Building Better Games
Leadership in game dev is hard. I can't make it easy, but I can make it a heck of a lot better. My name is Benjamin Carcich, and this podcast helps leaders in game dev who feel stuck, ignored, and out of options find their path to success. I've spent the last several decades studying and leading in environments ranging from the U.S. Army through to game development. I want to share what I've learned. Better leadership is a huge opportunity in the games industry. Let's make it better together. Better leaders build better games.
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E139: Why an Ad-Tech Insider Says Ads Will Help Game Devs
07/21/2026
E139: Why an Ad-Tech Insider Says Ads Will Help Game Devs
Level up your leadership: Is the video game industry being kept afloat by tech giants willingly lighting billions of dollars on fire—and what happens to your studio when the subsidy stops? In this episode, Ben sits down with Colan Neese, SVP of Gaming at Screen Engine/ASI and author of the Patch Notes newsletter, to deconstruct the shifting macroeconomic tectonic plates of gaming. They dive into the reality of platform economics, why Microsoft is losing an estimated 64 cents on every dollar invested in gaming, the likely rise of ad-supported models in the PC/console ecosystem, and the terrifying market realities of the Grand Theft Auto VI release timeline. What You'll Learn in This Episode: What the true data reveals about the current collapse of platform economics, Microsoft's aggressive studio layoffs, and why the "rounding error" era of gaming budgets is officially over Why the industry’s current reliance on wishlist momentum and renting creator attention is fundamentally broken, and why ad-tech algorithms might be a viable solution to solve game discovery How GTA 6 is creating an unprecedented industry black hole that is actively deflating competitor mindshare, shrinking long-tail revenues, and forcing studios to aggressively alter their release calendars If you're a leader in game dev who is trying to forecast your studio's launch window, build a sustainable monetization strategy, and survive the impending GTA 6 market consolidation, this episode is for you. Learn more about Colan Neese: Connect with Colan on LinkedIn at and subscribe to his newsletters: Mind Game Patch Notes: LinkedIn Newsletter: Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDev #GamingIndustry #PlatformEconomics #Xbox #GTA6
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E138: He Gambled His Last $500K on a Roblox Game!
07/14/2026
E138: He Gambled His Last $500K on a Roblox Game!
Level up your leadership: Does hyper-scaling your game studio actually destroy the soul of your product? When outside capital flooded into WonderWorks Studio following Roblox’s IPO, founder Zach Letter did what every investor screamed for: he scaled his three-person team to nearly 100 employees, built a massive physical studio, and hired a traditional AAA C-suite. The result was a toxic corporate culture, a mountain of high-maintenance work-for-hire contracts, and the near-death of their original IP. In this episode, Ben sits down with Zach Letter to deconstruct the grueling reality behind those decisions. Zach shares the timeline of cutting his studio back down to a core group of 12 people, bootstrapping a high-stakes licensing deal with Paramount on raw grit, and shipping a chart-topping SpongeBob Tower Defense game on their final weeks of runway. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: What structural traps await small, agile teams when transitioning to high-overhead venture capital models. Why relying on traditional AAA corporate leadership frameworks can severely decouple your studio from fast-moving UGC algorithms and audiences. How to leverage hyper-focused community feedback and competitive gap analysis to disrupt saturated game genres. How to design high-stimulus, free-to-play reward loops that prioritize long-term player commitment over short-term FOMO mechanics. If you’re a leader in game dev who is struggling to balance studio growth with creative control, or considering a high-risk pivot into licensed IP and UGC platforms, this episode is for you. Learn more about our guest: 🔗LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: 🔗YouTube Channel: 🔗Wikitubia: 🔗 Wonder Works Studio: Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDev #RobloxStudio #StudioScaling #LiveOps #IndieGameDev
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E137: Why AAA's $200M Games Keep Failing
07/07/2026
E137: Why AAA's $200M Games Keep Failing
Which of the 7 AAA mistakes are you struggling with? Find out here: Game budgets are skyrocketing to $200M+ while hit rates are actively going down. The games industry is spending more money than ever, on the biggest teams it has ever had, over the longest timelines in history, using a playbook that was out of date a decade ago. In this episode of Building Better Games, Benjamin Carcich breaks down the systemic flaws currently sinking AAA studios. You'll discover how shifting portfolio math has fundamentally changed the business and why relying on rigid project management over true human leadership is driving massive projects straight off a cliff. What You'll Learn in This Episode: What the exponential shift in game development economics looks like, and why a single mega-hit can no longer easily subsidize a publisher’s failures Why prioritizing "stuff" (features, systems, and assets) over a cohesive, engaging player experience is wasting time and money How to transition your studio from a plan-driven milestone trap to a value-driven culture that handles failure early, accepts uncertainty, and scales safely If you're a leader in game dev who is tired of hitting every single milestone on paper while feeling like the core game still isn't coming together, this episode is for you. Level up your leadership: Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDev #AAAStudios #GameLeadership #GamingIndustry #BuildingBetterGames
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E136: AI Won't Save Your Game, Here's What It Actually Does.
