusses his concerns around VR and interest around AR
[1:08:10] Hear a funny story about New York Comic Con, Deadpool, and Stan Lee
[1:18:25] Learn about Patrick’s current favorite games, like Rimworld and MS Flight Simulator
[1:21:50] How to get in touch with Patrick and final thoughts on working in the industry
[1:24:45] Outro
Show Links:
TMNT: Mutant Madness website
Deus Ex Wikipedia
Wideload Games Wikipedia
Metacritic games website
Mass Effect Wikipedia
New World website
Roblox’s growth The Verge
Surviv.io website
Garena Wikipedia
Ingress Wikipedia
New York Comic Con Wikipedia
Marvel Avengers Initiative YouTube walkthrough
Total MK Interview YouTube
RimWorld website
Microsoft Flight Simulator on Steam
Connect:
Patrick Moran on Twitter
Kongregate website
Game Dev Advice:
*New: Game Dev Advice Patreon – check it out
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Game Dev Advice website
*Level Ex website - we’re hiring for all kinds of roles
*Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733 – give me a call with a question!
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GDA034 - SXSW, Keys to Kickstarter, Smash TV, Editing Challenges, Ready Player One, Games Are Harder Than Film, Persistence, Magic Leap, HoloLens, and Film Festivals with Joshua Tsui of Insert Coin
On this episode, I welcome Joshua Tsui, game industry veteran and creator of the new documentary, Insert Coin. We start by discussing his current role in experiential design at Edge Experiential, then dive into his journey in developing Insert Coin, detailing his inspiration behind it, the research and interview process, and the many challenges he encountered along the way. Joshua describes working with Kenny Fedesna and others from Midway Games on the documentary, plus shares candid thoughts on whether or not he’s going to make a sequel of Insert Coin or even continue making films.
Hear how much harder it is to make a game than a movie, SXSW, and Covid-19’s impact on film festivals. Learn how Midway Games changed in the 2000s and thoughts on the Oculus Quest, Nintendo Switch, Magic Leap, and the HoloLens platforms. Joshua then shares about how to connect with him and the movie through social media, and then I wrap up with a recommendation – go stream this movie.
Bio:
Joshua Tsui spent over two decades working in video game development as a director on key franchises such as Mortal Kombat, Fight Night, and Tony Hawk. Having studied film in college, he accidentally got into games development and put his Filmmaking career on hold to join Midway Games.
His new documentary, Insert Coin, brings him back to his roots with a subject he holds dear. It was released on November 25th and is available for streaming and viewing at selected theaters right now.
Timeline:
[00:59] Introducing Joshua Tsui
[02:23] About his role in Experiential Design
[03:38] The inspiration behind Insert Coin
[06:14] Joshua’s experience with Kickstarter
[08:36] How he did the research for Insert Coin along with lessons learned creating a documentary
[10:36] Working with Kenny from Midway on the documentary
[15:10] Challenges Joshua had to overcome while making his film -- including his struggles with editing
[20:51] How interviewing went easier than expected
[23:09] A funny story about interviewing Ernest Cline, Author of Ready Player One
[26:47] Discussions of a movie sequel and what’s easier -- making a game or a film?
[29:45] The impacts of Covid-19 on film distribution and film festivals
[31:20] Joshua’s candid thoughts on continuing to make films
[33:01] Rumors of Midway in the 2000s along with the weirdness of game development then
[35:23] The most used gaming devices in his household, plus thoughts on AR and VR
[40:08] How to connect with Joshua and stream Insert Coin
[43:06] Outro
Links:
Virtual Cinema at Alamo Drafthouse
Connect:
Game Dev Advice:
*New: Game Dev Advice Patreon – check it out
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Game Dev Advice website
*Level Ex website - we’re hiring for all kinds of roles
*Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733 – give me a call with a question
*Don't forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast player!
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GDA033 - Artist Turned Indie Filmmaker, Layoff Transition, New Artist Tools, Actor Types, E3 Stories, Key Skills For Getting Hired, and LA Traffic, with Mehran Torgoley of Cult Cinema
On this episode we welcome Mehran Torgoley, Director & Writer at Cult Cinema, LLC. We start by discussing a few projects he’s currently working on and how he began at a small game studio outside of Chicago. While sharing what he wishes he’d known when starting out in the industry, Mehran emphasizes the significance of commitment, pushing through hesitation, and passion. We reminisce on our days at Midway Games before diving into useful advice for people going into game development or film, as well as people looking to advance their careers. He touches on the importance of networking, having a great portfolio, being prepared, and keeping your skills current.
Mehran speaks on the weirdness of auditions and why he doesn’t want to work on games he’d love to play, then shares how Unreal Engine’s being used in film and TV. He shares thoughts on the relevant threats to the game and film industries, such as massive game updates, COVID-19’s impact on theaters, thoughts on TV series, and the power shift in film. We conclude with some funny game and film industry stories, along with details on Mehran’s experience transitioning from an artist to a writer and filmmaker.
Bio:
Mehran Torgoley is a Director & Writer, originally from Chicago, IL. After over a decade working on AAA titles at Midway Games, Shiny Entertainment and Double Helix, Mehran transitioned to directing. His work includes feature films, music videos and commercial projects, including the award winning short film, Committed.
He has contributed to projects for clients such as Justin Bieber, Fox Studios, and Image8nineteen. In 2019, he co-founded Cult Cinema, LLC. Curse of Aurore is Mehran’s feature film directorial debut, and is currently enjoying a successful theatrical release in Canada.
Timeline:
[1:00] Introducing Mehran Torgoley
[2:04] How COVID-19 is impacting him
[2:41] Mehran’s current role and projects plus pivoting from a game artist to film
[4:43] How he got started in game development
[9:16] What he wishes he’d known when starting out in the industry
[13:02] Reminiscing on his times at Midway and making lifelong friends
[14:48] Advice for someone looking to get a first job in game development or film
[16:49] How he hires people for his films plus the challenges around auditions
[21:27] Advice for someone looking to advance their career in game development or film
[24:45] Using game engines to create hit TV series and how film and TV is now catching up with games
[27:30] Mehran’s favorite games and movies
[30:46] Thoughts on the success of Nintendo, the new consoles, and love for Ori and the Will of the Wisps
[32:45] E3 and missing the “exhales” of the game industry
[35:25] Frustration around massive game updates, COVID-19’s impact on theaters, thoughts on TV series, and power shift change
[40:36] Mehran’s candid thoughts on AR, MR, and VR
[41:26] A water bottle prank at Midway
[43:00] One degree of separation from Bruce Willis meeting
[45:05] Working on a mockumentary and a fun dinner with Rooster McConaughey
[47:42] Star Wars, Quentin Tarantino’s influence, and his transition from an artist to a writer
[56:07] How to connect with Mehran
[56:35] Cut to outro
Links:
Terraglyph Interactive Studios
Connect:
Game Dev Advice:
*New: Game Dev Advice Patreon – check it out
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Game Dev Advice website
*Level Ex website - we’re hiring for all kinds of roles
*Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733 – give me a call with a question!
*Don't forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast player
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GDA032 - Creative Directors, Diversity and Inclusion, Level Ex, Your Mutant Ability, Van Halen, Making For Honor, Mythic Quest, Player Motivation, and Hades with Jason VandenBerghe of Level Ex
On this episode we welcome Jason VandenBerghe, VP Studio Creative Director at Level Ex. We start by discussing COVID-19, his excitement about his role making games for doctors, and thoughts about the future of game design. He shares his story of breaking into the industry with The X-Files Game and his transition from programmer to producer to creative director at EA. Jason then offers specific advice for people in the industry and those looking to break in while telling about the fastest hire ever made at Ubisoft.
He shares intriguing stories on his favorite games so far, including the development of For Honor at Ubisoft and working with Van Halen on Guitar Hero. He speaks about his excitement for this golden age of design experimentation right now, along with threats that include a backlash to diversity and inclusion, engaging with players, and the dangers of self-defeating beliefs amongst developers.
Before telling a few more hilarious industry stories Jason shares candid thoughts on AR & VR, and his love for Beat Saber. We wrap things up talking about his two current favorite games that include his must-play “Game of the Year”, along with parting advice to game designers everywhere.
Jason VandenBerghe has led creative teams for over two decades, developing triple-A games for Ubisoft (For Honor), Activision (Call of Duty), and Electronic Arts (James Bond 007). At Level Ex, he employs game design methodologies, honed through extensive experience in the consumer games industry, to capture the greatest challenges of medical and surgical procedures as video game mechanics.
Discussion Details:
[01:10] Introducing Jason VandenBerghe
[02:00] Thoughts about COVID-19 and pandemic life
[03:40] His passion around game design
[09:51] The challenges and excitement of working at Level Ex
[13:39] What it’s like to work with medical professionals on games
[15:37] How did Jason get started in the industry on The X-Files Game
[22:00] How Jason went from Programming into Production then Creative Director at EA
[24:49] When his annual reviews changed, he knew he was in the right path
[26:21] What he wishes he’d known when starting out, and strategies for mentoring now
[28:38] Quality vs. Sales - one of the most disappointing, yet transformative moments in his career
[32:14] Key advice for someone looking to get their first job and the fastest hire he’s ever made
[37:46] How to advice your current career working in game development
[44:29] Jason’s favorite projects so far – For Honor and Guitar Hero: Van Halen
[54:51] His excitement around Diversity and Inclusion, which is long overdue in the industry
[1:00:36] Threats within game development: the backlash about Diversity and Inclusion, challenges with triple-A player engagement, and self-defeating beliefs
[1:05:20] Jason’s thoughts on AR & VR and his love for Beat Saber
[1:07:55] Funny stories about Mythic Quest roots and Red Steel 2 at E3
[1:16:57] Playing the game of spotting Creative Directors at GDC
[1:18:36] His love for Spelunky 2 and obsession with Hades (his current Game of the Year)
[1:21:18] Thoughts on player psychology and motivation
[1:23:19] Why he wanted to be a filmmaker before transitioning to game development
[1:24:12] How to connect with Jason
[1:24:49] His parting piece of advice – tear down the walls
[1:26:28] Cut to outro
Show Links:
Noah Falstein Wikipedia
Level Ex website
Level Ex SIGGRAPH 2019 YouTube
The X-Files Game Wikipedia
James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing Wikipedia
Radiant Level Design Tools website
For Honor Wikipedia
Playing Hard IMDb (now on Steam not Netflix)
Jump (Official Music Video – Van Halen) YouTube
Construct website
Gamemaker Studio 2 website
Unity website
Autodesk Educational website
FBI offers to help game developers Ars Technica
Beat Saber websiteRed Steel 2 IGN
Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet IMDb
Spelunky 2 Steam
Hades Steam
GDC Engines of Play: Talk 3 YouTube (find more on YouTube)
Thoughts on Games for Change YouTube/G4CEurope
Connect with Jason:
The_DarkLorde Twitter
The_DarkLorde website articles
Jason VandenBerghe Designing the Future at Level Ex
Jason VandenBerghe YouTube videos
Game Dev Advice:
*New: Game Dev Advice Patreon – check it out
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Game Dev Advice website
*Level Ex website - we’re hiring for all kinds of roles
*Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733 – give a call and ask a question
*Don't forget to subscribe and go to www.gamedevadvice.com for full show notes with links
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GDA031 - Successful Original IP, Design Challenges, Global Teams, Portfolio Matters, Industry Parties, Retro Consoles, GDC Indie Games, and Online Privacy Laws with Clark Stacey of WildWorks
On this episode we welcome guest Clark Stacey, CEO of WildWorks. We start by discussing the impacts of Coronavirus on his studio, how WildWorks came to be, and then rewind to discuss his journey into the game development industry. He gives powerful advice for people trying to get started along with those trying to advance their career, emphasizing the value of identifying and solving problems. Clark talks about some of his favorite games he’s worked on and what he’s curious about right now, including VR and his candid thoughts on Facebook’s gaming world. He shares his thoughts on MR and seeing the future in Taiwan arcades 5 years ago.
Clark speaks on potential threats in the gaming industry, like regulations and rapacious business models, as well as what he’s most excited about, especially the opportunity to create high-quality games for kids under 13 and the potential for use as educational tools. We reminisce on some of the outrageous industry parties, like Alex St. John’s surreal DirectX launch event. Then, Clark mentions some games he’s playing right now and shares the story of the (pretty hilarious) crisis WildWorks encountered after launching Animal Jam.
Clark Stacey is the co-founder and CEO of WildWorks, and has over 25 years of experience in video game development. His company’s online playground Animal Jam blends social gameplay with STEAM-focused educational content and offline environmental conservation activities. Animal Jam has grown to become the largest MMO game for kids in the world, connecting over 130 million young players worldwide. WildWorks is headquartered in Salt Lake City employs over 100 developers and support staff worldwide.
Discussion Details:
[01:06] Introducing Clark Stacey
[01:53] How COVID-19 has impacted production and prototyping
[05:29] Clark’s current role as CEO and how WildWorks started
[09:42] How Clark got his start in the industry
[12:46] What he wishes he’d known when starting out
[15:31] Advice for someone trying to break into the game development industry
[20:57] Advice for someone trying to advance their career
[24:29] Indie Game Jams
[25:42] Clark’s favorite games he’s worked on
[28:42] What he’s curious about right now and Facebook concerns
[33:45] Challenges for platforms when publishers aren’t supporting it
[34:44] Rebirth of Intellivision and classic consoles
[36:51] Clark’s thoughts on MR
[38:15] Pokemon and Taiwan arcades
[40:19] Potential threats to the gaming industry
[42:30] What he’s most excited about now
[46:02] Privacy, COPPA & GDPR
[47:29] The wild Alex St. John’s DirectX launch party
[50:17] E3 party wars
[52:41] Games he’s catching up on now
[54:54] The essence of WildWorks and a crisis they faced after launching Animal Jam
[56:59] Where to find Clark on social media
[57:34] Clark’s last piece of advice for people in the game development industry
[1:01:39] Outro
Show Links:
*GDPR
Game Dev Advice:
*New: Game Dev Advice Patreon
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice Email
*Game Dev Advice Website
*Level Ex Website - we’re hiring for all kinds of roles
*Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733 – give a call and ask a question
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Episode GDA030 - Travis Scott, Activision Pitches, Good Vs. Bad Producers, EQ, Social Networks, MicroProse, Steve Jobs, Taking the High Road with Chris Hewish
On this episode, we welcome guest Chris Hewish, President of Xsolla. We start by discussing Chris’s take on the effects of coronavirus, his new role at Xsolla, and how he got started in the game industry, offering insight into what he wishes he had known at the beginning. He then shares valuable advice for people entering the industry and for people trying to advance their careers in Design or Production – hint: bootstrapping your way in and learning emotional intelligence can help.
