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

Game Dev Advice: The Game Developer's Podcast

Release Date: 05/12/2019

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:

Tom Eastman and Ben Perez from Trinket Studios talk about going to school and getting started in the game industry. Learn their insights from launching a successful indie game and the challenges of running an independent studio for 7 years. Hear their advice about college and how best to prepare for a career, along with how to further your current career. Learn about their favorite projects and working in early development for the Xbox Kinect. Hear discussion about streaming consoles, ideas on how to make AR successful, and challenges on Steam. Hear concerns about loot boxes and the gambling aspects of microtransactions targeting young players. How being at a gaming convention in Indianapolis with Markiplier didn’t go as planned. Learn about how they grown to respect the role of production in game development. Hear a funny story about adding content not planned and learning the perspective on a game’s schedule. Learn about the use of the Fibonacci sequence and planning poker in game development.

Quotes:

*”I’m really just a programmer that has to deal with the most Twitter and taxes.”

*”I’d narrowed it down to astronaut, Major League Soccer Player, or game developer.”

*”We’d gotten a lot of advice and I thought we were prepared to start an indie company and do everything ourselves, but we still weren’t prepared for burnout.”

*”Even if the advice seems true at the time it’s really hard to put into practice without having lived through it.”

*”The game’s industry is this crazy beast you have to tame yourself.”

*”You also have to be worried about, “where will I be in 5 years, what will my priorities be?””

*”There’s a couple of really important things we see all the time with indies that we somehow dodged.”

*”Making a great game is like half of the equation.”

*”I would caution people specifically looking to get a degree in “game development.””

*”There was that flashpoint where everyone was doing it.”

*”I really thought, “I’ve got this figured out, I know how to make a game.””

*”I need to be careful if my response is from producer Tom, or designer Tom, or programmer Tom.

About My Guests:

Tom Eastman started pursuing a career in the video game industry from a young age. During high school he created a series of mediocre games and failed to sell any online. Tom studied Computer Science at Dartmouth College while interning at Garage Games and Wideload Games. Shortly after joining Wideload Games full-time, they were acquired by Disney. Tom lasted three years in that environment before leaving with Ben and Eric to form Trinket Studios. He’s particularly proud of his work on Guilty Party, Color Sheep, and Battle Chef Brigade.

Ben Perez’s obsession with video games and computers began at the age of 5 when he was introduced to Super Mario Bros. on the NES. His parents are fond of recalling that he wasn’t able to get over the first pipe, but suffice it to say that Ben didn’t let that hurdle stop him! Ben pursued his passion through college and obtained a B.S. in Computer Game Development from DePaul University. In his senior year, Ben became an intern and eventually a full-time programmer at Wideload Studios, where he worked on Guilty Party and Avengers Initiative.

Resources:

*Trinket Studios website

*Trinket Studios Twitter

*Battle Chef Brigade website

*Battle Chef Brigade Twitter

*Alex Seropian Wikipedia

*Patrick Curry website

*Guilty Party the game

*Breaking The Wheel by Justin Fischer

*Indie City Co-Op website

*Xbox Kinect Wikipedia

*Bill to ban loot boxes Kotaku