06/30/2026
E136: AI Won't Save Your Game, Here's What It Actually Does.
Level up your leadership: What if the secret to leveraging AI in game development isn't about just writing code faster, but getting your team to be more rigorous before a single line is even written? In this episode of Building Better Games, Ben talks with Landon (CTO) and Jean-Eric (Product Lead/Producer/Tech Artist) from Believer. Together, they pull back the curtain on how agentic coding tools and custom internal bridges like Claireon didn't just accelerate their systems development from months to a single week—they completely flipped their production pipeline on its head. They dive deep into why AI forces game dev teams back into a structured setup at the start, how it alters the role of engineering leaders, and why the ultimate bottleneck has officially shifted back to human creativity and polish. What You'll Learn in This Episode: What shifted when a veteran studio integrated agentic coding directly into the Unreal Engine editor, reducing a three-to-six-month development cycle to one week Why relying on AI to "one-shot" solutions fails, and why true velocity requires human experts to break down tasks into strict decision-making frameworks How to build customized, dynamic production dashboards that match your personal mental model rather than getting bottlenecked by the default constraints of Jira and tools like it Why the traditional middle-of-the-pipe engineering grind is disappearing, forcing studio leaders to double down on upfront alignment and end-of-pipe playtest validation If you're a leader in game dev who is skeptical of the generative AI hype but drowning in backlog management and long engineering cycles, this episode is for you. Learn more about our guests: 🔗Jean-Eirc Khalife’s LinkedIn: 🔗Landon McDowell’s LinkedIn: Learn about Believer: 🔗LinkedIn: 🔗 Website: 🔗 About Claireon: Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDev #GameProduction #UnrealEngine #AIEngineering #StudioLeadership
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E135: Why Big Game Dev Plans Never Succeed
06/23/2026
E135: Why Big Game Dev Plans Never Succeed
Access the Calibration Test: When every team in your studio tells you they’re 80% confident in their timeline, why does the final project almost always miss its deadline? In this episode of Building Better Games, Benjamin Carcich exposes the mathematical trap that undermines and then wrecks well-planned game development projects. When multiple teams average their confidence instead of multiplying it, a studio's actual probability of shipping on time can plummet from a perceived 80% down to a brutal 1%. Ben breaks down why humans are naturally overconfident estimators, how dependencies cascade into developmental bottlenecks, and the two critical production pivots leaders must make to protect their ship dates. What You'll Learn in This Episode: What the "Confidence Trap" is and how standard multi-team tracking accidentally almost guarantees project delays due to compounding probability Why even highly experienced leads give optimistically incorrect estimates, and why uncalibrated data forces reactive management loops How to train your team in calibrated estimation and shift your development strategy toward strict value-prioritization so you always ship the most critical player experiences If you're a leader in game dev who is tired of watching meticulously planned schedules fall apart the moment reality hits, this episode is for you. Level up your leadership: Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDevLeadership #ProjectManagement #GameProduction #StudioPredictability #AgileGameDev
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E134: Why "Don't Rock the Boat" Fails Game Dev Teams
06/16/2026
E134: Why "Don't Rock the Boat" Fails Game Dev Teams
Level up your leadership: Is keeping your head down killing your game? Many game dev leads survive by following a simple, unwritten rule: don't rock the boat. But staying silent when you see a broken system isn't "playing it smart,” it’s dodging your responsibility. True leadership isn't about having a perfect record or a flawless game plan; it’s about having the courage to stand in the public square, plant a flag, and risk being wrong for the sake of your team. In this episode, Benjamin Carcich breaks down the uncomfortable reality of what it actually means to lead in an agency-based industry like game dev. He exposes the two primary traps leaders fall into when trying to avoid vulnerability - hiding in plain sight or forcing absolute compliance - and shares a personal story of failure that forced him to choose between self-preservation and the work. What You'll Learn in This Episode: What genuine leadership looks like when the deck is stacked in your favor, and why it demands courage rather than structural power Why game development inherently requires an "agency-based" framework instead of a "compliance-based" model to thrive A simple question to check if you’re acting out of fear and failing to lead What the two extreme survival traps look like and how both destroy team trust How to build comfort with the unknown so you can confidently tell your team, "I don't know, let's figure it out." If you're a leader in game dev who is tired of fighting change resistance, feels caught between the demands of senior stakeholders and the needs of your developers, or is endlessly worried that your next big decision might miss the mark and make you look dumb, this episode is for you. Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDevLeadership #GameIndustry #ProducerLife #GamingStudio #BuildingBetterGames
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E133: Everyone Said Dispatch Would Fail. 4 Million Players Disagree.