Chris divulges a few of his favorite games he’s worked on and what he’s excited about, including the evolution of cross-platform play and games becoming their own social platforms. We discuss some potential threats to the game industry and share candid thoughts on AR/VR/MR technology. Some funny stories are shared, a few including odd pets, and Chris talks about his current game of choice keeping him up. The episode wraps up with an overview of Xsolla’s platform, along with some more powerful advice for people currently working in the game industry.
“I wish I had known that sometimes there’s more power, not power in a control sense, but there’s more power in being able to move things forward by listening than there is by telling.” - Chris Hewish
Chris Hewish is a multifaceted leader who's worked in both the developer and publisher sides of the business; having been directly involved in designing or producing over 50 Console, PC, Mobile, and VR games. His unique skill-set combines the design and production skills of a developer, with the business and strategic acumen of a publisher; all supported by a servant leader mentality. He’s managed individual game teams, operated multi-game studios, and run worldwide interactive business units at companies like Activision, DreamWorks Animation, Survios, and Skydance Interactive. He loves creating concepts, building prototypes, establishing roadmaps, managing production, owning P&L’s, and being a strategic thinking vision holder who brings the best out of the teams he works with.
Visit Chris’s website
Follow him on Twitter
Discussion Details:
[01:02] Introducing Chris Hewish
[01:30] Dealing with COVID-19 both personally and professionally
[04:08] Chris’s new role as President at Xsolla
[05:19] How he got started in the industry
[11:15] What do you wish you had known when you started?
[14:48] Advice for someone looking for their first job in the industry
[18:41] Advice for someone trying to advance their career in Design or Production
[26:02] Chris’s favorite games to work on
[28:38] What Chris is excited about
[34:18] Potential threats to the gaming industry
[38:08] Thoughts on VR/AR/MR technology
[41:13] Some funny stories including one with a pet spider
[49:02] Games Chris plays now
[50:14] Some details about Xsolla
[54:45] Best piece of advice for people working in the industry right now
[57:12] Outro
Show Links:
*EQ
Game Dev Advice:
*New: Game Dev Advice Patreon
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice Email
*Level Ex Website - we’re hiring for all kinds of roles
*Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733 – give me a call and ask a question
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Episode GDA029 - Making Warcraft II, Breaking Crunch, Disney Infinity, Pitching Investors, Diablo, Animal Talking, Industry Stories, and Parting Advice with Bill Roper
On this episode we welcome guest Bill Roper, Chief Creative Officer at AuthorDigital and Adept Games. We start by discussing the impacts of COVID-19 on work and personal life and rising to the challenge of digitalizing our lives in completely unusual circumstances. Bill emphasizes the importance of taking time for yourself, focusing on mental health and being “family first”.
“Games are an amazing way for people to connect via distance, it’s what videogames were designed to do.” - Bill Roper
Bill then talks about bringing his vision of empowering storytellers and giving them the ability to bring their craft into new digital spaces into a reality. He shares about his new role as co-founder of AuthorDigital and his work with Blizzard. He reflects on what he wishes he had known when he started his journey in the game developing industry, as well as advice for people who are in it right now. Bill happily divulges some of his favorite games to work on, aspects of the industry that he’s currently curious about, and even threats he sees. He then shares thoughts on AR and VR, games he’s excited about, and tells a few hilarious stories that he’s collected over the years.
“There is no greater return on your entertainment dollar, than a videogame.” - Bill Roper
Bill Roper has been a well-known figure in the global gaming industry for 25 years. Since starting out at Blizzard Entertainment doing sound, music, and voice-over, he has basically done it all. From his nine years at Blizzard Entertainment dating back to 1994, to overseeing Design at Cryptic Studios, to the launch of Disney Infinity, he even co-founded multiple companies, including AuthorDigital. Bill is currently working on his passion of turning storytellers into game developers.
Connect with him on LinkedIn
Follow him on Twitter
Discussion Details:
[01:04] Introducing Bill Roper
[02:19] Addressing COVID-19 and its impacts on work and personal life
[05:35] Making the separation of work and personal life + taking time for yourself
[08:13] Bill’s new role as co-founder of AuthorDigital
[14:10] Work at Blizzard in the early days
[20:04] Passion & Money
[27:00] What do you wish you had known when you started?
[33:29] Advice for people in the industry
[38:58] Bill’s favorite games to work on
[55:13] What are you curious about right now regarding the industry?
[59:32] Threats to videogames
[1:09:38] Thoughts on AR & VR
[1:12:34] Games Bill is excited about
[1:17:10] Funny and odd stories of working in the industry
[1:27:20] Last piece of advice for people
[1:28:30] Outro
Show Links:
Animal Talking with Gary Whitta
Game Dev Advice:
*New: Game Dev Advice Patreon
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice Email
*Game Dev Advice Website
*Level Ex Website - we’re hiring for all kinds of roles
*Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733 – give me a call and ask a question
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Episode GDA028 - Working at Epic Games, Avoiding Crunch, Tony Hawk, Better Health, Metallica, The Rookies, Montreal, and Midway Games Floods
Guest:
Justin Mohlman, Creative Director at The Rookies, Game Development Producer at Epic Games, Contributing Editor at Heavy Metal, Instructor, Tattoo Shop Owner, and Photographer
Summary:
Justin Mohlman has many skills and projects. With over 17 years in the industry, he’s a seasoned game developer currently working as a Game Development Producer at Epic Games. Hear about his many positions ranging from art instructor, co-owner of a tattoo shop, to managing the social media of Metallica’s bassist. Learn how he got his start in the industry, his projects at Epic Games, Heavy Metal magazine, some advice for current 3D artists, and his favorite projects, like Tony Hawk and Mortal Kombat. Hosted by John ‘JP’ Podlasek (See gamedevadvice.com for in-depth show notes and links.)
In This Episode We Discuss:
[01:03] Introductions
[01:13] Justin’s current projects at Epic Games
[03:30] Artist career paths and Epic’s goal
[05:46] Justin’s teaching roles
[06:49] Code of conduct at the tattoo shop
[07:14] Creative Director at The Rookies
[11:46] Contributing Editor at Heavy Metal
[12:59] Managing Robert Trujillo of Metallica’s social media
[14:44] Finding a way to visually problem solve
[15:28] Justin’s photography ventures
[16:57] How Justin got started in game development
[27:09] Advice for 3D Artists working in the field now
[32:18] Justin’s favorite projects
[36:03] What he’s curious in the game industry
[39:40] Possible threats to the game industry
[42:31] Funny game industry story
[45:40] Games he’s excited about
[47:27] Finding Justin online
Resources:
* Justin Mohlman Instagram
* Justin Mohlman Twitter
* Justin Mohlman LinkedIn
Game Dev:
*New: Game Dev Advice Patreon
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice Email
*Game Dev Advice Website
*Level Ex Website - we’re hiring for all kinds of roles
*Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733 – give a call and ask a question
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GDA027 PR For Games, Influencers, Working With Nintendo, Metrics Vs. Impact, Value of Live Events, and Relationships Matter with Johner Riehl
Summary:
Johner Riehl, Vice President and PR Lebowski at Wonacott Communications joins me on this episode. Johner has been in the industry for over 23 years and shares about the Public Relations side of videogames. Hear about his PR experience doing launches for the Neo Geo Pocket Color, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Pokemon, Pikmin, working with Nintendo, Microsoft, and Midway, plus writing books and running a website. Learn how he got started in the industry, working at Wonacott, advice on getting PR for a game, working with influencers and streamers, and thoughts on future opportunities. Hosted by John ‘JP’ Podlasek (See gamedevadvice.com for in-depth show notes and links.)
In This Episode We Discuss:
[01:02] Introductions
[01:10] Johner’s current role as Vice President and PR Lebowski
[02:44] Working on PR for Polyarc
[03:41] How to reach out for PR and spread the word on new games
[05:31] Adjustments and challenges of work during COVID-19
[06:30] The impact of GDC, E3, and the PAXs cancelations on indie developers
[07:11] Johner’s start in the industry and moving out west
[11:25] What he wishes he’d known before getting in the industry
[12:38] Advice for someone wanting game exposure and PR
[14:37] The price of User Acquisition going through the roof
[19:26] Working on console launches, Pokemon, Pikmin, and other games
[23:12] What Johner is curious about right now in the industry
[29:12] Opportunities around streamers and influencers
[30:15] Positive effects of videogames during COVID-19
[31:51] Johner’s thoughts on VR and working on Moss
[34:50] The importance of frame rate in games and VR
[35:59] Funny stories from working in PR and live events
[38:20] The games Johner is playing now
[39:36] What it takes to make a podcast and run an editorial website
[40:30] Supporting small game sites and treating people with respect
[42:30] Finding Johner online and reaching out
Resources:
*Johner Riehl Twitter
*Wonacott Communications Website
*Wonacott Communications Email
*Johner Riehl Hats
*LA Times VR Article Mentioned
Game Dev:
*New: Game Dev Advice Patreon
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice Email
*Game Dev Advice Website
*Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733 – give a call!
*Level Ex Website - hiring for all kinds of roles
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GDA026 - Going Indie, Changing Crunch, Mocap SWAT, Bungie, Wild West Days, Management Lessons, and VR with Richard Lico
Guest:
Richard Lico: Studio Animation Director at Polyarc and Owner of Animation Sherpa
Summary:
Game industry veteran Richard Lico joins me on this episode to discuss his career. Hear how he got started in the industry going from SCAD’s 3D Computer Art program to now being the Studio Animation Director at Polyarc 20 years later. Richard talks about working on Triple-A games like Halo, Destiny, and more recently, the indie VR hit, Moss. Learn about working at Bungie, advice to fellow animators and artists, his excitement around VR, a few wild stories, and his online animation school. Hosted by John ‘JP’ Podlasek (See gamedevadvice.com for in-depth show notes and links.)
In This Episode We Discuss:
[01:07] Introductions
[02:19] Richard’s current role as the Studio Animation Director
[03:41] How Polyarc started and evolved
[04:12] His story getting into the industry
[07:47] What he wishes he’d known before getting started
[10:47] Advice for someone looking to get a first job
[14:42] Career advice for fellow animators on how to bring characters to life
[18:11] Richard’s favorite project so far
[19:16] What Richard’s curious about right now in the industry
[19:44] Concerns around the industry and crunch culture
[25:59] Thoughts on opportunities for the game industry
[29:40] Glimpse into the VR creation process
[32:34] Wild West game development and SWAT teams
[37:38] Discussion about Final Fantasy 7, and the nostalgia that follows
[38:16] The secret weapon of AR and VR, including Half-Life
[40:40] Finding Richard online, including Animation Sherpa
Full Bio:
Annie and D.I.C.E nominated animation director at Polyarc with 20 years of experience making games. Previously animation lead at Bungie and Monolith Productions. Richard's latest adventures have been in VR, animating Moss. As well as opening an animation school, "Animation Sherpa".
Resources:
*Richard Lico Twitter
*Richard Lico Vimeo portfolio
*Animation Sherpa website
*Polyarc website
*Polyarc Twitter
Game Dev:
*New: Game Dev Advice Patreon
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Level Ex website - we’re hiring for all kinds of roles
*Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733
*Don't forget to subscribe!
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GDA025: Triple-A to Indie, Lessons From Blizzard, Growing Remote Teams, Future Game Trends, Animal Crossing, and Magehunter with Richard Khoo
Guest:
Richard Khoo, Co-Founder and Game Director at Khookey
Summary:
Richard Khoo, Co-Founder and Game Director of indie studio Khookey joins me on this episode. He shares how he went from a Modder to Designer to Co-Founder working at places like Blizzard, Riot Games, Wargaming, and Pocket Gems. We talk about being recruited by Blizzard in 2004, advice for getting into the industry, furthering your career after you’re in, favorite projects, a few funny stories, growing remote teams, COVID-19 and mental health, along with his upcoming game, Magehunter. Hosted by John ‘JP’ Podlasek (See gamedevadvice.com for in-depth show notes and links.)
In This Episode We Discuss:
[01:11] Introductions
[02:11] Richard’s current role as Co-Founder and Game Director
[03:47] Advantages of developing in Unity
[04:30] Getting started in the industry
[08:35] What he wishes he’d known before getting in the industry
[10:44] Advice for someone looking to get a first job
[13:34] The three tracks for advancing your current career
[19:28] Richard’s favorite project so far
[21:56] Thoughts on nostalgia and the game industry
[23:54] Advantages around building remote teams
[27:31] Concerns around the Free-to-play model and what can replace it
[29:42] Thoughts on opportunities in the market
[33:56] Working on Heroes of the Storm at Blizzard
[39:35] Discussion about Animal Crossing, especially during times like now
[43:02] Streaming recommendations
[46:00] Mental health and personal development during COVID-19
[50:43] Finding Richard online
Resources:
*Khookey website
*Magehunter website
*Richard Khoo LinkedIn
*Magehunter Twitter
*Magehunter Discord
Game Dev:
*New: Game Dev Advice Patreon
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Game Dev Advice website
*Level Ex website - we’re hiring for all kinds of roles
*Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733
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GDA 024: COVID-19, VR Meditation, Rubber Duck Debugging, Judas Priest, and Breaking into the Game Industry with Andreja Djokovic
[01:11] Introductions
[01:20] COVID-19
[02:50] What Are Your Current Roles in the Game Industry?
[04:30] Pursuing VR
[06:25] Immersive Meditation Experience Through VR
[07:40] Babaroga
[09:18] How Did You Get Started?
[11:30] Video Game QA in the 90s
[14:34] What Would You Have Liked to Have Known When You Started?
[16:20] Imposter Syndrome as a Newbie Engineer
[18:20] What Advice Would You Give to Someone Looking to Get Their First Job?
[19:00] Rubber Duck Debugging
[19:40] Any Advice for Someone Furthering Their Career?
