GameDev Loadout | A Game Developer Podcast

https://www.outstandly.com/art_for_games/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chantony/

107 Learn In-Demand Skills that Companies Need to Get Hired with Jordan Blackman Dec 16, 2019

Show notes

Jordan Blackman has been writing, producing, and designing video games for over a decade. He is a mobile game design expert and an accomplished producer. He has designed, produced, and consulted on several 9-figure franchises for companies like Zynga, EA, and Ubisoft. Mr. Blackman brought CSI to Facebook with the smash hit, CSI: Crime City. He went on to Zynga where he led the design team on FrontierVille. Jordan has collaborated with top studios worldwide including Telltale games, Area/Code, Other Ocean, Zynga SF, Nickelodeon, EA Sports, Beeline, Facebook, Digit Games, AMC, and The Pokemon Company.

You will learn:

You have to focus on the core loop of your game. Prioritize working on the repetitive activity that players do the most and make it meaningful.
If you want to land a job at a company, research what they need and learn the skills to be their solutions.
Why you need to invest time into people who are better than you.

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Sponsor Outstandly: Making a first great impression with your game visuals is critical. Even if the gameplay is great, if your game does not look catchy with intriguing visuals, potential buyers will not notice it or worse, never hit the buy button. If you have been listening to the podcast then you know the guests have been highlighting the importance of marketing. This is where Outstandly comes in. A creative agency that will help you create your brand identity, make engaging ads and showcase beautiful artwork. This is perfect if you are not great with artwork and need to outsource it to professionals. Focus on your strengths and let the professionals handle the rest. They are offering a bonus deal specifically to you, the Game Dev Loadout listeners. When you contact them, make sure you let them know that you heard about them from the podcast. They will offer a bonus production together with your order depending on the size. This could be extra characters/animations, user interface, user experience, and more. Go to Outstandly.com to get started on making your game look great to hook potential buyers. That is Outstandly.com.

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For show notes and connect with the guest, please visit gamedevloadout.com/107

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106 Show Your Game to the Potential Audience as Early as Possible with Liviu Boar Dec 09, 2019

Show notes

Passionate about cartoons and games since a kid, Liviu Boar dreamt of making a point and click adventure game since first seeing someone play Day of the Tentacle and realizing interactive cartoons were a possibility. Twenty-odd years later, he started a studio called Stuck In Attic together with another artist and a programmer, Kickstarted Gibbous - A Cthulhu Adventure in 2016, releasing it on August 7, 2019, for PC on Steam and GOG.

You will learn:

Why it's important to go out and network. Liviu met his programmer through a bad but at the same time fortunate event.
How he humanizes the game development process by constantly talking to his backers and keeping them up to date especially after a few major setbacks.
Why you need to show your work to a potential audience as early as possible. Use that feedback to improve early rather than later.

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For show notes and connect with the guest, please visit gamedevloadout.com/106

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105 How David Galindo Use Real-Life Experiences to Create a Unique Game Dec 02, 2019

Show notes

David Galindo is the creator of the Cook, Serve, Delicious! series.

You will learn:

How David used his real-life experiences as a barista to make his games.
Why you need to study your competitors by checking their forums and customer reviews to see how they respond to their customers and to see what customers are saying about their game.
How outsourcing your weakness can make a big difference in your development process.

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For show notes and connect with the guest, please visit gamedevloadout.com/105

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Rerun 02 How to Be Resourceful and Principles to Follow Toward Success with Angel Muniz Nov 25, 2019

Show notes

Angel Muniz is a designer and art lead at IS Studios. She has experience with environment and prop creation for Unity and Unreal Engines. She co-organized 3D Learning Network on Facebook for industry vets, juniors, and recent grad artists. She also tutors in 3D art and lighting for games and films. Because of Angel, I've been able to network and meet amazing people. Some of my guests on the show is thanks to her. In addition, she has given us her time to tell her story and tips to become successful in the game industry.

You will learn:

Why you got to specialize in a field that companies need and make sure you don't do something you will dread.
Mentors, communities, gaming events are all important to meet new people that can help you improve.
Have a good work/life balance and priorities the most important tasks to complete.