06/09/2026
E133: Everyone Said Dispatch Would Fail. 4 Million Players Disagree.
Level up your leadership: Can you defy the industry experts by refusing to compromise on your creative vision? When the entire gaming industry declares a genre dead and claims nobody is buying narrative-driven games anymore, most studios pack up and pivot. But the team at Adhoc Studio did the exact opposite; they stuck to their guns, bet on their passion, and shattered every single expectation. Their debut game, Dispatch, blew past the skeptics to achieve a 97% overwhelmingly positive rating on Steam and over four million copies sold worldwide. Bridging the gap between two fiercely distinct creative worlds, Nick Herman (Co-founder and COO) and Natalie Herman (Head of Production) joined Ben to break down how they pulled off this "magic trick" of a launch. Bringing a masterful blend of creative grit and operational expertise, Nick and Natalie pull back the curtain on what happens when you dare to build a studio on an original IP. In this conversation, they share the raw reality of navigating intense launch crises, managing the brutal push-and-pull of high-fidelity pre-rendered animation, and evolving from hands-on individual contributors into leaders who empower their team to shine. What You'll Learn in This Episode: How to combine a game development pipeline with a TV animation pipeline—even when the two systems were never designed to work together. Why putting story ahead of gameplay can create stronger emotional connections and make players care more about your characters. The secret to building a thriving remote studio culture without micromanaging your team. What happens behind the scenes when a major release gets hit by massive leaks—and how to keep your team focused through the chaos. How to identify hidden talent, give people real ownership, and build a team that stays with you for years. The biggest lessons learned from creating story-driven games that challenge conventional design rules. Why trust, autonomy, and creative freedom often outperform rigid management processes. The leadership principles that helped scale a studio while maintaining a strong creative culture. If you're a leader in game dev who is tired of copy-pasting the same safe mechanics and is ready to fight for an unconventional vision despite what the publishers say, this episode is for you. Learn more about Dispatch: 🔗 Steam: 🔗 Imdb: 🔗 YouTube: AdHoc Studio: 🔗 LinkedIn: 🔗 Instagram: Learn more about our guests: Nick Herman: 🔗LinkedIn: 🔗Imdb: 🔗Mobygames Profile: 🔗Instagram: 🔗X: Natalie Herman: 🔗 LinkedIn: 🔗 Imdb: 🔗Instagram: 🔗X: Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDevLeadership #StudioCulture #NarrativeDesign #IndieGameDev #BuildingBetterGames
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E132: Why Helping Every Team Is Making Your Game Studio Worse
06/05/2026
E132: Why Helping Every Team Is Making Your Game Studio Worse
Level up your leadership: Is your calendar a graveyard of back-to-back “team rituals” for 4 different orgs while your actual strategic work gathers dust When you are a game dev leader straddling multiple layers of a studio, it is incredibly easy to fall into the "comfort trap" of doing what you already know how to do: running local team meetings, fixing immediate processes, and trying to play hero for every unstaffed team underneath you. But when you try to be everything to everyone, you aren't actually helping—you are stretching yourself to a breaking point and starving your organization of the high-level leadership it desperately needs to survive. In this episode, Benjamin Carcich breaks down why doing less direct work for your teams is actually the ultimate force-multiplying move. You'll learn how to shift your mindset from a localized team manager to a scaled "team of teams" leader, how to ruthlessly audit your calendar, and why learning to hold a firm "no" will build more trust with your studio than any standup ever could. What You'll Learn in This Episode: The “serve everyone all the time” trap that keeps leaders from scaling their impact Why great team leads often fail when promoted to higher leadership roles A simple 4-step audit to align your time with what matters most When to empower devs - no matter their discipline - to run processes without you How to grow your leadership influence through solving broader problems than your team If you're a leader in game dev who is drowning in cross-team meetings, covering unstaffed producer slots, and feeling too exhausted to actually steer the ship, this episode is for you. Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDevLeadership #ProducerLife #GameIndustry #StudioManagement #ForceMultiplier
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E131: The Efficiency Trap That’s Killing Your Game
05/26/2026
E131: The Efficiency Trap That’s Killing Your Game