[21:36] Gaming Industry Always on The Edge of Innovation
[22:48] What Has Been Your Favorite Project to Work On?
[24:00] Working with Judas Priest
[26:42] What Are You Curious About Right Now?
[27:30] Concerns About the Industry
[30:03] Any Funny Stories?
[31:38] What Games Are You Playing Right Now?
[32:05] Anything That I Should Have Asked You About That I Didn’t?
[36:18] Where Can People Find You?
[37:15] Meditation As a Tool For Stress
[45:08] Closing Thoughts
Description:
Founder & CEO of Andreja Djokovic speaks on the recent events happening and the impacts it has on the gaming industry. Andreja talks about his current roles as the founder of Babaroga, and his newest project, Third Eye Center. Starting in QA, Andreja has worked his way through the industry and has shown his success with countless collaborations and whole project developments as well as running his company, Babaroga for over 18 years.
Hear how Andreja believes that VR is worth pursuing. Even though VR has not seen the adaptation that was expected, he feels that it’s just a matter of time that a tremendous shift will be seen. With Third Eye Center, Andreja has brought meditation to VR. Third Eye Center is a live feed, VR experience that is described as being transformative and immersive.
Learn how Andreja was able to get his start in the video game industry. From a witty newspaper ad starting out in QA and what his first interview question was. You get a peek into what QA in the 90s looked like and learn something that Andreja would tell his younger self. With resilience and persistence, you have the first characteristics needed to succeed in the industry. Hear how even a successful name in the game, had beginnings that started with insecurity and a life lesson he learned that changed how he approached problems.
Andreja gives his own advice to those who are looking to get their first job and those who are already in the industry who are wanting to further advance their career. Mentions of the Rubber Duck Debugging Method are explained and how the constant shift in innovation of the industry can excite you.
Hear some of Andreja’s favorite games and projects, including working with the band Judas Priest. Talks of what he’s curious about and what concerns he has about the industry is discussed. See how working in the game industry has changed Andreja’s perspective on gaming over the years and his favorite interview question for potential candidates.
Lastly, the discussion turns back to the importance of meditation as a tool to allow yourself to process situations and build a space between the stimulus and response in a challenging world.
Resources:
Our Guest:
*Andreja Djokovic Babaroga website
*Andreja Djokovic Twitter
*Andreja Djokovic LinkedIn
*Third Eye Center Website
Game Dev:
*New: Game Dev Advice Patreon
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Game Dev Advice website
*Level Ex website - we’re hiring!
*Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733
*Don't forget to subscribe!
In the News:
*The Many Ways the Video Game Community is Helping Coronavirus Relief Efforts GamesRadar+
*Gaming Companies Launch ‘Play Apart Together’ to Push WHO Messaging Insider
*COVID-19 Global Case Map Johns Hopkins
*XR Association Releases Results of Fourth Augmented and Virtual Reality Survey MarTech Series
Book/Stories Mentioned:
*The Pragmatic Programmer Andrew Hunt & David Thomas
*How an On-Air Panic Attack Improved My Life ABC News Dan Harris
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GDA 023: Indie and Mid-Level Narrative Design, Post-Apocalyptic Worlds, Toxic Gamer Culture, AR/VR, and Online Testing with Edwin McRae
Edwin McRae talks about his role as a narrative designer and the various projects he’s working on. Hear how housesitting in New Zealand allows him to move around and work remotely with clients in the U.S., Poland, Denmark, Germany, and locally. Learn how he was a writer for the #1 soap opera in New Zealand and how he made the jump into game development.
Hear what he’d wished he’d know when starting in the industry and what it was like working on hugely popular Diablo II-style Path of Exile game. Learn how being a narrative designer is very different than writing for TV or film along with advice for someone trying to get into games. Learn about procedural generation and the with favorite projects he's worked on.
Hear his thoughts on interactive fiction including some of his favorite games like A Dark Room, plus discussion on game engines and a book he’s written. Hear concerns about the ongoing toxic gamer culture and the potential backlash to shady engagement tactics. Learn a controversial opinion on AR, along with accolades for VR. Hear how designers are obsessed with post-apocalyptic storylines, and sometimes break the 4th wall of design with continuity issues. Learn now quality TV shows are an inspiration for his narrative design work and what games he’s playing now that influence him.
Hear how user experience is one of the most important aspects of narrative design, the importance of online beta play testing, and what happens in focus tests. Learn where to find Edwin online, thoughts on being in the industry now, along with how SIGGRAPH-winning Level Ex is excelling in a unique genre.
Resources:
*New: Game Dev Advice Patreon
*Edwin McRae website
*Narrative Design For Indies website
*Books website
*Facebook site
*Game Writer Discord
*Path of Exile website
*Tencent Wikipedia
*80 Days website
*Guardian Maia YouTube
*Ink Script from Inkle Studios
*Project Haven Steam
*Drugwars Wikipedia
*A Dark Room Wikipedia
*Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light Wikipedia
*Mad Max Wikipedia
*Level Ex website
*Top 15 Game Design Podcasts You Must Follow in 2019 website picked Game Dev Advice at no. 8!
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Game Dev Advice website
*Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733
*And thanks to Charles Dike Production podcast editing
*Don't forget to subscribe and go to www.gamedevadvice.com for full show notes with links
About My Guest
Edwin McRae has been working as a writer and narrative designer in the games industry for ten years. He helps indie and mid-level developers create in-game narratives that work in harmony with game mechanics. More recently, Edwin has written three GameLit novels and a couple of non-fiction books on Narrative Design, the latest of which is coming out in March of 2020.
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GDA 022: Console Wars, Oculus, SXSW, Palmer Luckey, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Facebook Concerns with Blake J. Harris
Bestselling author Blake J. Harris talks about the Console Wars documentary premiering at SXSW after 7 long years in the making, along with it being adapted into an upcoming TV series. Hear how all the key people from that era of the SEGA vs Nintendo battle is part of the documentary to capture what it was really like. Learn my perspective from working for the TurbGrafx-16 and going head-to-head with the SEGA Genesis, along with how surprising it was when they started beating Nintendo after losing the 8-bit battle.
Hear how Console Wars changed his life after working as a commodities broker through his 20s while also writing the book until getting picked up by a publisher. Learn how he met the former CEO of SEGA and his unorthodox way of recruiting Tom Kalinske to the company. Learn how CBS All Access will release the documentary along with working on the TV series.
Learn how unusual it was writing The History of the Future and the meteoric rise of the Palmer Luckey and the Oculus VR platform. How the controversy around Luckey caused his firing at Facebook after the Oculus buyout along with our concerns about Facebook. Hear how he spent 3.5 years writing the book and had access to 25,000 emails to verify people’s stories. Learn how his opinion of VR is tainted, hopes for Nintendo and Apple in the mixed reality space, and the privacy risks around VR.
Hear how he unwinds with the Nintendo Switch and thoughts about the Sonic the Hedgehog movie listening to fan feedback. Learn thoughts on breaking the stereotype around videogame-based movies and books’ not being commercially successful and plans to be on a panel at SXSW along with another anticipated documentary, Josh Tsui’s Insert Coin.
Resources:
*Blake J. Harris website
*Blake J. Harris Twitter
*Tom Kalinske Twitter
*Al Nilsen Twitter
*Hayao Nakayama (former CEO of SEGA) Wikipedia
*Jordan Vogt-Roberts IMDb
*Mike Rosolio IMDb
*Palmer Luckey Wikipedia
*Third Eye Center website
*Industry Review Boards are Needed to Protect VR User Privacy World Economic Forum
*Sonic the Hedgehog Movie Design To Be Changed Following Criticism Kotaku
*Nintendo vs SEGA Console Wars Movie Premieres in March Game Rant
*Insert Coin trailer SXSW
*Top 15 Game Design Podcasts You Must Follow in 2019 website picked Game Dev Advice at no. 8!
*Level Ex website - we’re hiring for all kinds of roles
*New: Game Dev Advice Patreon
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Game Dev Advice website
*Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733
*And thanks to Charles Dike Production podcast editing
*Don't forget to subscribe and go to www.gamedevadvice.com for full show notes with links
About My Guest
Blake J. Harris is the bestselling author of Console Wars: SEGA, Nintendo and the Battle that Defined a Generation, which is currently being adapted for television by Legendary Entertainment, and producers Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg and Scott Rudin. Harris has written for ESPN, IGN, Fast Company, /Film and The AV Club and appears regularly on Paul Scheer’s How Did This Get Made? podcast (where he interviews the biggest names responsible for the worst movies ever made). His latest book The History of the Future: Oculus, Facebook and the Revolution that swept Virtual Reality was published by HarperCollins in 2019.
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GDA 021: Indie Dev Challenges, AI, Spatial Computing, Fortnite, New Platforms, and Predator VR with David Turkiewicz
Lead Game Designer David Turkiewicz talks about his current role at Phosphor Games, starting in QA, immigrating from Poland as a kid, and how the NES changed his life. Learn how his love for gaming, comics and animation steered him to The American Academy of Art in Chicago. Hear about his lack of confidence held him back from a UI job and decided to start in QA instead.
Learn the advice he’d give himself in hindsight with 15 years of experience, along with the initiative he took in QA to use Midway Games’s wiki to learn about game development. His thoughts on the importance of learning and developing games, even if they’re small, and about having passion. Hear advice for mid or senior-level designers, why you need to challenge yourself, and the power of YouTube.
Hear about his first designer project on Stranglehold, his indie release SARCOPH, and the challenges of the game market. Learn why he loves the Switch, concerns about the industry, along with what he’s excited about. Learn from his experience in the AR/VR space and working on location-based games, like Predator VR.
Hear how I gave him advice which helped him focus on being a designer, later working at a studio on a Facebook world builder that pivoted to social casinos. Learn what it was like during the shift from Facebook gaming to mobile, what games he’s playing now, and how he got his nickname. Hear their thoughts about the importance of creating content, putting it out for the world, getting feedback, and doing it again.
Resources:
*Turk Twitter
*Phosphor Studios website
*Alex Ross website
*IGDA website
*Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks Wikipedia
*Midway Games Wikipedia
*Unity3D website
*Unreal Engine website
*John Woo Presents Stranglehold Wikipedia
*Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy Eurogamer
*SARCOPH App Store
*GameSpy Wikipedia
*Predator VR Steam preview
*Spooky Cool Labs VentureBeat
*Discord website
*Slack website
*Top 15 Game Design Podcasts You Must Follow in 2019 website picked Game Dev Advice at no. 8!
*Level Ex website - we’re hiring for all kinds of roles
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Game Dev Advice website
*Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733
*And thanks to Charles Dike Production podcast editing
*Don't forget to subscribe and go to www.gamedevadvice.com for full show notes with links
About My Guest
David Turkiewicz is a Game Designer living in Chicago. He started as a QA tester at Midway Games, working on games like Mortal Kombat, NBA Ballers, and Blitz the League. He’s now a Lead Game Designer at Phosphor Studios helping other Designers, Programmers, and Artists work together to bring awesome game worlds to life. Over his career he’s contributed to a diverse list of game including: Predator VR (LBE), Damaged Core (Oculus Rift), Heroes Reborn: Gemini (PS4, XBOX One), Wizard of Oz (Facebook), The Dark Meadow (iOS), Tony Hawk Shred (PS3, XBOX 360), and John Woo Presents Stranglehold (XBOX 360, PS3, PC).
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GDA 020: Mid-Tier Indie Vs. Triple-A, Game Engines, Star Wars AR, VR Challenges, Going Viral, and Gender Diversity with Chip Sineni
Game Director Chip Sineni talks about the project he’s working on going back 20 years to the original design and how he got into the industry back in 1994 starting in QA. Learn about odd arrangement of the Beavis and Butt-Head console games each done by different developers. Hear his thoughts about the industry now with tools like Unity3D and Unreal Engine letting developers explore game ideas without publishers, along with the challenges to get market attention. Learn thoughts on Twitter’s evolution, how to get into the industry now, and the differences around the type of work and mindsets in Triple-A vs Indie development.
Hear a deeper dive on the game engine differences, pros and cons, between Unreal and Unity. Learn about some parallels between his game Corpse of Discovery and Death Stranding. Hear about key lessons he learned working with industry legends like George Gomez, Mark Turmell, Sal Divita, and Ed Boon at Midway Games, including the importance of 60FPS. Learn about the Japanese RPG-inspired game Septerra Core that never found an audience, thoughts about streaming services, and how the industry market leaders and genres are always changing.
Learn the challenges of big publishers to figure out what the next breakout game will be, and how ones like Ubisoft have been hammered recently in the marketplace. Hear thoughts on the interesting state of VR, his AR projects, along with difficulties on the platforms. Learn about his A-ha video that went viral, and the Star Wars AR video he created that got covered by the press and upset ILM. Hear thoughts about the slow pace of gender diversity in the industry, his love for Untitled Goose Game, and how genres get resurrected.
Resources:
*Chip Sineni Twitter
*Chip Sineni LinkedIn
*Phosphor Studios website
*Trixi Studios website
*Beavis and Butt-Head Wikipedia
*Unity3D website
*Unreal Engine website
*Corpse of Discovery Kill Screen
*Septerra Core Wikipedia
*Viacom New Media MobyGames
*Grand Theft Auto Online website
*Death Stranding Wikipedia
*Ubisoft Entertainment Bloomberg
*Fragments Asobo Studio website
*A-ha AR video Verge
*Star Wars AR Mashable
*Untitled Goose Game Wikipedia
*Goat Simulator website
*Top 15 Game Design Podcasts You Must Follow in 2019 website picked Game Dev Advice at no. 8!
*Level Ex website - we’re hiring for all kinds of roles
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Game Dev Advice website
*Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733
*And thanks to Charles Dike Production podcast editing
*Don't forget to subscribe and go to www.gamedevadvice.com for full show notes with links
About My Guest
Chip Sineni has been professionally making games for over 25 years in Console, PC, Mobile, VR, and AR. Midway and Viacom alumni, currently co-founder of two development studios; PHOSPHOR STUDIOS and TRIXI STUDIOS. Notable titles he’s had significant roles in: Corpse of Discovery, HORN, The Dark Meadow, NETHER, Kinect Adventures, The Brookhaven Experiment, NBC Heroes, Psi-Ops, NFL Blitz, NBA Ballers, MLB Slugfest, Beavis and Butt-Head Virtual Stupidity, and Septerra Core.
