Libsyn Directory

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

Game Dev Advice: The Game Developer's Podcast

Release Date: 04/19/2019

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:

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.