Level up your leadership: Are you running your game studio fast, or are you actually moving it forward? In this episode, we break down one of the most destructive traps in modern game development: confusing efficiency with effectiveness. It’s incredibly easy to measure velocity, count assets, or point to a rising graph on your screen. But if your team is flawlessly hitting its milestones and the game still isn't any fun to play, your chosen metrics are a farce. We explore why game dev is uniquely unsuited for pure manufacturing efficiency, how localized optimizations choke your pipelines, and why real organizational value requires the courage to slow down, leave room for messy learning, and build a clear, shared North Star. What You'll Learn in This Episode: The difference between efficiency and effectiveness How busy work and overproduction happen when teams execute without clear goals Ways to identify and eliminate bottlenecks through better cross-team collaboration Why prototyping, failing fast, and retrospectives drive long-term success If you’re a leader in game dev who is tired of watching your team burn out to clear massive backlogs, only to realize the core game loop still isn't landing with players , this episode is for you. Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDev #StudioLeadership #AgileGameDevelopment #GameProduction #ProductivityVsValue
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E130: Why Releasing More Often Actually Takes Less Time
05/19/2026
E130: Why Releasing More Often Actually Takes Less Time
Level up your leadership: Is your release schedule a desperate race or a smooth commute? If every quarterly milestone feels like chaos and stress, you don’t have a talent problem, you have a Bus Problem. In this episode, Ben explores "The Bus Problem," a concept inspired by the unpredictable transit systems of Egypt 20+ years ago versus the reliable cadences of the London subway. He breaks down why infrequent milestones actually create more work and higher stakes, and explains why the counterintuitive secret to a calmer studio is actually releasing more often. What you’ll learn in this episode: What the “Egyptian Bus Problem” is and how scarcity drives risky decisions Why infrequent releases take longer and create more breakage and tech debt How frequent releases reduce stakeholder pressure and “big reveal” anxiety Why “no time for feedback” actually increases workload long-term How to apply the bus principle to reviews and retros for better feedback How to spot if your team is overloading milestones If you’re a leader in game dev who is tired of the "last-minute jam" and feels like your team is constantly redlining just to hit a single, high-stakes milestone, this episode is for you. Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDevLeadership #BuildingBetterGames #GameProduction #AgileDevelopment #StudioCulture
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E129: 6 Lessons from the Worst Failure of My Game Dev Career
05/12/2026
E129: 6 Lessons from the Worst Failure of My Game Dev Career
Level up your leadership: What happens when your dream job becomes a political nightmare? Making games is hard, but leading the people who make them can be even harder, especially when you realize that "doing the right thing" isn't always going to get you accolades or even support. In this episode, Ben shares the raw details of his biggest game dev failure, a career-defining moment where he was ejected from a team after trying to fix systemic leadership issues. He breaks down the painful lessons learned about dehumanization, organizational politics, and why your self-worth should never be in the hands of your boss. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: What it actually looks like to fail as a leader, even when your intentions are 100% about helping the team and the product Why "dehumanizing" your opponents—even the ones you think are the problem—is a dangerous path How to identify the "delta" between a company’s explicit culture and its implicit reality Why you must stop "outsourcing your self-worth" to the studio to start leading with true confidence instead of leading scared If you’re a leader in game dev who feels like you're bearing the burden of a struggling team alone and wondering if your "dream job" is starting to feel like a trap, this episode is for you. Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDevLeadership #GameIndustryCulture #LeadershipFailure #GameProduction #BuildingBetterGames
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E128: Why Some Games Never Die
05/05/2026
E128: Why Some Games Never Die
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: In a world where 5-year AAA production cycles often crash into 5-day culture cycles, shipping a great game is no longer the finish line. It is the opening bell of a survival race. In this episode, Ben sits down with Shahar Sorek, the Chief Marketing Officer at Overwolf, to talk about why the "ship and pray" model is broken and how User-Generated Content (UGC) has become the industry’s most powerful "immortality engine." Shahar brings over 15 years of experience as a studio founder, technology leader, and even a Hollywood creative producer to the table, offering a unique perspective on the convergence of media, tech, and community. Together, they dive deep into the "Four Horsemen of the UGC Apocalypse"—the specific market pressures making traditional development obsolete—and why the creator has replaced the game itself as the new "atomic unit" of gaming relevance. What You'll Learn in This Episode: What the "Four Horsemen of the UGC Apocalypse" are and why they are forcing a total rethink of game business models Why