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GDA 019: When Coin-Op was King, NBA Jam, the ‘90s, Pakistan, Sega, Shaq, and Book Publishing with Reyan Ali
NBA Jam writer Reyan Ali talks about being born in the U.S., moving to Pakistan when he was young, and how the NES and Sega Mega Drive II video games influenced him. How the release of NBA Jam got him interested in the NBA, along with getting into Mortal Kombat and working on website in Pakistan. Learn how he wrote a FAQ for the team’s arcade classic The Grid without having actually having played the game by emailing the dev team member John Vogel.
Hear how he decided to write a book about NBA Jam after being a longtime freelance journalist writing and interviewing for Rolling Stone, Wired, Spin and other publications. Learn how his extensive pitch to Boss Fight Books helped him land the book deal before having talked to anyone who’d actually worked on the game. Hear about the interview process researching the book, including the CEO of Acclaim, Shaq, John Romero, Nolan Buschnell, musician George Clinton and many others. Learn how the book evolved from just NBA Jam into being a more detailed account of Midway Games, and the fall of arcade games from their peak.
Hear how the process created strong relationships with key developers, like Mark Turmell and others. Learn about the surreal process of tracking down and interviewing Shaq. Hear about how much money NBA Jam earned and later ended up being owned by Acclaim. Learn his dream about arcades and companies like Two Bit Circus working to bring them back.
Hear what Reyan’s doing now, favorite current games, and plans for the future. Hear him ask me about the challenges at Midway Games during the transition from arcade games to console-only, the resurgence of Mortal Kombat, and thoughts on the company filing for bankruptcy.
Resources:
*Buy NBA Jam (the book) in print and digital at Boss Fight Books
*Order NBA Jam (the book) on Amazon Kindle
*Follow NBA Jam (the book) on Twitter
*DJ Jazzy Jeff and George Clinton Recall Becoming NBA Jam Hidden Characters Polygon
*Sega Mega II (and Genesis) Wikipedia
*The Grid Wikipedia
*NBA Jam Wikipedia
*Two Bit Circus website
*RenderWare Wikipedia
*Insert Coin YouTube trailer
*Raw Thrills website
*Level Ex website - we’re hiring for all kinds of roles
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Game Dev Advice website
*Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733
*And thanks to Charles Dike Production podcast editing
*Don't forget to subscribe and go to www.gamedevadvice.com for full show notes with links
About My Guest
Reyan Ali is a writer from Columbus, Ohio. His work has been published by Wired, Spin, The Atlantic, The A.V. Club, and alt-weekly papers across the country. Born in Dallas, he grew up in Karachi, Pakistan, where he devoured '90s NBA action almost exclusively through trading cards, Beckett Basketball magazine, and NBA Jam: Tournament Edition on the Sega Mega Drive II.
Book Synopsis
When NBA Jam dunked its way into arcades in 1993, players discovered just how fun basketball can be when freed from rules, refs, and gravity itself. But just a few years after the billion-dollar hit conquered the world, developer Midway, publisher Acclaim, and video arcades themselves fell off the map. How did a simple two-on-two basketball game become MVP of the arcade, and how did this champ lose its title?
Journalist Reyan Ali dives deep into the saga, tracking the people and decisions that shaped the series. You'll get to know mischievous Jam architect Mark Turmell, go inside Midway's Chicago office where hungry young talent tapped into cutting-edge tech, and explore the sequels, spin-offs, and tributes that came in the game's wake.
Built out of exhaustive research and original interviews with a star-studded cast —including Turmell and his original development team, iconic commentator Tim Kitzrow, businessmen and developers at Midway and Acclaim alike, secret characters George Clinton and DJ Jazzy Jeff, Doom co-creator John Romero, and 1990s NBA demigods Glen Rice and Shaq—Ali's NBA Jam returns you to an era when coin-op was king.
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GDA 018: Skywalker Ranch, Making Toys, Crunch Culture, Hong Kong Concerns, EA, Being an Expat in Bangkok with Chris Nicolella
28-year video game and toy industry veteran Chris Nicolella talks about moving from the U.S. to living in Bangkok as an expat that included some initial challenges. How he started in the video game industry working at NEC’s TurboGrafx-16, then transitioning to NuFX which was later acquired by Electronic Arts turning into EA Chicago. Hear the challenges of game industry crunching and what it was like in the early 2000s, along with breaking into making iPhone apps on the side.
Learn how he transitioned into video game publishing to get his first job at Electronic Gaming Monthly which was like a frat house, then transitioning to the more professionally run GamePro magazine. Hear why he left the publishing business, worked briefly in Florida, plus how we worked together on projects back for Turbo Technologies Inc. and the TurboGrafx-16 consoles.
Hear what he wished he’d done earlier in his career and how it might be useful advice for you. How Nintendo was very protective of their games out for reviews and a story about Lebron James and NBA Street Vol. 2. Learn about working on best-selling toys like Giga Pet and the late ‘90s cultural phenomenon that sold 40 million units, Furby. Hear about working on toys for Star Wars: Episode I, II, and III, that included flying out on Hasbro’s jet to Skywalker Ranch and the Halo movie that never came out but had content repurposed for another movie.
Learn how in 2006 Marvel launched their own movie studio to create Iron Man film in 2008, which was controversial in some ways. Hear about traveling throughout SE Asia, sobering thoughts on the Hong Kong crisis, advice for breaking into the toy or game development industry, and how to get in touch with him, hosted by John ‘JP’ Podlasek. (See gamedevadvice.com for show links and details.)
Resources:
*@Ultimatetoy Twitter
*chris@set-to-stun.com email
*chris-nicolella: Skype
*Chris Nicolella LinkedIn
*TurboGrafx-16 Wikipedia
*NuFX Wikipedia
*Electronic Gaming Monthly Wikipedia
*GamePro Wikipedia
*n-Space Wikipedia
*Turbo Technologies Inc. Giant Bomb
*Donkey Kong Country Wikipedia
*NBA Street Vol 2 Wikipedia
*Giga Pet Wikipedia
*The History of Furby, the Electronic Pet That Took the Late ‘90s by Storm Bustle
*Furby a Threat to National Security? CNN
*Why the Halo Movie Failed to Launch WIRED
*Iron Man (2008 film) Wikipedia
*A Troubled Actor’s Rude Awakening L.A. Times
*Giga Pets Amazon
*Hong Kong’s Troubles Are Just Beginning Forbes
*Expat Guide to Living in Bangkok, Thailand Expatolife
*Level Ex website - we’re hiring for all kind of roles!
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Game Dev Advice website
*Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733
*And thanks to Charles Dike Production podcast editing
*Don't forget to subscribe and go to www.gamedevadvice.com for full show notes with links
About My Guest:
Chris Nicolella is a video game and toy industry executive who started back in 1991. During his career he’s launched over 200 licensed and original toy and video game products, including bestsellers like Furby, Giga Pets, Pokemon, Star Wars, Marvel, NBA Live, and FIFA Soccer. He’s worked for some companies like Electronic Arts, NuFX, n-Space, Hasbro, Tiger Electronics, SteelSeries, and many more. He’s currently living as an expat in Bangkok, Thailand and consulting on various toy projects.
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GDA 017: The World’s Biggest Arcade and More with Doc Mack of Galloping Ghost
25-year industry entrepreneur and designer Doc Mack of Galloping Ghost Productions talks about his game production company and working on his arcade fighting game, “Dark Presence”. How the company has mushroomed into creating the biggest arcade in the world (731 games and counting!), a reproductions company, gym and martial arts studio, automotive repair shop, and a pinball arcade. Learn about his desire to work in video games growing up and a chance encounter with a game industry legend spurred him to start the company, plus how the Galloping Ghost arcade opened in 2010 after frustration while researching the arcade market.
Hear about what he wishes he’d known when he started, along with how they’ve helped open 29 arcades. Learn how 80,000 people a year go through the arcade and how their passion for arcade records lead them to purchase the scoring house, Aurcade. Learn how he’s able to get rare games that were never commercially released, some current arcade and indie companies, and the resurgence of pinball.
Learn thoughts on the current state of arcades and how open play has changed things. Hear about outdated laws he had to overcome and ignorant perceptions proven wrong about violence and video games from examples like the Mortal Kombat “Kombat Kon” 25th anniversary event. Hear how arcades can help people with anxiety or struggling with personal challenges, plus bond as families.
Hear about the challenges for opening an arcade the right way, how location isn’t critical, along with the satisfaction of sharing player excitement for classic games with the original designers. Learn thoughts on mobile and VR games going into arcades, why arcades died off, and what game caused a couple to hitchhike from Oregon. Hear about his passion for shining a spotlight on industry people giving them credit like movies and other forms of media and how to get in touch with him, hosted by John ‘JP’ Podlasek. (See gamedevadvice.com for all the details.)
Resources:
*Galloping Ghost Productions website
*Galloping Ghost Arcade website
*Galloping Ghost Arcade Facebook
*Galloping Ghost Arcade Twitter
*Dark Presence website
*Aurcade website
*King of Kong Wikipedia
*The Spectre Files: Deathstalker YouTube
*Beavis & Butt-head Polygon
*Raw Thrills website
*Killer Queen website
*Stern Pinball website
*Kombat Kon YouTube
*The Grid YouTube
*Toru Iwatani Wikipedia
*Level Ex website - we’re hiring
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Game Dev Advice website
*Game Dev Advice Hotline (224) 484-7733
*And thanks to Charles Dike Production podcast editing
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GDA 016: Headhunter To Designer, Layoffs, Self Publishing, and Scapegoating Games with JJ Williams of NetherRealm Studios
+15-year industry veteran John (JJ) Williams of NetherRealm Studios talks about his current role as Advanced Designer at NetherRealm Studios and the challenges we had working on a Disney IP. Learn how he decided to get out of a career as a headhunter with a business degree and into game development. Hear about going back to school for an art degree and getting his first job as a freelance animator on WrestleMania 21.
Learn about his first role at Studio Gigante, then Stainless Steel Studios, and missing a job email from Harmonix because of a spam filter. How he got a job at Midway in the QA dept and all the Mortal Kombat games he tested plus working on NBA Ballers 2. How he worked in Unreal Engine building levels showed him his true passion and calling in the industry.
Hear how he got his first design role on Midway’s John Woo’s Stranglehold, then went to Vogster Entertainment, saw that close, and went to Disney Interactive’s Wideload Games. Hear about the projects he worked on at Disney including Kingdom Hearts Mobile, and another (well-handled) studio closure.
Learn about him branching out to create his own game, Pirate Blitz, with some money from a motorcycle accident, then joined the mobile team at NetherRealm Studios 5 year ago. Hear what he wished he’d known when he started and advice he shares. About the importance of getting that first job and the value of getting into QA, plus stories of working together shipping games. Hear about him branching into narrative design enjoying it. Learn ideas around game design, where to get inspiration from, and the hidden value of GDC.
Hear about his favorite projects, which include making his own indie game and the work he’s doing now at NetherRealm. Discussion about games being scapegoated for gun violence since an easy target for politicians. Learn about how the ESRB started and what it looked like from the inside.
Hear funny (i.e. tragedy + time = comedy) stories about a game industry closures and them getting into an argument that broke out into laughter. Hear thoughts on VR games, the industry, and what’s lacking for AR right now. Learn what future game he’s excited about, plus the ones he’s playing now, along with how to follow or get in touch with him.
Quotes:
“In 2001 I had a business degree and was working pretty much as a headhunter and not very happy.”
“I’m pretty good at art, I guess I’ll do that.”
“As you’ll see as a theme in this podcast that studio went under.”
“I had a job inquiry for Guitar Hero 2 from Harmonix but it was in my spam filter.”
“I’d hang out with one of the designers on that game and he’d bring me in chatting about the placement of items, etc.”
“This is really fun, let’s keep playing this level...I was starting to get that rush of, “I think I know what I want to do here.””
“This podcast should just be called the closures.”
“The next day hangovers, get your orange crates, and pack it up.”
“My pirate game was very loosely based off my father’s boat being sunk by Haitian pirates.”
“That game was produced by motorcycle accident money and 5 glasses of Scotch.”
“You don’t get in this industry for the stability.”
“This industry is so small that if you do well, keep your nose clean, and are nice...you’ll be remembered.”
“I wish I was a programmer sometimes since everyone wants a programmer.”
“Don’t let the doors slamming in your face stop you, persevere.”
“I was just laser-focused since we had to ship.”
“I’m the only person in the game industry that doesn’t play D&D.”
“The “comic mischief” tag that ESRB uses for stuff was created for, at least to my knowledge, for Beavis & Butt-head.”
“The ESRB made me put like a thousand stickers on a game.”
“When Vader bears down on me I felt there’s something there...holy crap.”
“Studio lockdown casino trip!”
“It’s got personality for days.”
“That’s their journey, not yours.”
About My Guest:
John (JJ) Williams works as Advanced Game Designer at NetherRealm Studios (WB Games), and has been in this circus for over 15 years…surviving 4 studio closures, including his own. He’s a designer that’s had the privilege to work at studios like: Midway Games, Disney Interactive, and NetherRealm Studios / WB Games. And he’s also made a lot of great friends along the way.
He’s shipped his own game, and works on a mobile game that has hundreds of thousands of players a day. Mortal Kombat and Disney Infinity are a few of the major games he’s worked on. He’s done Combat, Level, System, and Narrative Design, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
JJ started at the absolute bottom with no knowledge about this industry, and through hard work become a Designer that leads teams and directs outsourcing. Plus he still freakin loves what he does everyday.
