All Episodes
Rapid Prototyping Secrets for Better Games with Bernard François
Nov. 11, 2020
Bernard François runs Preview Labs, a company dedicated to helping studios create prototypes. They have created prototypes for Amazon, Wargaming, Unity, Google R&D, Disney Imagineering, and many more. In this highly actionable interview, we cover how to make prototypes that are efficient and effec…
Inside the Mind of a Game God, with Steve Meretzky
Sept. 15, 2020
I mean, it's Steve Meretzky, one of the greatest game writers and puzzle designers of all time. He's also served as VP of Games at King, VP of Creative at GSN, and VP of Game Design at Playdom/Disney. Steve is a hilarious creative force for good, and in this interview he shares stories and insights…
From Table Tops to Live Ops, with Bruce Harlick
Sept. 7, 2020
Bruce Harlick is a prolific game designer and a beloved member of the bay area design community. He's worked at Monolith, LucasArts, Zynga, TinyCo, Hanger 13, and more on everything from MMOs to Facebook games. In our talk, we dive into live operations, content calendars, and managing KPI from a de…
Product Management & Monetization 101 & 201, with Gordon Rowe
Aug. 31, 2020
Gordon Rowe was a product manager on Mafia Wars, and then served as Zynga's only product manager on the 3rd party publishing team working with external studios to help them improve the performance of their games. He also worked on PC f2p as the Director of Product at Daybreak games. He's currently …
How to Become (or work with) a AAA Game Composer, with Michael Bross
Aug. 25, 2020
AAA audio composer and sound designer Michael Bross has composed on games like Ratchet and Clank, Counter Strike, Odd World, X-com 2, Simpsons Tapped out, World of Tanks, Arena of Valor, and many more. In this interview, you'll learn: * How Michael broke into the industry * What he looks for when…
Managing Your Game Industry Career, with Marc Mencher
Aug. 3, 2017
Marc’s first gaming job was at Sphere, which was later renamed to Spectrum Holobyte. He worked as a software engineer on the games Vet and Falcon 1. When Spectrum Holobyte merged with Microprose in 1993, Mencher was asked to staff the entity and hired over 200 people. He later joined The 3DO Compan…
Aligning Game Chi on Deadspace & Battlefield, with Ian Milham
July 27, 2017
Ian has been in the gaming business for twenty years, including time as an environment artist, the art director for the Dead Space games, and the creative director of Battlefields 4 and Hardline. In 2016 he became Game Director for Crystal Dynamics directing the Tomb Raider Series.
Inside a Game Design Consultancy, with Adrian Crook
July 18, 2017
Adrian Crook is an award-winning game design consultant with over 20 years’ experience in the social, casual, and core games sectors. He has produced and designed over two dozen products across platforms ranging from early Nintendo and Sega Genesis to PlayStation 1, PlayStation 2, PC, Xbox 360, Wii…
How to Build a Great Reputation in the Game Industry, with Gordon Bellamy
July 14, 2017
Gordon P. Bellamy is an American video game executive. He has over 19 years of experience and leadership in the interactive entertainment industry. Gordon was the Executive Director of the International Game Developers Association from August 2010 until July 2012.
Directing AAA Video Games, with Brian Allgeier
July 11, 2017
An American video game designer who is best known for his work as the lead designer and creative director on the Ratchet & Clank series developed by Insomniac Games for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4.
Game Design Process Lessons from a Master, with Dave Rohrl
July 4, 2017
Dave Rohrl has more than 22 years experience designing and producing online games for a mass audience. Over the course of his career, he has led design or production on more than 50 games and overseen or consulted on dozens more and held senior positions at Pogo, PopCap, Zynga, and Playdom.
How to Create UX that Drives Retention & Monetization, with Alfonzo Burton
June 21, 2017
Alfonzo Burton is one of the top designers in UI/UX. His insight and unsurpassed design techniques have been utilized by many of the top grossing games in the marketplace to date, many achieving the 100-Million-dollar mark. Alfonzo has founded two design companies that have both been a driving forc…
Building Empathy & Emotion into Your Game, with Robin Hunicke
June 2, 2017
Robin Hunicke is an innovative American video game artist. She's also a professor of game design at UC Santa Cruz and the co-founder of Funomena. Hunicke is recognized in the industry for her support of independent game development, experimentation in game design, research in dynamic difficulty ad…
Game Design as a Way of Being, with Eric Zimmerman
May 25, 2017
Eric Zimmerman is a game designer the co-author of four books including Rules of Play with Katie Salen, which was published in November 2004. Eric Zimmerman has written at least 24 essays and white-papers since 1996, mostly pertaining to game development from an academic standpoint. He's currently …
The Secret Sauce of Video Game Story Design, with Ed Kuehnel
May 17, 2017
Ed Kuehnel, a screenwriter (Lumberjack Man) and game writer who has worked on over fifty video games for publishers such as Disney Interactive, Paramount Digital, Vivendi/Universal and Ubisoft.
Hacking Kickstarter to Fund Your Game, with Lorne Lanning Part 2 of 2
May 10, 2017
Lorne Lanning is an American game designer, director, writer and voice actor. He is also co-founder of Oddworld Inhabitants. He is best known for creating the Oddworld series including Abe's Abe's Exoddus, Munch's Oddysee, Stranger's Wrath and Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty! He is currently working on Odd…
Designing Games that Stand the Test of Time, with Lorne Lanning Part 1 of 2
May 9, 2017
Lorne Lanning is an American game designer, director, writer and voice actor. He is the co-founder of Oddworld Inhabitants and is best known for creating the Oddworld series including Abe's Oddysee, Abe's Exoddus, Munch's Oddysee, Stranger's Wrath and Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty!. He is currently worki…
How to Use Hollywood Talent in your Game, with Lev Chapelsky
May 6, 2017
Lev Chapelsky is a founding partner and general manager for Blindlight, a Hollywood-based production company that has been operating at the nexus of the videogame and Hollywood industries for the past 12 years. Leading game producers from all of the global top 20 game companies have turned to Blin…