the creator has replaced the game itself as the primary "atomic unit" of industry relevance How to build a "Holy Trinity" between the gamer, the creator, and the studio to drive compounded growth Why small indie teams should actually ignore UGC until they have mastered their core experience How to manage the "chaos" of opening your IP to the public while maintaining brand safety and quality If you’re a leader in game dev who is tired of betting years of work on a market that changes before you ship, this conversation on building games that last is for you. Learn more about our guest: 🔗LinkedIn: 🔗 Imdb: 🔗 Medium: 🔗 Media360: 🔗 Show Summit: 🔗Rocket Reach: 🔗 Design Rush Feature: Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDev #UGC #CreatorEconomy #GamingIndustry #Overwolf #BuildingBetterGames
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E127: Game Dev’s Leadership Problem: Too Many Managers
04/28/2026
E127: Game Dev’s Leadership Problem: Too Many Managers
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: If you're making progress but losing the goal, you aren't leading. You're optimizing for stagnation. In this episode, Ben deconstructs the often-confused synonyms of authority in the games industry. Drawing from a GDC talk he was a part of, he explores why game development is currently "over-managed" and under-led. He provides a clear framework for deconflicting the roles of Leader, Manager, and Boss, while introducing five specific "stances" that allow you to develop your team's capacity and navigate the ever-shifting landscape of player preferences and market trends. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: Leader vs Manager vs Boss: change driver, system optimizer, org advocate Why game dev’s “management bias” leads to stagnation The 5 development stances: Directing, Teaching, Advising, Mentoring, Coaching How to choose the right stance based on urgency vs growth Why professional coaching is an underused (and powerful) tool If you're a leader in game dev who feels like you're constantly "chopping down trees" only to realize you might be in the wrong forest, this episode is for you. Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDevLeadership #GameDesignManagement #BuildingBetterGames #StudioCulture #LeadershipDevelopment
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E126: Why Game Designers Fail (and How to Help Them)
04/21/2026
E126: Why Game Designers Fail (and How to Help Them)
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: Is Game Design a Science or Just "Making an Omelet"? Everyone has a "great idea" for a game, but having an idea is a far cry from the professional discipline of game design. In this episode, Ben sits down with veteran designer Alexander Brazie (World of Warcraft, League of Legends) to explore why being a designer is less about having all the answers and more about the rigorous process of turning ambiguity into action. We dive into how leaders can diagnose a struggling design process and some helpful analogies that help teams find the deepest fun without drowning in limited resources. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: The difference between a real designer and a person with gameplay opinions Why great designers ask better questions instead of forcing solutions How to apply a Player-Centric Framework to every system How to tell if a designer is stuck or just in the creative process How to support a designer’s mental health beyond work Learn more & connect with our guest: 🔗 LinkedIn: 🔗 Mastering Game Mechanics Bootcamp: 🔗 Wowpedia: 🔗 Game Design Skills: 🔗 Moby Games: Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDevLeadership #GameDesignSkills #AIinGames #StudioManagement #BuildingBetterGames
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E125: 4 AI Threats That Matter More Than Skynet
04/16/2026
E125: 4 AI Threats That Matter More Than Skynet
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: Is your "AI First" strategy actually a house of cards waiting to collapse? While CEOs are busy pumping the hype train, the practical reality of LLMs is looking a lot less rosy. In this episode, Ben explores why the current AI trajectory might be a "subprime crisis" in the making. We move past the Skynet fantasies to look at the four existential and human threats that LLMs pose to the games industry, from the "logarithmic curve of effectiveness" to the dangerous atrophy of our own ability to think deeply. What You’ll Learn In This Episode: What the "subprime AI crisis" is and why the current investment stack might be unsustainable. Why relying on "generative slop" leads to a generational decline in the value of information. How to identify when AI is capitalizing on your own cognitive biases and "sycophantic" needs for ego validation. How to balance using AI as a force-multiplier without atrophying the "slow thinking" required for high-level game production. Reference Links: 🔗 🔗 🔗 🔗 🔗 🔗 🔗 🔗 🔗 🔗 🔗 🔗 🔗 Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDev #ArtificialIntelligence #StudioLeadership #TechBubble #BuildingBetterGames
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E124: AI Can’t Replace Game Producers. So Why Are They Getting Cut?
04/07/2026
E124: AI Can’t Replace Game Producers. So Why Are They Getting Cut?