Resources:
*J.J. Williams Twitter
*J.J. Williams website
*WWE WrestleMania 21 Wikipedia
*Studio Gigante Wikipedia
*Stainless Steel Studios Wikipedia
*Mortal Kombat: Armageddon Wikipedia
*John Woo’s Stranglehold Wikipedia
*Vogster Entertainment Wikipedia
*Guilty Party Wikipedia
*Avengers Initiative TechCrunch
*Pirate Blitz Polygon
*NetherRealm Studios Wikipedia
*GDC website
*Call of Cthulhu Wikipedia
*Pirate Blitz YouTube
*Disney Interactive closures 2014 Variety
*Cyberpunk 2077 website
*Oxygen Not Included Steam
*Borderland 3 website
*Level Ex website - we’re hiring
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Game Dev Advice website
*Game Dev Advice Hotline (224) 484-7733 - give a call
*And thanks to Charles Dike Production podcast editing
*Don't forget to subscribe and go to www.gamedevadvice.com for full show notes with links
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GDA 015: Comics, Crazy Game Submissions, Careers, Industry Rant, and Production with Nick Laing of Amazon Games
20-year industry veteran Nick Nick Laing talks about his new role as Senior Publishing Producer at Amazon Games and working before at Turn 10 Studios on the Forza series. Hear how his path diverted from following in his family’s footsteps to going to a specialized comic book artist school. Learn how in the late 90s iconic comic book companies went bankrupt or struggled to stay in business (it’s hard to believe now).
Learn how he transitioned those skills to being hired as a Concept Artist and UX Designer for his first industry role. Hear how he then got into Game Design, Lead Art, then Production. Learn about moving to EA’s Orlando studio and working on MMA, NASCAR, their incubation group, and helping on Madden during a 10-year run. Hear how after a recruiter called he moved to Seattle to work on the Forza franchise at Turn 10 Studios for 5 years. Hear what he knows now that he didn’t know when getting into the industry, along with advice for breaking in. Learn what advice he has for others looking to further their career in Production, or any field in general.
Hear about EA’s Subject Matter Expert track and how it gives a career path for high output, individual contributors. Learn why NFL Street was one of his favorite series to work on, plus MMA. Hear about work on great games that were commercial failures and how to rebound. Learn about the challenge of designing great game experiences versus using data to drive unhealthy compulsion loops. Hear about his biggest concern for our industry, along with thoughts on good and bad loot boxes. Learn the reasons why he’s bullish on the current state of VR.
Hear war stories of submitting discs to console platforms and the crazy challenges of down-to-the-wire deadlines. Hear the games he’s most excited to be playing now online, along with an accurate rant about game industry titles, especially in Production. Learn best and worst Production practices, along with how to follow or get in touch with Nick.
Quotes:
“When talking about breaking into the industry I’ll tell you my story, but don’t do it this way.”
“The year before I graduated Marvel went bankrupt.”
“For the Game Boy SP we were super excited because it had a backlight.”
“Some of my favorite father-son moments involve Forza Motorsports.”
“I was completely spoiled at work because I had a $70,000 full motion rig with an 85” monitor.”
“Enemies of are no use.”
“Technology is changing all the time, I’ve seen three different business models in 20 years.”
“I see time and time again that people have gotten themselves to a position they no longer enjoy.”
“The 2nd one was delayed by three hurricanes.”
“We sold like 5,000 copies.”
“2010 was the worst year for video games.”
“Get the game in a box, get it out by Thanksgiving, worry about the quality later.”
“Eventually the users fatigue or run out of money.”
“There’s a difference between compulsion and compelling.”
“At the end, you’re basically back to Chutes and Ladders.”
“I was breaking many laws that night in the Subaru to make it to the airport.”
“There are things we did that we wouldn’t do these days…”
“How are we going to cut this in half...I literally removed just like half of the levels.”
“I’m having fun telling stories about the weird things we used to do.”
“That’s the stuff you talk about at GDC...it’s 2am, I’ll take another Dewars, let me tell you this story.”
“I’ve been at places before where producers are clerks.”
“If you’re a producer and just walking around asking people if they’re done yet you’re not helping.”
“I learned this along time ago at Disney; it takes two people to do great art….yeah, like collaboration?...no, one person to do it and the other person to tell them when it’s done!”
About My Guest:
Nick Laing works at Amazon Games, and is a veteran of the industry. He started out as an artist with roots in illustration, working in Comics and drawing monsters for Dungeons and Dragons.
Nick made his way into video games in 1999 as a UX Design and Concept Artist. Over the years, his role evolved in Design, and then into Production.
He’s been working for places like; EA, Microsoft, and now, Amazon Games as a Senior Publishing Producer. During that time, Nick’s been focused on Production and everything it means.
He’s given talks on the subject at GDC Europe, Universities and a number of other trade shows like SEIGE in Atlanta and MIGS in Montreal.
Resources:
*Nick Laing’s Twitter
*Nick Laing’s LinkedIn
*Amazon Game Studios website
*Lord of the Rings MMO announcement
*The Kubert School website
*NFL Street 3 Wikipedia
*Forza Wikipedia
*Beginner’s Mind Wikipedia
*Buzz Monkey Software Wikipedia
*EA Sports MMA Wikipedia
*Level Ex website - and we’re hiring!
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Game Dev Advice website
*Game Dev Advice Hotline (224) 484-7733 - give a call
*And thanks to Charles Dike Production podcast editing
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GDA 014: Triple-A Art, Roots of Mocap, SonyPlayStation, Being a Problem Solver
Summary:
Dwayne Mason of NXA Studios talks about his current role in the company and his career and entrepreneurial aspirations going back to his teens. Hear about the computer revolution while studying to be a graphic designer. How PC Paint and Corel Draw changed his trajectory and focus toward the future. Learn about a chance encounter working as a valet being a big break. Hear how motion capture data was first used for sports analysis and working as a gofer. Learn how the hustling lead to a full-time job out in California and being the first mocap specialist ever at Biovision. How that lead to working for different sports broadcasts and visiting Industrial Light & Magic. Learn how the mocap business transitioned from sports analysis to video game platforms like the Sega Saturn. How he landed an opportunity to setup a motion capture studio for Sony Playstation San Diego in 1996. Learn how this grew into building out Sony’s central art services group over 11.5 years. Discover how setting up Domino's Pizza franchises was one of the most valuable learning experiences he’s had. Hear hard-learned advice for how to advance your career by being a problem solver. Learn what it’s like to create kontent on the Mortal Kombat series, along with Capcom games and the Assassin’s Creed games plus others. Hear how Battlefront II is his favor game right now. How bigger games and DLC’s longtail has improved his business’s stability and growth. Learn Dwayne’s thoughts on the future of automation and tech. Hear how the company started in China, grew to three studios in the country, plus Argentina. Hear thoughts on VR and what needs to happen for it to be mainstream. Learn his advice for anyone thinking about a video game career.
Quotes:
”I remember there being a big Microsoft office but nobody knew back then what they did.”
“Max Headroom on MTV looked like computer graphics but that was mostly fake.”
“I knew the guys a little more and they started to teach me how to use the equipment on Sun computers.”
“So this guy offered me a job and said, “move to California.””
“I have a letter somewhere from James Cameron wanting us to do pre-production for Terminator 2.”
“They took me to the side and said, “how about you come work for a real company?””
“They had a mocap system but was in the same room as the testing department and the testers used the tripods to setup tents to sleep under.”
“There was a little old man in a mansion and every time I delivered he came to the door in a Waffle House t-shirt.”
”Give people around you what they want, or what they need.”
”It was a bit of the Wild West, then.”
“They work on this stuff for months or years and then when it comes out we setup a big party and have a tournament.”
“Until maybe the Wonder Woman film I think the Injustice franchise was the best DC movies out there with their cutscenes.”
“I’m a big FPS guy, so that’s my jam right there.”
“The famous example is the briefcase in Pulp Fiction.”
“We’ve done quite a bit of AR and VR stuff, in fact we created our own AR app in China.”
“When it becomes ubiquitous it’ll really take off.”
“My son’s going for 100% completion on his third playthrough of Red Dead 2.”
“It’s been a fun ride and I wholeheartedly recommend anyone interested to get into game development.”
About My Guests:
Dwayne Mason is CoFounder and CoOwner of NXA Studios China & NXA Studios Argentina. NXA Studios is one of the leading art production services companies in the game development industry – art development and art production support for PlayStation, Xbox & PC game development is their main line of service.
NXA Studios has contributed to major game franchises such as Mortal Kombat, Assassin’s Creed, Call of Duty, Street Fighter, Resident Evil, Monster Hunter – and many more. Prior to starting NXA Studios Dwayne had been a Mocap Specialist very early in his career (in fact, he was the very first full time ‘mocap tech’ in the world).
Eventually that role led to a long stint at Sony PlayStation in the Software/Games division, building and running their First Party Art Services groups. After Sony he was named Studio Art Director for Midway Amusement Game’s headquarters in Chicago in 2007. Midway survived just shy of two years from that point… But that eventually led him to starting his own company – NXA Studios. NXA is now in it’s 8th year of service, and it is still growing steadily.
Resources:
*NXA Studios website
*NXA Studios Facebook
*NXA Studios LinkedIn
*NXA Studios Argentina Facebook
*PCPaint Wikipedia
*Corel DRAW website
*Stargate Wikipedia
*Georgia Tech website
*Biovision’s BVH file format
*Solaris Unix Wikipedia
*Waffle House Wikipedia
*Ion Storm PC Gamer
*Mortal Kombat website
*Speedtree website
*Level Ex Video Games for Doctors website - and we’re hiring!
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Game Dev Advice website
*Game Dev Advice Hotline (224) 484-7733 - give a call
*And thanks to Charles Dike Production podcast editing
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GDA 013: Indie Game Dev, Rick and Morty, Double Fine and Being in the Game Press, with Chris Johnson of the Player One Podcast
Summary:
Chris Johnson from the Player One Podcast talks about producing games at Adult Swim for 11 years, and how he got hired. Hear what it was like working on Flash games, the transition to mobile and console, plus working with some well-known indie studios. How moderating the Adult Swim message board in 2002 lead to getting an offer. How in high school he was inspired to create a videogame fanzine, which leads to a magazine writer role at Electronic Gaming Monthly in 1994. How videogame magazines were the go-to source for gaming information in the ’90s. Hear ideas on getting in the industry nowadays. Hear about working on his two favorite games, “Robot Unicorn Attack” and “Headlander” with Double Fine Productions. How using build notes to reduce frustration and make production run smoother. Hear thoughts about live service games and post-launch content. Learn opinions on the state of AR and VR, including the “Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality” game. Hear about the importance of building relationships with others in the industry. Hear a discussion about the forgotten TurboGrafx-16, the announcement of their retro console, and the idea of having a 30th-anniversary episode. Learn about some of the challenges back when developing games on cartridges. Hear opinions on playing the games you love and not being part of all the negativity. Hear about CJ’s passion for Rare’s “Sea of Thieves” and how it evolved. Hear ideas about not having all games online so the experience can be more personal, along with a discussion about Nintendo. Learn about his podcast, the Player One Podcast, which has been going for an amazing 13 years.
Quotes:
*”EGM was kind of the shit back in the day.”
*”We actually watermarked some of the screenshots then, which seems so lame now.”
*”You have to pick your battles...don’t die on little hills.”
*”A lot of people I worked with in the mid-’90s are still in the industry now.”
*”Your reputation is key, and it’s not based on what you say, but what you do.”
*”Taking some project management classes as always a good idea.”
*”Great, you moved the goalpost again and now we’re not going to get our milestone.”
*”But it has to be a 4-week development cycle.”
*”The internet found it and it went viral.”
*”Having worked with indie devs and smaller teams it was a really interesting process working with Double Fine.”
*”I’m very interested in how live service games change how game development is done.”
*”AR has really struggled to find the purpose of its being.”
*”The show creator wanted to do it more than anybody.”
*”I’m closing in on the 30-year mark going back to the launch of the TurboGrafx in ‘89.”
*”I try and stay enthusiastic about games.”
*”It’s the first time I’ve played a single game for over a year multiple times a week.”
*”And you never see that in video games!”
*”Everybody gets a little something different from video games.”
*”So many people in line for a PlayStation 3 were there to flip it on eBay.”
*”It’s always good for consumers to hear developer’s opinions and the development process.”
About My Guests:
Chris Johnston started his career in video games back in 1994 writing about and reviewing them for Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine. In 2007 he joined Adult Swim where he helped shape the TV network's Adult Swim Games into a leading indie game and mobile publisher. His credits include Robot Unicorn Attack, Amateur Surgeon, Pocket Mortys, and Headlander. He also hosts the Player One Podcast, a weekly podcast about video games.
Resources:
*Player One Podcast website
*Player One Podcast iTunes
*Player One Podcast YouTube
*Player One Podcast Twitter
*Chris (CJ) Johnson Twitter
*Adult Swim website
*Electronic Gaming Monthly Wikipedia
*ScreenshotSaturday Twitter
*Robot Unicorn Attack Wikipedia
*Headlander Wikipedia
*Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality Wikipedia
*Astro Bot Wikipedia
*Andy Eddy Wikipedia
*TurboGrafx-16 Wikipedia
*Johnny Turbo Wikipedia
*Sea of Thieves website
*Utopia YouTube
*Don Daglow Gamasutra
*John Vignocchi Twitter
*Level Ex Video Games for Doctors website - and we’re hiring!
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Game Dev Advice website
*Game Dev Advice Hotline at (224) 484-7733
*And thanks to Charles Dike Production podcast editing
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GDA 012: Running An Indie Game Studio, Loot Boxes, AR, Markiplier, and Producers, with Tom Eastman and Ben Perez of Trinket Studios
Summary:
Tom Eastman and Ben Perez from Trinket Studios talk about going to school and getting started in the game industry. Learn their insights from launching a successful indie game and the challenges of running an independent studio for 7 years. Hear their advice about college and how best to prepare for a career, along with how to further your current career. Learn about their favorite projects and working in early development for the Xbox Kinect. Hear discussion about streaming consoles, ideas on how to make AR successful, and challenges on Steam. Hear concerns about loot boxes and the gambling aspects of microtransactions targeting young players. How being at a gaming convention in Indianapolis with Markiplier didn’t go as planned. Learn about how they grown to respect the role of production in game development. Hear a funny story about adding content not planned and learning the perspective on a game’s schedule. Learn about the use of the Fibonacci sequence and planning poker in game development.
Quotes:
*”I’m really just a programmer that has to deal with the most Twitter and taxes.”
*”I’d narrowed it down to astronaut, Major League Soccer Player, or game developer.”
*”We’d gotten a lot of advice and I thought we were prepared to start an indie company and do everything ourselves, but we still weren’t prepared for burnout.”
*”Even if the advice seems true at the time it’s really hard to put into practice without having lived through it.”
*”The game’s industry is this crazy beast you have to tame yourself.”
