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Indie Game Dev, Rick and Morty, Double Fine and Being in the Game Press

Game Dev Advice: The Game Developer's Podcast

Release Date: 06/29/2019

Comics, Crazy Game Submissions, Careers, Industry Rant, and Production

Game Dev Advice: The Game Developer's Podcast

20-year industry veteran Nick Laing of Amazon Games and I discuss how he went from a Comic Book Artist into game dev as a Concept Artist & UX Designer, Game Designer, and Producer, working at EA, Microsoft, and Amazon Games on games like NFL Street, MMA, and Forza, compulsion versus compelling game design, loot boxes, game budgets, interviewing, the state of VR, game submission war stories, and how to improve Production, hosted by John ‘JP’ Podlasek. (See gamedevadvice.com for all the details.)

Triple-A Art, Roots of Mocap, SonyPlayStation, Being a Problem Solver

Game Dev Advice: The Game Developer's Podcast

Dwayne Mason of NXA Studios shares about the early days of motion capture, getting hired by Sony PlayStation, setting up Domino’s franchises, the value of being a problem solver, working at Midway Games, starting then expanding in China plus Argentina, plus working on marquee games like Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil, Street Fighter, and many more, by John ‘JP’ Podlasek. (See gamedevadvice.com for all the details.)

Indie Game Dev, Rick and Morty, Double Fine and Being in the Game Press

Game Dev Advice: The Game Developer's Podcast

Chris Johnson of the Player One Podcast shares about getting in the industry, working at Adult Swim with developers like Double Fine, being in the game press, the value of playing games with others, his love for “Sea of Thieves”, and working on his popular podcast of 13 years. (Check out gamedevadvice.com for full show notes.)

Running An Indie Game Studio, Loot Boxes, AR, Markiplier, and Producers

Game Dev Advice: The Game Developer's Podcast

Tom Eastman and Ben Perez discuss their seven years of running indie developer Trinket Studios, challenges they’ve overcome, lessons learned, advice for getting into the industry, favorite projects, new technologies, loot boxes, guerrilla marketing, YouTubers, funny stories, and thoughts on game production. (Check out gamedevadvice.com for full show notes.)

Crunch Culture and What You Can Do To Escape...Hint, It Ain't On Twitter

Game Dev Advice: The Game Developer's Podcast

The industry’s dirty little secret is in the spotlight again (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. 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. Take action and rise above the Twitter ranting.

NBA Jam BOOMSHAKALAKA!!, Shaq, Dota, Rage 2, The Twilight Zone and Pins

Game Dev Advice: The Game Developer's Podcast

Tim Kitzrow is a video game & pinball legend, having worked on dozens of games, including the arcade BOOMSHAKALAKA!! classic, NBA Jam. Hear how he got started in voice-over work, studied with famous comedians at The Second City, and took on EA with Mutant League Football. Learn about his work in the upcoming Rage 2 along with a special Dota Jam Announcer pack. How NBA Jam is cursed, Shaq would take an arcade cabinet on the road, and Stern Pinball is back and thriving. (Go to gamedevadvice.com for details.)

PUBG, Red Dead 2, Taking Risks, Freelancing, Game Dev, VR and a Lawsuit

Game Dev Advice: The Game Developer's Podcast

James Brady started in 2015 and has already worked on games like Red Dead Redemption 2, PUBG, and other blockbusters. The risky decision to leave his job and pursue game dev, then later leave Rockstar. How his Silent Hill fan art went viral. The difference between U.S. & European studios. Why freelancing is safer than being an employee. What it was like experiencing PUBG’s success. Sound design’s importance, plus VR dev challenges. (See gamedevadvice.com for all the details.)

Dave Mirra BMX, Coding, Nintendo, Tax Breaks, Tokyo, and Sucker Punch

Game Dev Advice: The Game Developer's Podcast

Hear how CTO Dave Grace was hired as an audio engineer. What it was like working on Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX. How he formed his own company. Worked at Square Enix on Final Fantasy XV. Advice for getting in the industry plus what careers are always in demand. Learn the importance of reputation. Worked on Sly Cooper, Spyro 3, and other games. Challenges around unionization. Tax breaks for studios in Canadian and the U.S. Opinions on current game industry trends. (See gamedevadvice.com for all the details.)

Getting Hired, Learning New Tools, VR, Layoffs, Unionizing, and Trends

Game Dev Advice: The Game Developer's Podcast

Hear how 3D artist Humberto (Tito) Gamboa was hired. How schools often teach outdated tech. Working at a small game studio. Thoughts on online communities & industry events. Why you need to learn beyond school. The value of Twitter, Discord, ArtStation & 80 Level. Tips for applying to game studios. Ideas on learning different art tools. Discussion on unionization. Strategies on being prepared for a layoff. Thoughts on VR and great audio design. Opinions on past and current game industry trends.

AR, VR, Game Industry Trends, Unity, and Early Mobile Phone Game Dev

Game Dev Advice: The Game Developer's Podcast

-Hear from developer & CEO Patrick Curry who talks about his company, FarBridge.

More Episodes

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 video game fanzine, which leads to a magazine writer role at Electronic Gaming Monthly in 1994. How video game 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