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: Is your job being replaced by an LLM, or are you just doing the wrong job? The claim has been made that AI can handle 85% of management tasks. For game producers, this sounds like a death knell, but only if you believe your value lies in shuffling Jira tickets and taking meeting notes. In this episode, we break down the fundamental misunderstanding of "productivity" in game dev. We explore why LLMs are masters of the "passing high school grade" and why the most vital, indirect value a producer provides remains entirely out of reach for even the most sophisticated AI. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why “being busy” can actually hurt your career How to find the invisible value you uniquely bring The risk of using AI without real expertise Why producers must evolve beyond task tracking Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameProduction #GameDevAI #ProjectManagement #StudioLeadership #BuildingBetterGames
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E123: How Corporate Strategy Breaks Game Development
03/31/2026
E123: How Corporate Strategy Breaks Game Development
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: Is your corporate strategy killing your "Golden Goose"? It’s the nightmare scenario for every creative leader: You catch the wave, your game is a runaway success, and then—the "adults" enter the room. In this episode, we react to Jeff Kaplan’s candid interview with Lex Fridman, where he reveals the internal fractures that derailed Overwatch, from "miscommunication by PowerPoint" to the soul-crushing moment a CFO leveraged a thousand jobs against a revenue target. What you will learn in this episode: Why putting arbitrary dates in an executive deck hurts you How a money-focused lens creates efficient organizations that forget the player The danger of "bolting on" a league for monetization Why one bad decision by a senior executive can lose you twenty years of top-tier talent. Why leaning into live events and player happiness is often a better ROI than rushing a sequel You may listen to the full audio podcast: Apple Podcast: Spotify: Lex Fridman's YouTube Channels: 🔗 🔗 Original Video: Full episode: If you are a creative leader tired of "walking towards the abyss," a developer who feels their autonomy is being eroded by spreadsheets, or anyone who wants to understand why the most successful games in the world can still fall apart from the inside, this episode is for you. Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDevLeadership #Overwatch2 #JeffKaplan #GamingIndustry #CreativeAutonomy #BuildingBetterGames
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E122: Why Blizzard Killed Project Titan
03/24/2026
E122: Why Blizzard Killed Project Titan
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: Is your team busy working, or are they just walking slowly toward the abyss? It’s a nightmare scenario: you’re surrounded by world-class talent and burning through a budget in the 10s of millions, yet the game feels further away from shipping than ever . In this episode, Ben reacts to Lex Fridman’s interview with Jeff Kaplan (former Overwatch Director) as they break down the "multifaceted failure" of Blizzard's Project Titan . We dive deep into the "hubris" that kills AAA projects, why "anticipatory hiring" is a trap, and the brutal courage it takes to tell your CEO to shut a project down. What you’ll learn in this episode: Why having a "cool idea" is actually waste How the "we can do no wrong" mentality after a hit like World of Warcraft leads to multifaceted failure Why overhiring creates "busy work" rather than progress. How to recognize when to inspire your team to think bigger and when to pull them back to focus on shipping Why every technical or art failure is, at its root, a failure of leadership If you're a game developer who has ever felt the soul-crushing weight of "anticipatory hiring" and busy work, or a leader of a game development company who needs the courage to admit when a project has become a "money hole" before it’s too late, this episode is for you. You may listen to the full audio podcast: Apple Podcast: Spotify: Lex Fridman's YouTube Channels: 🔗 🔗 Original Video Clip: Full episode: Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDev #ProjectTitan #Overwatch #GameLeadership #BuildingBetterGames
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E121: The $200M Gamble That Killed AAA Development
03/17/2026
E121: The $200M Gamble That Killed AAA Development
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: Are we chasing unicorns into a graveyard, or is the "Black Hole" game the only way to survive 2026? The math of game development is no longer adding up. As budgets soar into the hundreds of millions, the traditional "hit-driven" model is reaching a breaking point, forcing studios to choose between low-risk IP or the near-impossible gamble of creating the next "forever game." In this episode, Ben sits down with Andrew Brownell, a veteran Game Director at Netflix with a pedigree spanning Blizzard’s Warcraft III, Riot’s League of Legends, and massive mobile strategy titles. Andrew pulls back the curtain on the "bleak" reality of modern development costs, the rise of hyper-efficient global competition, and how his own children's gaming habits have completely upended his philosophy on game design. What You'll Learn in This Episode Why a 4x return on a $200M blockbuster is now considered a dangerous gamble. How titles like Fortnite and Roblox act as "attention monopolies" that leave only 15% of the market for everyone else. Why it’s becoming increasingly difficult to justify US-based development costs against global talent pools. How the next generation of gamers—who have never known boredom—is forcing a total rethink of game mastery and strategy. The reason we are seeing a flood of Marvel and Star Wars games, and why even "hits" like Hogwarts Legacy are changing the investment landscape . Learn More About Our Guest: 🔗 LinkedIn: 🔗 Facebook: 🔗 Twitter: 🔗 ContactOut: 🔗 Netflix LinkedIn: 🔗 Netflix Games YouTube: @NetflixGames Notable game studios our guest has worked with: 🔗 @riotgames 🔗 @Blizzard Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDev #GamingIndustry #LiveService #IndieDev #VideoGameBusiness
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E120: The Hidden Pattern Behind 3 AAA Studio Collapses