*”You also have to be worried about, “where will I be in 5 years, what will my priorities be?””
*”There’s a couple of really important things we see all the time with indies that we somehow dodged.”
*”Making a great game is like half of the equation.”
*”I would caution people specifically looking to get a degree in “game development.””
*”There was that flashpoint where everyone was doing it.”
*”I really thought, “I’ve got this figured out, I know how to make a game.””
*”I need to be careful if my response is from producer Tom, or designer Tom, or programmer Tom.
About My Guests:
Tom Eastman started pursuing a career in the video game industry from a young age. During high school he created a series of mediocre games and failed to sell any online. Tom studied Computer Science at Dartmouth College while interning at Garage Games and Wideload Games. Shortly after joining Wideload Games full-time, they were acquired by Disney. Tom lasted three years in that environment before leaving with Ben and Eric to form Trinket Studios. He’s particularly proud of his work on Guilty Party, Color Sheep, and Battle Chef Brigade.
Ben Perez’s obsession with video games and computers began at the age of 5 when he was introduced to Super Mario Bros. on the NES. His parents are fond of recalling that he wasn’t able to get over the first pipe, but suffice it to say that Ben didn’t let that hurdle stop him! Ben pursued his passion through college and obtained a B.S. in Computer Game Development from DePaul University. In his senior year, Ben became an intern and eventually a full-time programmer at Wideload Studios, where he worked on Guilty Party and Avengers Initiative.
Resources:
*Trinket Studios website
*Trinket Studios Twitter
*Battle Chef Brigade website
*Battle Chef Brigade Twitter
*Alex Seropian Wikipedia
*Patrick Curry website
*Guilty Party the game
*Breaking The Wheel by Justin Fischer
*Indie City Co-Op website
*Xbox Kinect Wikipedia
*Bill to ban loot boxes Kotaku
*Markiplier YouTube
*Slay the Spire Steam
*Kanban development Wikipedia
*Planning poker Wikipedia
*Jira Software by Atlassian website
*Level Ex Video Games for Doctors website
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Game Dev Advice website
*Game Dev Advice Hotline at (224) 484-7733
*And thanks to Charles Dike Production podcast editing
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GDA 011: Crunch Culture & What You Can Do To Escape...Hint, It Ain't On Twitter
Summary:
“Crunch” is in the news, yet again. The industry’s dirty little secret is in the spotlight (just Google “intense crunch”) and surprise, everyone’s shocked. Why? It’s been going on since games were on floppy discs. Everyone’s preaching unions. But they’re not going to be your savior, at least any time soon. And most companies will find ways around them. So instead of waiting for the union tooth fairy, hear my advice for researching and applying to companies that take culture and work-life balance seriously. They exist. Get your house in order and apply. Take action and rise above the Twitter ranting.
Resources:
*Charles Dike Production podcast editing website
*Level Ex website, check it out
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Game Dev Advice website
*Game Dev Advice Hotline at (224) 484-7733
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GDA 010: NBA Jam BOOMSHAKALAKA!!, Shaq, Dota, Rage 2, The Twilight Zone and Pins with Tim Kitzrow
Summary:
Tim Kitzrow - you may not know his name, but if you’ve played game classics like NBA Jam you know his voice!
In this episode, you’ll learn how Tim got started doing voice-over work as just a side gig. Hear stories about working on some of the most iconic video games and pinball games of all time. What it’s like doing projects for ESPN, EA Sports, Midway, Acclaim, numerous NBA teams, and hanging out with basketball stars. Talk about relaunching Mutant League Football and going up against EA.
Hear how the technology improvements allowed him to branch out more into writing and commentary. Learn about going to school and auditioning with Steve Tucci, Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, and others. Hear how the icon line “BOOMSHAKALAKA!!” was created during a recording session and the inspiration behind it. Working with Jim Shorts on MLB Slugfest and all the classic Larry David-inspired dialogue in the game. How NBA Jam earned a lot more money for coin op owners than Midway because of the business model. Hear his two favorite games of all time to work on and why.
Learn about the new “He’s On Fire!” DLC for Rage 2 pre-order and a future Dota Jam Announcer pack in the works. Hear the story of how NBA Jam’s reported to be haunted by Drazen Petrovic. How Shaq loved the game so much he’d occasionally have an arcade cabinet brought on the road with him for the hotel rooms. Learn about the NBA Jam book that’s being written and the Midway documentary “Insert Coin” by Josh Tsui.
Hear about attending classic game conferences and his dream of doing an NBA Jam convention for charity in Vegas. How Midway employees bought prototype arcade games from the company after they were done being on test. Learn about an arcade museum by ex-NBAer Todd MacCulloch. Learn about the biggest arcade in the world outside of Chicago, Galloping Ghost (note: my 735 number was off :) Hear about the resurgence of Stern Pinball and how they’ve grown back from tough times to be a huge success.
Quotes:
*”The two hardest things in the world...you’re going to be a rockstar and make your money playing drums or be an out-of-work actor hitting the floorboards and auditioning in LA”
*”It’s all about writing”
*”They’d put you in this booth that was like a meat locker or refrigerator”
*”This guy leans outside the door and tells John, “hey, tell Tim to say BOOMSHAKALAKA”...think of how crazy that is...to pull something out of a cloud and toss it down the hall and it becomes a gold mine”
*”Sorry sound guys, you get 2MBs for all the audio in the game, or less!”
*”You’d think they’d make billions of dollars since it made a billion the first year, but they just sold the turntable...the hardware”
*”I’m walking out of there at night, all the lights are off except for the Twilight Zone games that were on the floor, like a 100 games, and my voice was going and going….talk about walking into the Twilight Zone”
*”Shaq….would occasionally have a cabinet brought on the road with him by his handlers”
*”So we were driving around with a U-Haul to arcades reclaiming Arctic Thunders”
*”I walked into his place and it was like an arcade with like 10 machines everywhere”
About My Guest:
Today’s guest is Tim Kitzrow. For 26 years, he’s enjoyed a legendary run as the signature voice of classic games like NBA Jam, NFL Blitz, NHL Hitz, MLB Slugfest, Big Hurt Baseball, Wayne Gretzky Hockey and NCAA College Slam.
Unique in the industry for his ability to write and produce commentary and voice talent, Kitzrow is the only talent in gaming to voice all four major sports leagues. With NBA JAM, which grossed over $2 BILLION to date, Tim introduced BOOMSHAKALAKA to the NBA lexicon and earned pop culture immortality.
He’s appeared on television and radio with ESPN and FoxSports; worked with NBA franchises such as the Warriors, Rockets, Clippers, Wizards, Bulls, Hornets, and Bucks; plus launched games with EA Sports, Acclaim, Bally and Midway.
His latest game, Mutant Football League, released in 2018, is garnering acclaim as a fan and industry favorite.
Resources:
*Tim Kitzrow website
*Who Said What Now website
*Tim Kitzrow Twitter
*Mutant League Football website
*Warriors highlight clip YouTube
*Stan Tucci Wikipedia
*The Second City website
*Del Close Wikipedia
*Steve Carrell Wikipedia
*MLB Slugfest commentary YouTube
*Blackbox Games Wikipedia
*T.J. Jagodowki (not C.J….my bad) website
*Jim Shorts WGN radio website
*Rage 2 He’s On Fire! Trailer YouTube
*Rage 2 Deluxe Edition pre-order website
*Dota Jam Announcer Pack YouTube
*NBA Jam Haunted by Drazen Petrovic ESPN
*NBA Jam (the book) website
*NBA Jam (the book) Twitter
*Insert Coin website
*Insert Coin Twitter
*Fish Tales pinball Wikipedia
*NARC arcade game YouTube
*Midwest Gaming Classic website
*Gary Payton Wikipedia
*Steve Smith Wikipedia
*Todd MacCulloch on pinball in ESPN
*Galloping Ghost website
*Stern Pinball website
*George Gomez interview on Facebook
*Level Ex website, check it out
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GDA 009: PUBG, Red Dead 2, Taking Risks, Freelancing, Game Dev, VR and a Lawsuit
Summary:
*Hear how he got his foot in the door working for Creative Assembly.
*What is was like working on Red Dead Redemption 2 for Rockstar’s Leeds office.
*How he reached out to the Madison, WI office for PUBG and got his role working on the game remotely.
*Hear how he’s worked on 22 games since just 2015.
*How he started with computer science before pivoting to art.
*Hear his risky decision to quit his job at a call center to pursue his goal of being in the industry.
*How he took art tests and couldn’t get accepted as an artist then pivoted into QA.
*Hear how he had to leave Creative Assembly so he could become a junior artist at Rockstar.
*Learn about a weekend project doing fan art for Silent Hill that took off virally.
*How he turned down big studio job offers to continue working as a freelancer.
*Hear about being part of PUBG and experiencing the meteoric rise of its popularity.
*Learn the most important thing you have to decide if you want to work in the game industry.
*Hear the importance of joining websites, forums, and connecting with others.
*Learn what to have in your portfolio and how to tailor for studios.
*Hear the advantage of having your own website instead of using ArtStation.
*Learn about what’s important to do for improving as an artist.
*Hear how using UV Layout saves him tons of time, and using ZBrush.
*Listen to what his favorite game to work on.
*Learn about the development pace difference between European and U.S. studios.
*Learn opinions on the current state of the industry.
*Learn the current trends around game art and outsourcing.
*Hear why being a freelancer can be safer than working for a studio, plus let you earn more.
*Learn about developing on VR and the importance of optimizing.
*Hear about the importance of sound design to a game’s experience.
*Learn about Lindsay Lohan’s GTA 5 lawsuit with Rockstar.
*Hear where you can find him online for reaching out.
Quotes:
*“I always found it interesting the early Grand Theft Autos were developed in Scotland but had such an American flair.”
*”The visual fidelity of Tekken blew my mind and kick started my interest making games.”
*”I had no intentions on being an artist in the game industry.”
*”It’s a pet rock, it’s a fade.”
*”You can see how the sausage is made.”
*”If you’re in the bubble too long it becomes toxic very quickly.”
*”Without being sleazy or being a pest get out there and let people know about you.”
*”I consider myself to be very lucky working on huge projects while living in a little town in the countryside.”
*”You’ve lost your mind to leave Rockstar and work on some little project called PUBG!”
*”If this fails I remember thinking to myself I’ll become the watercooler talk at Rockstar.”
*”It has those adrenaline moments of having to kill everyone.”
*”It was one of those lightning-in-a-bottle moments.”
*”It’s not a punch-in-punch-out career path, you always have to be striving and learning.”
*”How we got to experience its explosion in real-time is something that’ll probably stay with me for the rest of my life.”
*”It’s pub time, what are you asking from me, you crazy American?”
*”When working as a freelancer you’re like a hydra-head, if an opportunity goes you’ll be fine.”
*”For some reason Lindsay Lohan thought it was her and Rockstar was making money off her, which was just absolutely B.S.”
About My Guest:
Today’s guest is James Brady, a talented freelance artist. He’s worked at places like Rockstar, remotely as a freelancer, and been in the industry for 4 years now.
He’s created art on games like PUBG, Hitman 2, Red Dead Redemption 2, Insurgency Sandstorm,
Firewall Zero Hour, Halo, Last Year: The Nightmare, The Forest, and many others.
He’s based out of Ireland, and is currently working remotely for a studio here in the U.S.
Resources:
*James Brady website
*PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
*Marathon by Bungie
*Halo by Bungie
*James Brady’s Silent Hill fan art environment on 80 Level
*Game Dev Unchained 163 with John Podlasek
*ArtStation jobs
*Headus UVLayout tool
*Zoop by Hookstone Productions
*Incubation: Time is Running Out
*Cardio Ex soundtrack on Spotify
*Lindsay Lohan’s lawsuit
*Level Ex website
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Game Dev Advice website
*Game Dev Advice Hotline (224) 484-7733
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NEW - GDA 008: Dave Mirra BMX, Coding, Nintendo, Tax Breaks, Tokyo, and Sucker Punch with Dave Grace
Summary:
*Learn about Dave’s role as a CTO for Kitazaru.
*How he got started in the video game industry doing audio programming.
*What it was like working at Z-Axis on games like Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX.
*Discover how he formed his own company with 6 other colleagues.
*What is was like working in Japan at Square Enix on Final Fantasy XV.
*Advice for getting in the industry, like building a playable demo.
*What kind of roles are always in demand.
*Thoughts on improving as an engineer if already working in the industry.
*Why it’s not good to leave a job on bad terms.
*The importance of attention-to-detail and treating your work as a craft.
*How Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX was his favor game to work on.
*Hear about how well the Sly Cooper series was engineered by Sucker Punch.
*Hear ideas and thoughts on Machine Learning.
*Thoughts about working on Spyro Reignited Trilogy.
*What it’s like developing for Oculus VR, along with an odd physical challenge.
*Learn how everything changed in the industry at 2007.
*Opinions about what kind of jobs are at risk for the future.
*Hear the average numbers of years people have worked in the industry.
*Learn how no-union companies skirt around the policy for voice over talent.
*Hear which classic game reboot left a debug option in to skip levels.
*Hear discussion about the ups and downs of Nintendo.
*Learn about living and working in Tokyo.
*Hear about a Canadian tax break for game development, along with the U.S. city that tried it.
*Learn about some of the games that have influenced him the most.
Quotes:
*“I’m the CTO at the Kozaru which is a Canadian subsidiary of Sanzaru Games.”
*“I got a job doing pager hardware design back when pagers were a thing.”
*“I was a musician growing up and everything so I knew my way around MIDI.”
*“Dave Mirra, that was my game. I was the lead.”
*“I did the physics on the Thrasher, Skate Destroyer game which was Rockstar’s very first title.”
*““6 other guys and me said “we can have our own studio doing this” so we split off doing this.””
*“I worked for Square Enix for 6 months on a what became the Final Fantasy XV.”
*“They don’t do anything smarter than anyone else, they just pay people less and throw more people on it.”
*“Best thing you can do is build a playable demo and send it out.”
*“Don’t burn bridges.”
*“Treat people like you want to be treated.”
*“Back in the day it was kinda like, QA is almost like bootcamp.”
*“It’s craftsmanship really in some ways, it’s about your craft.”
*“There’s no excuse to not download Unity or Unreal to get something up and running.”
*“We’re always short on VFX artists.”