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For show notes and connect with the guest, please visit gamedevloadout.com/02

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104 The Decision to Finally Go Full-Time Indie with Nathan Hamley Nov 18, 2019

Show notes

Nathan Hamley is the artist and designer at Sick Chicken Studios, creator of point and click adventure game Guard Duty. Nathan has been involved in game development as a hobbyist since the mid 2000's, making the step to full time development in 2017 whilst working on his first commercial game Guard Duty. Currently freelancing as a pixel artist on various game projects whilst working through pre-production for his next personal project.

You will learn:

How to create a point and click adventure game.
Why you need to go to game jams and conference. You need to engage with fans, build rapport, get their contact information, and constantly be in communication.
The reasons why Nathan went full-time indie.

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For show notes and connect with the guest, please visit gamedevloadout.com/104

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Techniques for You to Master Unity and Productivity with Roger Miller GDL 103 Nov 11, 2019

Show notes

With 20 years in the technology industry, 10 in the game industry, on 4 continents, Roger Miller comes with a breadth of knowledge. Roger Miller has been on the leading edge of both server and client side technologies from factory automation to data cataloging to award-winning games. He has worked with leading advertising agencies such as Ogilvy One, been a vendor for entertainment companies such as Disney and HBO, created solutions for BMW and Deloitte and been nominated for awards such as the IMGA. He currently runs a small studio in Bend, OR where he crafts quality software with care.

You will learn:

How to effectively use Unity involving nested prefabs, ADB Logcat, package manager, and more. Download Unity for free to get started!
Use a time management technique called timeboxing where you give yourself a maximum time limit in advance and complete the activity within that time frame. Manage and complete small goals first, improve, then move on to bigger goals.
Just because you make a great game does not mean you will succeed. You must research marketing and advertising ahead of time.

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If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in ranking higher.

Do me a huge favor and subscribe to the podcast if you felt inspired and love this content.

For show notes and connect with the guest, please visit gamedevloadout.com/103

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Become Self-Driven to Overcome Your Worst Moments with Alexander McDonald GDL 102 Nov 04, 2019

Show notes

Alexander McDonald is a freelance game artist working primarily in pixel art and voxel art style. He has worked on games like Duelyst, Moonquest, Primal Carnage and Rivals of Aether. He has also collaborated with streamers and YouTubers making emotes, channel designs and stream graphics.

3 Top Advice:

A great pixel artist practice, practice, practice. If you are not practicing, others will.
Being self-driven is what helped Alex overcome his worst moments. You need to do what it takes to succeed.
Eating right will help you feel energetic and great. Try out his recipe in the episode.

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For show notes and connect with the guest, please visit gamedevloadout.com/102.

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How to Design a Positive Community and Tailor Messages to Your Targeted Audience with Victoria Tran GDL 101 Oct 28, 2019

Show notes

Victoria Tran is the communications director at Kitfox Games, a small indie team in Montreal, Canada that is creating intriguing worlds like 'Boyfriend Dungeon' and 'Moon Hunters'. They are publishing 'Dwarf Fortress' and 'Six Ages' to Steam. She has spoken at the game developer conference about Why You Should Care About Fashion and wrote a blog post about Designing Community for Kindness. She also does community consultations and co-organizes various local game events.

Top 3 Advice:

Create a positive environment for your community and enforce the rules to show that you care for your audience which will be trust and engagements.
Tailor each message of your game to a targeted audience such as the press, streamers, and people with specific interests because they all will respond differently.
When making decisions, do not overthink the worse case scenarios because most often it never happens.

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For show notes and connect with the guest, please visit gamedevloadout.com/101.

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Podcast Relaunch and Five Tips I Learned from 100+ Experts to Help You Succeed GDL 100 Oct 21, 2019

Show notes

We made it to episode 100! Thank you for taking the time out of your day to listen to the podcast and supporting it. This episode is about my long absence, changes to the podcast, new partners, and five action steps I learned from interviewing 100+ experts to help you get started in the game industry. Here are five actions you can take toward success:

Make a plan - have a clear vision and timeline to accomplish your goals.
Build genuine relationships - Go to local meetups, events like game developer conferences, or online forums to engage with new people that will be long-life friends.
Invest in yourself - buy courses, get a mentor, exercise, use assets that will benefit your goal.
Asking questions - it is the quickest way to get answers. The game industry is full of great people that are willing to help, all you have to do is just ask.
Taking action - inaction will get you nowhere. Create powerful habits that will automatically make you take action regardless of how you feel.

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For show notes and to connect with guest, please visit gamedevloadout.com/100.

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