03/10/2026
E120: The Hidden Pattern Behind 3 AAA Studio Collapses
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: What is the hidden pattern behind why world-class AAA studios, with hundreds of millions in budget, suddenly collapse? In the last 12 months, the industry has watched high-profile projects from Mind’s Eye, Ashes of Creation, and High Garden lead to layoffs, shutdowns, and lawsuits. While many blame "the market" or "toxic leadership," the reality is often found in five specific failure patterns that haunt studios of every size. In this episode, we strip away the headlines to look at the structural fragility that kills games and provide five essential questions every leader must ask to keep their project grounded in reality. What You Will Learn in This Episode: Why projecting confidence can actually blind you to a project's impending failure How to move past "theater" playtesting and get real signals from players What game visions should do for your organization Why treating launch as the finish line instead of a milestone is a $200 million mistake How to empower your team to prove you wrong before the market does If you're a leader in game dev who’s ever protected the plan instead of facing reality, or felt pressure to project certainty when the game wasn’t coming together, this episode is for you. Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDevLeadership #AAAGaming #GameIndustry #StudioManagement #BuildingBetterGames
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E119: 7 Questions That Expose What You've Missed
03/03/2026
E119: 7 Questions That Expose What You've Missed
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: If your day is nothing but back-to-back meetings, you might be busy, but are you really helping your team and game succeed. Senior leaders often grind 10–12 hour days yet still miss the most critical questions, such as: Are we building the right thing? What is the biggest risk we face? In this episode, Ben breaks down why we treat thinking as a luxury we can’t afford, and why that’s exactly what's causing misalignment and waste in your studio. What you’ll learn from this episode: Why "fast thinking" habits are dangerous in a constantly evolving environment like game dev. The difference between "scraps of thinking" and structured, effortful "slow thinking". Three practical ways to build thinking back into your week. A 60-minute challenge to help you think about what matters instead of rushing into another one on one If you’re a senior leader buried in meetings, stuck in reaction mode, and worried your team is moving fast in the wrong direction, this episode is for you. Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDevLeadership #GameProduction #StudioManagement #ThinkingFastAndSlow #BuildingBetterGames
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E118: The Truth About “Culture Fit” in Game Dev
02/24/2026
E118: The Truth About “Culture Fit” in Game Dev
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: Is your "culture fit" interview actually just a trap for hiring clones? We tackle the paradox of culture in game development. While many studios are abandoning "culture fit" to avoid echo chambers and bias, ignoring it entirely can lead to toxic hires that destroy trust and decision-making. Ben breaks down the two distinct types of culture—Taste vs. Operating System—so you can hire for high-stakes collaboration without sacrificing diversity of thought. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why hiring “clones” feels good short-term, but creates blind spots that stall real problem-solving How to separate Taste Culture (optional vibes) from Operating System Culture (non-negotiables that ship work) How different decision-making and feedback models work, and how to choose the right one for your studio If you’re a lead or founder torn between team diversity and everyone “just getting it,” this episode gives you a clear framework to balance both—protecting your team’s operating system without creating an echo chamber. Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDevLeadership #StudioCulture #GameIndustryHiring #TeamBuilding #BuildingBetterGames
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E117: The Real Reason Estimates Fail In Game Dev
02/17/2026
E117: The Real Reason Estimates Fail In Game Dev
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: Stop treating your game dev estimates like a prophecy; you aren't a prophet. If your estimates keep failing, it’s not because your team is bad at math; it’s because you’re using estimation as a fortune-telling machine instead of a decision-making tool. In this episode, Ben breaks down why "perfect" plans are a trap in the high-uncertainty world of game dev. He introduces a four-level framework—from "Priorities First" to "Relative Sizing"—to help you gain predictability, set external expectations, and find shared understanding across disciplines without killing your team's soul in meetings. What you’ll learn in this episode: Why estimation isn’t really about being accurate — and why predictability and velocity are only part of the picture. Why estimating work without clear priorities can actually slow teams down and lead to worse decisions How simple throughput tracking can outperform detailed estimates for forecasting — with less friction from the team When fast “blink” estimates are more useful than detailed sizing, and how they help Design, QA, and Engineering spot risk early Why the Fibonacci sequence exists in estimation — and how to avoid wasting time debating tiny differences that don’t matter How to recognize when estimation isn’t worth the cost, and when time-boxing is the smarter move If you’re a producer or lead tired of watching your team polish a "beautiful plan" while the actual game feels like it's missing the mark, this episode is for you. Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDev #GameProduction #ProjectManagement #BuildingBetterGames #AgileDevelopment
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E116: The Real Reason Your Game Isn’t Fun (It’s Not Effort)
02/10/2026
E116: The Real Reason Your Game Isn’t Fun (It’s Not Effort)