*“If you go around burning bridges it’s going to come back to haunt you.”
*“I spent a year working 7 days a week.”
*“Those ones were done by Sucker Punch, those guys are absolute bad asses from a programming standpoint.”
*“90% of the time programmers say “this code is crap, I’m going to re-write it!”
*“Normally porting games are just train wrecks.”
*“Machine learning is out there and I’m trying to find a good excuse to learn it.”
*“Last year we partnered with Toys for Bob on the Spyro Remastered Trilogy.”
*“VR’s cool once you have the touch controllers in.”
*“On the Rift you really have to optimize the drawcalls.”
*“Everything changed around 2007”
*“Before iPhone we could make a good living selling $40 games on consoles.”
*“If I was an animator I’d be worried about what people are doing with Machine Learning.”
*“I don’t really know too many people from this industry that have retired.”
*“Breath of the Wild climbing mechanics are really nice, I’m sort of an animation nerd so I’ve been really getting into how they’re doing IK on the hands and to keep on the walls.”
About My Guest:
Dave Grace is a 20+ year industry veteran and CTO of Kozaru, a Canadian subsidiary of Sanzaru Games, a studio he helped start 12 years ago. He’s programmed on the original Playstation, and has worked on just about every console since as well, including PC and Oculus VR. He's lived in Chicago, San Francisco, Tokyo, and now Canada, and worked for Viacom, Activision, Square Enix, and his own studio.
Resources:
*Kozaru Games on Facebook
*Sanzaru Games Twitter
*What a pager used to do
*E93 editor
*Thrasher Presents: Skate and Destroy
*Sucker Punch Twitter
*Level Ex Careers
*Game Dev Advice Twitter
*Game Dev Advice email
*Game Dev Advice website
*Game Dev Advice Hotline (224) 484-7733
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GDA 007: Getting Hired, Learning New Tools, VR, Layoffs, Unionizing, and Trends with Humberto (Tito) Gamboa
Summary:
Hear from 3D artist Humberto (Tito) Gamboa who talks about working on an unusual VR project
How he was quickly hired based on his portfolio
Thoughts on the day-to-day workload as a 3D artist and generalist
How what you learn in school is likely outdated
The importance of learning tools like Substance Painter
Where to find great online communities for learning
Thoughts on attending in-person industry events
How you need to do more than just what’s taught in school
The importance of ArtStation for checking out other portfolios as benchmarks
Tips and strategies for applying to game studios
How diversifying your abilities by learning a niche skill can help you
What it’s like working at a startup as an artist
Hear the kind of big tech challenges he has to solve
How using Twitter and 80 Level are useful for keeping him up-to-date
How he’s learning tools like Houdini and Substance Alchemist
Thoughts on layoffs and unionizing the game industry
How outsourcing often doesn’t help reduce crunch
Ideas and strategies on how to be prepared for a layoff
Where you live can affect your financial ability to save and be prepared
Thoughts on how VR was hot, has cooled off, and where it can go
Ideas for using VR outside of traditional gaming
The unusual cake we had to celebrate the launch of a game
How audio designers can make a great impression and get hired
Why having a talented audio designer can really improve your game
Thoughts on the game industry, both past and current trends
Quotes:
“One of them had hair everywhere...a timberman looking guy”
"Just because you’re a 3D modeler doesn’t mean you’re going to be modeling all day”
“Coming out of college a lot of the stuff I’d learned was out-of-date”
“Sometimes your instructor might not be in the industry or never has been”
“I could have done much of my college online looking up tools and buying people’s tutorials”
“That’s just hard, we all feel shitty about our work”
“It’s helpful to pick up a secondary skill...a niche skill”
“Not a lot of people enjoy doing everything in a certain category of art”
“At smaller companies, you get to wear different hats to pitch in and help”
“We get a bunch of interesting tech problems the art team as to tackle in some form”
“5 years from now there’ll be tools out we don’t know about so you have to be in that mindset about learning”
“3D changes very quickly”
“I see people posting on Twitter and I’m like “oh my God that’s awesome”
“Procedural stuff combined with AI is going to be popular in the future”
“Twitter is scary right now with how many layoffs are happening”
“Companies need to be more prepared to take care of employees if it does happen”
“We’re kinda spoiled in Chicago”
“I’ve joined at a good time and at a good place”
“It was trendy for a while and lost its cool factor”
“I would have loved to have VR in 1st grade, put on our headsets, and suddenly we’re on Mars”
“So how does it work, how does it connect to your brain and show you the images?”
“Can I go back to the blue pill now if I was on the red pill?”
“People were walking by looking at our butt cake”
“Oh yeah Jeff works with Rob Scallion... and then Jeff’s cool points just shot up”
“Cardio Ex has a soundtrack that will blow people’s minds”
“Every game company and their uncle were making some version of that”
About My Guest:
Humberto (Tito) Gamboa is a 3D Artist currently working at Level Ex, Inc., a Chicago game studio making video games for doctors. He’s been in the game development industry for 2 years and learning Tech Art on the side.
Resources:
Tito on Artstation
Tito on Twitter
Video games for doctors at Level Ex, Inc.
Ryan Blake on ArtStation
Bob Nelson online
CLO’s Marvelous Designer
Thew on Twitter
Ryan Blake’s Realistic Character Production on 80 Level
Andrew Johnson’s Artist Resume: What It Is & What It Does on 80 Level
SideFX’s Houdini
Allegrorithmic’s Substance tools
Allegrorithmic’s Substance Alchemist
Patrick Curry’s FarBridge
Ringling’s VR program
Original Matrix trailer
SNL’s Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer
Jeff Linville on YouTube
Rob Scallon’s homepage on YouTube (1.59 million followers!)
Game Dev Advice Twitter
Game Dev Advice email
Game Dev Advice website
Game Dev Advice Hotline (224) 484-7733
*Don't forget to subscribe!
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GDA 006: AR, VR, Game Industry Trends, Unity, and Early Mobile Phone Game Dev with Patrick Curry
Summary:
-Hear from developer and CEO Patrick Curry who talks about his company and doing projects for CyArk and the Smithsonian Institute.
-Learn how he started in the video game industry and what inspired him to try computer programming.
-Hear about his early career doing web development for Ritual Entertainment, Activision, Raven, and others.
-Learn how he transitioned from website development into game development.
-Hear about the first game studio he worked for, Team SmartyPants!
-Learn about the clunky days of mobile phone game development.
-Hear what he wished he’d known when he started in game development.
-Learn what it was like to develop for the original Xbox, PS2, and the (challenging) Gamecube.
-His ideas for how to develop and advance as a game designer.
-How he influenced students teaching a decade ago at DePaul University that now work at game studios, like Level Ex.
-Learn about two of his favorite projects; Guilty Party and John Woo’s Stranglehold.
-Hear a discussion on various AR and VR platforms, along with thoughts on streaming consoles.
-How a tool he created out of frustration for his mobile games studio was later acquired by Unity Technologies.
-Discover the history of FarBridge and the new technologies that they are experimenting with.
-Hear opinions on the current challenges and opportunities to the video game industry, including streaming consoles.
-Hear about a trip to Seoul that included an impromptu trip to Shanghai.
-Learn about his great mentor, Tom Kang.
-Hear about the explosive growth of Unity Technologies.
Quotes:
-"The first time I saw Super Mario Bros. on the NES I was like, this is pretty rad!"
-”Eventually we got a computer around the house and I just kinda attached myself to it.”
-”Tried several times and failed to teach myself C programming as a kid.”
-”Making money, making things in software on the internet...I was like oh, this is what something I wanna do.”
-”Eventually a bunch of our clients at the web company ended up being game studios.”
-”Hexen was the sequel to Heretic then Hexen II was the next one after that.”
-”The programming and designing that I’ve been doing for the internet were actually applicable to video games and multiplayer games.”
-”So the first game studio that I worked with in Austin was Team Smartypants!”
-”This is really early in the cell phone game world, WAP was one of the technologies we used.”
-”Making PC and console games actually sounds easier than making mobile games at the time.”
-”Xbox sounds like a dream come true compared to that. (mobile games)”
-”There are always new technologies to learn, there are always new business ideas to learn.”
-”The original Xbox, it was really souped up PC.”
-”The most important thing is to be sharing your work with others.”
-”Being open to feedback, being open to improving it.”
-”I took a couple of years and really focused deep in the game design.”
-”What we were making at Midway involved some number of characters beating each other up and some number of worlds where that takes place.”
-”If you could put good levels in Unreal make them fun and/or beautiful then you will get an internship and eventually get hired.”
-”Do as much work as you can to recreate content that looks and feels as fun and professional as the games you love.”
-”I taught at DePaul for about 3 years.”
-”If having a hard day I like to go read the Amazon reviews...the ones that mean the most to me are like the grandma who says, “I got this game for my grandkids and we just love to play it together!”
-”Another game from the similar period was John Woo’s Stranglehold which I worked on Midway.”
-”Midway was a crazy roller coaster for everybody.”
-”M.A.G...multi-action genre it was called.”
-”We’d always try to get out before GTA because it’d just suck all the oxygen out of the room.”
-”We’ve also been doing some early experiments on the Magic Leap headset.”
-”Oculus Quest, that to me on paper seems like a big game changer.”
-”I’m a big fan of the PlayStation VR headset but you're still tethered.”
-”I would kill to have a really nice high-quality VR experience that I could like, take with me.”
-”No one I know quite understands what it is I do again.”
-”If you couldn’t get it to work on a video card and it was small enough you’d just say screw it...put it in the readme.”
-”We’re all competing with each other for people’s time and attention.”
-”The bad news is now, hey, we have more competition.”
-”This is a hit-driven business.”
-”I think streaming is gonna reinvigorate some corners of our industry.”
-”One of the stories that come to mind is a Tom Kang story.”
-”I’ve never been to China. I’ve never been to Shanghai. I don’t know any Mandarin at all.”
-”We had this rambling 8-hour conversation on the flight home. I felt like a changed man.”
-”After I left Disney, I ended up starting a mobile games company again.”
-”If you ask me at Midway if I’d ever go back to being a programmer or go back to mobile games I would probably just punched you.”
-”We kept working with Disney, we worked with our friend, Brian Eddy.”
-”It was a fairly fast courtship, but we worked out the deal.”
-”The tool that we made became Unity Cloud Build.”
-”It was really born out of frustration.”
About My Guest:
Patrick Curry is a game developer and serial entrepreneur. In his twenty-year career, he’s founded five companies, mentored numerous startups, and helped ship over 20 games. When not doing startups, Patrick has made games and software for The Walt Disney Company, Midway Games, Marvel Entertainment, and Unity Technologies. Patrick is now the CEO at FarBridge, a VR/AR software company he started in Austin, TX in 2017.
Resources:
-FarBridge website
-Patrick Curry Twitter
-Patrick Curry website
-Game Dev Advice Twitter
-Game Dev Advice email
-Game Dev Advice website
-Game Dev Advice Hotline (224) 484-7733
-Level Ex video games for doctors
-3dfx Voodoo Rush video card
*Don't forget to subscribe and go to www.gamedevadvice.com for full show notes with links!
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GDA 005: Unpaid Intern, TNA Wrestling, Hard Knocks, and Freelancing Tips, Pt. 2 with Mike Antonicelli
Summary:
-Part 2: Hear how Mike Antonicelli moved into doing 2D work to expand his marketability as a freelancer.
-How he’s learning Python scripting and copywriting to expand his skills.
-Learn how to get an advantage when applying for jobs that most people don’t do.
-Hear the story behind Mike’s unusual nickname earned at Wideload Games.
-Learn perspectives on the state of freelancers in today’s game industry landscape.
-Hear what he’s done to be successful at freelancing.
-Learn how he works remotely from locations like Brazil and Chile.
-How ideas for work as a freelancer can apply to working remote for an employer.
-What people look for when hiring a freelancer.
-Ways to get in touch with Mike to learn about his services.
Quotes:
-“You’d be surprised how hard of a time they had finding someone to color between the lines.”
-”All the things I’ve been putting off learning I’m going to do it right now, even if it’s just 5 minutes per day.”
-”Do the thing, put a little effort in.”
-”Tie it back to how you want to benefit the company.”
-”Sets a bad tone when you have a cover letter full of typos.”
-”If you’re working remotely things can be pretty competitive.”
-”I can make more working at McDonalds.”
-”50% of my work has been a client I’ve had previously.”
-“The feast-or-famine thing is real, it’s a real issue.”
-”There’s less suspicion that someone is sitting around watching The Price is Right and eating Captain Crunch.”
-”Reputation is important, people earn their reputation.”
-”Lets go get some drinks, I’ve got some stories.”
-”Don’t get discouraged looking at other people’s work.”
-”It’s fun to answer questions and try not getting on my soapbox too much.”
About My Guest:
Mike Antonicelli began his career in 2005 as a volunteer intern for Red Eye Studio.
He graduated Columbia College the following year with a BA in computer animation. Soon after he entered the legendary Midway Games in Chicago as an art production intern. From there, he transferred to Midway LA to become a full-time animator.
In 2008, Michael completed Animation Mentor -- a 2 year training program by Disney, Pixar and Dreamworks animators.
In 2009, he incorporated as Superfantastik CG Inc. Over the past 9 years, Superfantastik’s notable clients have grown to include Disney, Marvel, Steelseries, Next/Now, PulseLearning, Ragtag, and Trinket Studios.
Resources:
-Superfantastik website to book his services
-Superfantastik Twitter
-Game Dev Advice Twitter
-Game Dev Advice email
-Game Dev Advice website
-Battle Chef Brigade game
-Trinket Studios website
-JJ Williams Twitter
-Alex Seropian Wikipedia
-Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse Wikipedia
-SIXMOREVODKA on ArtStation
-SIXMOREVODKA Twitter
-Game Dev Advice Hotline: call 224-484-7733
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GDA 004: Unpaid Intern, TNA Wrestling, Hard Knocks, and Freelancing Tips, Pt. 1 with Mike Antonicelli
Summary:
-Hear how he learned about the game industry as a career.
-How studying computer animation at Columbia College lead to his internship at Red Eye Studio.
-Learn the type of work he did as an unpaid intern at Midway Games.
-Find out about Animation Mentor and his hard decision to follow his passion by moving out to LA.
