GameDev Loadout | A Game Developer Podcast

Latest Episodes:

49: Make Your Hook Engaging with Thomas Reisenegger Sep 01, 2017

Show notes

Thomas is the founder of Future Friend Games based in Brighton, UK. His main expertise is in consultation and public relations (PR). He was worked on more than 30 games including League of Legends, Smite, Paladin, and various indie games. He is also a regular speaker at Game Developer Conference (GDC) and Digital Taipei.

To make our game appealing, we must first figure out the main hook in the game. But even with a great hook, we still need to make an appealing trailer or message to grab players attention. Figure how your hook and find the best way to showcase that hook to your audience.

Sponsor Giveaway:

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48: Network with Purpose, Stand Out, Volunteer with Alon Kaplan Aug 31, 2017

Show notes

Alon is a music producer for JoyTunes and manages a sound production business which mainly focuses on video games, film and theater productions. In addition, he is a lecturer on sound design for a few of the game design programs in Israel. He has been working on more than 50 shipped games, mostly in the indie, PC and mobile space, and has been invited to speak at conferences around the globe.

If we want to find and do what we are passionate about. We must take the effort to go out in the world and take action. At networking events, make yourself stand out, approach people and start conversations. If you want to find a job, keep building your skill and create meaningful relationships. Do not wait for something to happen.

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47: Be a Great Teammate and Cherish the Memories with Dave Lang Aug 30, 2017

Show notes

Dave Lang is the C3PO of Iron Galaxy, aka the founder. The company was founded in 2008 and has worked on games such as Street Fighter 3 Online Edition, Divekick, and more. Currently, they are working on Killer Instinct Season 3. Dave focuses on assisting other developer achieving their goals.

Be someone that people want to work with and enjoy being around. Cherish the good times and bad times of game development. Being a great teammate means communications, encouragement, giving feedback, and sticking together.

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46: Look at the Data with Russell Carroll Aug 29, 2017

Show notes

Russ first began as an artist and designer on small indies games then soon created Gametunnel.com which did reviews and news update for indie games. He worked at Amazon as senior game producer releasing 13 game titles. And now, he is at MobilityWare which created a catalog of Solitaire games in which 2 of it made the top 5 most played games on iOS.

Looking at the data is a great way to study the trends, to see what's popular and not popular, and understand what mechanic works. Read the reviews including the harsh 1-Star reviews to get an understanding of why they gave that review. We also touched upon having a positive working environment that encourages teamwork, communication, and being open-minded.

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45: Learn to Write First Then Write for Video Games with William Harms Aug 28, 2017

Show notes

William has been a professional writer since the mid-1990s and has written for some the largest and most prestigious entertainment companies in the world, including Sony Entertainment, 2K, Ubisoft, Techland, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Sega, and Top Cow. He currently works at Hangar 13 as narrative director and was the lead writer on 'Mafia III'.

Learn how to write first and build up that skill. You can challenge yourself by putting a word limit. This will force you to think more creatively. Study and learn from medias such as movies, books, and video games.

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44: The Community Got Your Back with Matthew Viglione Aug 27, 2017

Show notes

Matthew is a co-founder of SomaSim, a Chicago-based indie studio founded in 2013 to create simulation games. He has extensive experience in creative direction, writing, and graphic design. He also has done a few GDC talk such as his latest one called "Running a Post-Apocalyptic Indie Studio."

Those 1-star reviews, those hate comments, and trolls can definitely ruin a person night. Luckily there is the positive side of the community. The people that love your game, that will back you up and give constructive feedback. It's important to stay engaged with your fans and not forget their support.

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43: Writing Interactive Music with Garry Schyman Aug 26, 2017

Show notes

Garry is a BAFTA-winning composer that worked on critically acclaimed games such as the 'Bioshock Trilogy', 'Dante's Inferno', 'Shadow of Mordor', and the 'Destroy All Humans Trilogy'. He is one of the most decorated composers in the industry winning numerous awards including several soundtracks of the year awards.

Writing music in games is different from other media like movies which have locked pictures. In video games, every experience will be different depending on players playstyle. Also, it helps for the company to have a clear vision of the direction of a game in order to make music that best fit that vision.

42: Contracts for a Peace of Mind with Brandon Sheffield Aug 25, 2017

Show notes

Brandon is director of indie game studio Necrosoft Games. He is former editor in chief of Game Developer magazine and occasionally writes for publications like Gamasutra.com, Zam.com, and Vice.com. He is also the adviser to multiple game conferences and competitions, including GDC, Reboot, Digital Dragons, Sense of Wonder Night, and others. Our teammates can be our greatest allies but we still must keep ourselves safe. For whatever reason, good or bad, if the team breaks apart, there should be contracts in place that clearly outline the details of the game and responsibilities. Also, don't forget you can write off your game in the taxes. Thanks Brandon for the awesome advice.

41: Avoid Feature Creep with Zachary Berenger Aug 24, 2017

Show notes

Zach has been making video games for over 12 years and also, he has been making tutorials on youtube for over five years to help us Game Devs learn how to make great games and get us motivated. His youtube name is RealTutsGML and his website is codingmadesimple.com.

In this episode, we touch upon feature creep which basically means adding new features to the game. This can be a very bad thing because adding new features means more work, time, and energy. It's crucial to stick to the original idea and finish it. Not only that, you want to work on your project with a passion, and not the feeling of being forced to work on it.

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40: Have a Flexible Purpose with Robin Arnott Aug 23, 2017

Show notes

Robin Arnott's first virtual reality game was a sense-depriving gas mask with a literal suffocation mechanic. Instead of the paralyzing terror of "Deep Sea," his new project "SoundSelf" aims to induce meditative bliss. Both games focus heavily on audio as the core experience. Creating games as we all know can be very challenging and time-consuming. Robin expresses his feelings and experience on his 6-year journey making SoundSelf. One key takeaway is to have a sense of why and purpose in order to maintain motivation.

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