-How we has mentored in Midway LA by industry legends Sal Divita and Mark Turmell
-His first freelancing animation job working on a TV pilot funded by a granite countertop company
-How sending his updated reel to his old boss turned into a 5-year experience working at Disney Interactive
-What’s important to do for keeping your skills up-to-date
-Listen to what he wished he was skilled at when he was starting out and his inspirations
-Discover helpful advice when you are starting out in the gaming industry.
-Why a good reputation and working hard leads to other doors opening.
-Share hard-learned advice about advancing his skills and career
-Part 2 of Mike turning the tables to grill me with questions, coming soon!
Quotes:
-“I went to a job fair that had the Illinois Institute of Art or something was there make shows some computer graphics, 3d stuff and animation."
-”It was a 3 month unpaid internship I was happy to do to get my foot in the door.”
-"Maybe I thought I was gonna become a Pixar animator, Disney animator."
-"That is actually where I met Jon Krusell because he was the head of Red Eye."
-”We were reverse engineering to make it useable again...it was quite a task.”
-”I signed up for Animation Mentor.”
-”I had that 20-22 year old optimism that nothing can go wrong, it’ll be fine.”
-”Packed everything I owned into a 1997 Toyota Celica hatchback.”
-”What is my son doing...why are we driving to California to be an intern-crap?”
-”We stopped at the Grand Canyon holding the turtle.”
-”We worked on TNA Wrestling.”
-”I stayed for a while and got kinda homesick eventually.”
-”I was paying a lot of money for Animation Mentor.”
-"Starting on a TV show pilot that a local person here wanted to make his own tv show that was an animated version of Sopranos basically called The Baritonios”
-”It was one of the strangest experiences of my life.”
-”It was great until they launched the missiles and nuked us one day...but that happens”
-”When I was trying to evaluate how good I was, I would kind of look at other people’s work”
-”I would probably would have told myself, there’s always gonna be someone who’s better than you.”
-”See how other people are doing and, specially people who are already working and see if your work is on the same level as them.”
-”Be open to doing lots of different things. Doing a podcast for example.”
-”Your reputation is super important, and it’s not based on what you say but what you do.”
-”Have a good attitude whatever the job is”
-”I did 3 internships just to get my first job”
-”Say Yes, then figure it out later”
-”Everything I’m telling you I’ve learned from mistakes in the past so hopefully someone else can take this advice to help them.”
About My Guest:
Mike Antonicelli began his career in 2005 as a volunteer intern for Red Eye Studio.
He graduated Columbia College the following year with a BA in computer animation. Soon after he entered the legendary Midway Games in Chicago as an art production intern. From there, he transferred to Midway LA to become a full-time animator.
In 2008, Michael completed Animation Mentor -- a 2 year training program by Disney, Pixar and Dreamworks animators.
In 2009, he incorporated as Superfantastik CG Inc. Over the past 9 years, Superfantastik’s notable clients have grown to include Disney, Marvel, Steelseries, Next/Now, PulseLearning, Ragtag, and Trinket Studios.
Resources:
-Superfantastik website to book his services
-Superfantastik Twitter
-Jon Krusell on LinkedIn
-Sal Divita Twitter
-Mark Turmell on Giant Bomb
-Level Ex website
-Just in case, a link to the Grand Canyon :)
-TNA Wrestling (video game)
-Game Dev Advice Hotline: 224-484-7733
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GDA 003: James Bond, Ultima VII, 80's Game Dev, Writing, Volatility, and GWAR! with Raymond Benson
Summary:
-Learn how Raymond transitioned into the game industry from being author and in theatre.
-Hear about the book, "The James Bond Bedside Companion."
-Learn how playing Dungeons and Dragons was a stepping stone into game design.
-Hear about classic text game adventures like Zork from Infocom.
-Discover that James Bond and Stephen King's “The Mist” were turned into games.
-Hear about a role-playing adventure game, "You Only Live Twice II: Back Of Beyond."
-Learn about the game company roots of the Austin game development community.
-Discover his idea for using court-reporting as a source for writing future mystery novels.
-On working with Richard Garriott and the evolution of the Ultima franchise game.
-What it was like creating "Ultima VII: The Black Gate" and how big the early 90s team.
-Hear about the offer to work at famed game developer and publisher MicroProse.
-Learn how the sequel "Return of the Phantom" game was made.
-Listen to advice on working in game development.
-Hear about publisher CyberDreams and designing their “Dark Seed II” game.
-Learn what it was like working on Nickelodeon’s game "Are You Afraid of the Dark."
-Hear about a haunted house “Doom for Windows 95” DirectX launch party at Microsoft with GWAR!
-Learn when the graphics explosion started in games.
-Hear how Ian Fleming Publications offered him to write new James Bond novels.
-Get to know about FBI agent John Douglas, Kojima and John Milius.
-Learn what it was like leaving the game dev industry and becoming a full time novelist
-Discover game novelization books based on Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, Metal Gear Solid, Homefront, and Hitman.
-Hear what he wished he know when he started in the industry.
-Hear what crunch mode was like back in the 80s and 90s.
-Find out what he is currently doing and his latest projects to look out for.
-*Correction: We were pitching a Star Trek game for Virgin Interactive, not Star Wars :)
Quotes:
"My transition into the game industry was over 30 years ago, so it was a lot different then. It was like the Dark Ages."
"I was also working on a book about the history of James Bond that ended up being James Bond “Bedside Companion” which was published in 1984."
"They asked me would I be interested in writing an adventure module for the role-playing game."
"I love the Infocom games."
"I wasn't the programmer or anything, I was just the writer."
"The game was all text, so there was no artists.”
"For the Stephen King's "The Mist" you know, you based it on the novella."
"I had 3 computer games and one role playing game under my belt."
"In 1984-85 not a lot of people had PCs. I bought my Apple IIc when I got the job."
"In Austin, Texas is where Origin Systems where made."
"I went and interviewed with a guy named Warren Spector who is still in the business.”
"Richard Garriott is the one genius that I knew."
"The concept of the fellowship which is in Britannia, is a kinda like Scientology really."
"It was kinda like the James Bond formula."
"Ultima VII, that was quite an undertaking."
"Sid Meier was pretty great."
“So I moved my family cross-country again, that’s three cross-country moves in four years.”
The game I did there was called Return of the Phantom, the sequel to Phantom of the Opera."
"That's one thing I wanna say about this business is that it is very volatile."
"Viacom New Media bought a small company called ICOM."
"I would point to Dark Seed II as my favorite."
“If you’re going to be doing layoffs put me in the first wave.”
“It was very adults-only.”
“I got tapped in 2004 to do a novel based on Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell”
“A little later I did Metal Gear Solid books, I did two of those.”
“In that game it’s about how North Korea takes over United States.”
“My career, I called it the long and winding road.”
“I can remember Origin just smelling like a boys’ locker room down the halls.”
About My Guest:
Raymond Benson is a veteran of the industry, having worked as a writer and designer for games like the Ultima series, James Bond’s A View to a Kill, Stephen King’s The Mist, Dark Seed II, and many others.
He’s a prolific New York Times Bestselling author with 40 published titles, best known for being the official author of the James Bond novels in the late 90s and early 2000s, (note: he’s the first American to have done this). Games like Splinter Cell, Metal Gear Solid, and Hitman are some of the novelizations he’s written, along with original works, like The Black Stiletto fictional series. He’s also a long time musician, and instructor at the College of DuPage outside of Chicago.
Resources:
-Official Raymond Benson site
-His James Bond books
-The Black Stiletto series
-Raymond’s other non-Bond books
-His Twitter account
-Stephen King's The Mist
-James Bond’s You Only Live Twice II: Back Of Beyond
-Richard Garriott’s background
-Sid Meier’s background
-HR Giger’s background
-Article about Viacom New Media
-Special Agent John Douglas
-Viacom New Media’s Club Dead
-One of the Metal Gear Solid books
-Hideo Kojima’s background
-The Hitman games
-The movie Apocalypse Now
-Cool things Level Ex creates
-The movie Indian and the Cupboard
-The insane Doom for Windows 95 and DirectX launch party with GWAR! in a giant Microsoft haunted house-themed parking garage (it was totally surreal)
-Best of The Great Cornholio!
-Mike Judge interview sharing backstories about Beavis and other characters
-Best dive bar in NYC (also in the game credits for my Beavis and Butt-Head game)
-The Game Dev Advice Hotline: 224-484-7733
*Don't forget to subscribe so I can keep bringing you new episodes!
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GDA 002: SEGA, Midway, Interviewing Tips, Ringling, VR, and Immersion Therapy with Martin Murphy
Summary
-Hear about early game dev art programs like Dazzle Draw, Deluxe Paint, and later Softimage
-Regret about how he approached learning to program.
-What the working environment was like in SEGA and Midway Games.
-Hear advice on how to land your first job.
-The three things he looks for when hiring.
-Learn about what kind of art jobs are in high demand.
-The importance of following instructions.
-Who some of the largest employers of his students are.
-How art and design can do more than entertain.
-Uses for VR outside of gaming, like immersion therapy.
-Some funny game industry stories.
-His favorite part at being part of Midway Games.
-Regrets about valuing results more than valuing relationships.
-Hear about E3 game competitions.
-Learn about a new game from Richard Rouse III called "Church in the Darkness" in Alpha, on Steam.
Quotes
“I started by replicating Judas Priest album covers.”
”Family friend introduced me to an art director friend at Mindscape.”
”I worked on this little movie called Jurassic Park.”
”Took as these high-end graphics and pushed them down to Deluxe Paint.”
"The chip that's in the Genesis is the same chip that's in, maybe your sons' too, their graphic calculator."
“Getting frustrated at SEGA as they were transitioning to Saturn at the time.”
”When I realized real-time graphics is going to be the way to go.”
”At times I really regret the decision going from college to Hollywood, maybe I would have been best served just going back to Chicago.”
”I just had the great confidence with all the people there, all the designers, just living legends.”
”One of the benefits of being here is we have close to 100 recruiters come to the college campus so you hear a thing or two.”
”As a hiring manager I’ve hired 70 artists in games.”
”Resumes aren’t reliable, referrals aren’t reliable.”
"Demonstrate your skill, demonstrate your value."
”But you used to be so mean!”
"The art test if done well...I remember a few times where it helped a person get better compensation."
”He showed Andy Warhol how to use Deluxe Paint.”
About My Guest:
Martin Murphy has twenty years of experience in the entertainment industry. He’s contributed his talents to feature films, numerous broadcast design packages and commercials, and to the creation of more than twenty games ranging from the arcade and SEGA Genesis era to the current console systems and mobile devices.
He was Midway's company wide Director of Art, shepherding the transition of almost three hundred artists to new console technologies and fostering collaboration across five development studios.
He was also an adjunct professor at Columbia College in Chicago where he taught computer animation and portfolio development prior to taking a full-time faculty position at Ringling College of Art and Design's inaugural Game Art and Design program.
Heads up - you’ll hear a little noise in the background, but it doesn’t last long.
Resources:
-”D’Paint” a.k.a. Deluxe Paint
-Martin’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/tokkentakker
-Ringling College of Art and Design
-Arcade game: Carnevil
-Art Director Ryan Blake
-Hotline: 224-484-7733
-Email: info@gamedevadvice.com
-Website: Game Dev Advice
*Don't forget to subscribe and go to the website for full show notes with links!
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GDA 001: Interviewing, teaching, triple-A vs indie, and fixing game dev crunch with Heinz Schuller
Summary
-Guest Heinz Schuller talks about how he made the transition from working in IT into the video game industry
-Thoughts on the game industry being like a secret club in the 90’s
-Two things he wished he’d known when starting in the game industry
-Advice for working in a corporate environment and understanding how not to sabotage your career
-How to work with people who aren’t creatives
-How to radically improve your odds in this highly competitive job market
-The importance of finding your “thing” and what you’re going to express
-Experience of working on small and medium size indie game projects
-How he’s releasing games on Xbox Arcade and Steam
-Thoughts and advantages of teaching and creating games simultaneously
-The importance of YouTube for your career
-Ideas for staying sharp if you’ve worked in the game industry for a long time already
-Couple funny stories about working in the industry
-Changes in Microsoft’s culture between the 1990’s to the 2000’s
-Differences between the FASA acquisition and the later Bungie
-The coolest thing about being part of Microsoft Games
-Behind-the-scenes work that Art Directors do
-Building infrastructure are career paths outside of Engineering
-Ideas around work output, getting smarter, and fixing the crunch culture of game development
-Main reason for leaving triple-A games
-Challenge of working in middle management
-Thoughts on the horrific Telltale Games layout
-Hard questions to ask when interviewing at a game studio
-What it feels like going through crunch
-Where to find Heinz online
Quotes
-“He was telling us to stop complaining because we’re literally just a fly on a rhino’s ass”
-“Early on in my career I was pretty famous for writing beautifully sarcastic and highly volatile emails”
-“I was called the angry young man”
-“The only constant is change”
-“Those were holy wars back in the time”
-“It would slowly saturate my monitor to pure magenta”
-“We were alien to the Seattle culture”
-“Occasionally there’d be holes in walls”
-“We don’t have enough hits, we’re not making enough money, time to shut it down.”
-“They had no idea about making games, or why they were talking with me”
-“They gave the keys of the city to Valve”
-“Epic crunches just destroys lives”
-“I used to be in the belly of the beast, I used to be part of it”
-“I worked on one of the worst crunches in my life on a game called...”
-“You have to tell your people to come in and work on the weekend, again”
-“If you walk around and see futons and air mattresses all over the place it’s probably a bad sign”
About My Guest
Heinz Schuller started working in the games industry in 1993, and has served at companies including Viacom New Media, FASA Interactive, Microsoft Game Studios, and Day 1 Studios. He is credited with Art Direction on popular PC & Console games including MechWarrior 4: Vengeance, F.E.A.R. 3, and Avatar Laser Wars II. Heinz also served as Publishing Art Director at Microsoft on games like MechAssault, MechAssault 2, and Crimson Skies. He recently completed Death Toll on Steam and is the Instructor // Visual Effects, Graphics / Animation at DePaul University in Chicago.
Resources
-Death Toll on Steam
-DePaul School of Cinematic Arts
-Breaking the Wheel from Justin Fischer
-Hotline: 224-484-7733
-Email: info@gamedevadvice.com
-Website: Game Dev Advice
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