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: If your team keeps promising that the game will be "fun later," you aren't suffering from a lack of effort—you're suffering from a lack of prioritization. Shipping a mountain of features means nothing if you haven't validated the experience with real players. In this episode, we break down why hiding behind a massive backlog or a 100-page GDD is a "red flag" that allows teams to avoid reality for months, or even years. We explore the transition from "plan-based task work" to true "knowledge work," where the goal isn't just to finish a list, but to discover what actually makes your game great. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why waiting for a “magical moment” is the fastest way to ship nothing How the L-V-N Framework (Learning, Value, Neither) helps you cut dead tasks fast Which game loops matter right now—and how to prioritize proof over polish How to balance learning in pre-production with delivering value later on Why a clear game vision is the best defense against team failure If you’re a leader in game dev struggling with prioritization and watching your team build features that don't "click," this episode is for you. Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDev #GameDesign #BuildingBetterGames #IndieDev #ProjectManagement
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E115: The Culture Mistake Killing Game Development Teams - 4 Leadership Lessons
02/03/2026
E115: The Culture Mistake Killing Game Development Teams - 4 Leadership Lessons
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: The game industry is undergoing a massive shift. Between the rise of "black hole games" that consume all player attention and the skyrocketing costs of AAA development, the old playbooks for leadership are breaking. In this episode, Ben is joined by Andrew Brownell, a veteran Game Director at Netflix Games. Andrew brings over 20 years of experience from industry titans like Blizzard (Warcraft III) and Riot Games (League of Legends). Together, they unpack why the "unicorn" development model is failing and why the next generation of leaders must master a new set of "soft" skills to build resilient, high-performing teams in a bleak market. What you’ll learn in this episode: What Aggressive Gratitude really is and how to use it to build trust How to lead confidently when the direction isn’t clear Why conflict can create clarity when handled one-on-one Why character often matters more than skill when hiring If you’re a game dev leader trying to level up performance without burning people out, this episode is for you. Learn More About Our Guest: 🔗 LinkedIn: 🔗 Facebook: 🔗 Twitter: 🔗 ContactOut: 🔗 Netflix LinkedIn: 🔗 Netflix Games YouTube: Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDev #Leadership #GameProduction #GameIndustry2026 #BuildingBetterGames
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E114: What Employees Actually Hear When You Say “Raising Expectations”
01/27/2026
E114: What Employees Actually Hear When You Say “Raising Expectations”
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: When leaders say they’re “raising expectations,” teams often hear one thing: work more. That gap between intent and impact is why so many game dev organizations feel terrible to work at—and why “raise the bar” messages often land as threat, not motivation. In this solo episode, Ben unpacks the tragedy of perspective between senior leaders who believe they’re inspiring change and developers who feel cynical, burned out, or unheard. He explains why experienced seniors are the first to push back on buzzwords, how leadership unintentionally passes pressure downward, and what it actually takes to challenge a team without breaking trust. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to earn the right to challenge your organization What teams really hear when leaders use vague language like “excellence" Why people matter more than tools, systems, or AI when trust is on the line How to sanity-check your messaging If you’re a game dev leader trying to level up performance without burning people out, this episode is for you. Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDevLeadership #StudioCulture #BuildingBetterGames #GameIndustry #WorkplaceTrust
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E113: Why More Meetings Won't Fix Your Game Team
01/22/2026
E113: Why More Meetings Won't Fix Your Game Team
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: Stop adding meetings to fix your game. In this episode, Ben Carcich sits down with Glenn Paul Gray, Production Director at PeopleFun, to dismantle the "more syncs = more alignment" myth. They explore how piling on well-attended meetings often creates overhead rather than clarity and why your work system must adapt to the specific stage of development your team is actually in. Glenn Paul brings a unique "hardware-to-software" perspective to game production. Starting his career in the Silicon Valley semiconductor industry, he transitioned into gaming in 2017, holding pivotal roles at Wargaming, Wooga, and AppLovin before joining PeopleFun. His background in complex systems engineering informs his pragmatic approach to "de-risking" games through aggressive prototyping and early-funnel testing. What You’ll Learn in this Episode: How to treat meetings as a "cost to align" What it means to shift from a discipline-centric matrix to a high-agency, general manager-led team structure Why testing for D1 retention can be inefficient for weeding out bad ideas How to build a "startup within a studio" environment Why your work system (from spreadsheets to Jira) must "mode shift" as your project moves from R&D to production Learn more about Glenn & his company: 🔗 LinkedIn: 🔗 PeopleFun Website: 🔗 PeopleFun Instagram: Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDev #MobileGaming #GameProduction #BuildingBetterGames #GameLeadership
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E112: The Game Producer Trap: Busy, Helpful, Useless
01/14/2026
E112: The Game Producer Trap: Busy, Helpful, Useless
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: If you disappeared for a week, would your team lose their momentum—or just their note-taker? Most game producers are stuck in a "checklist trap"—spending their days managing tickets, booking meetings, and taking notes without ever understanding the actual goal. In this episode, Ben breaks down why production is fundamentally a leadership role based on influence, not just project management software. If you feel like your team is "drifting" despite hitting every milestone, you might be failing at the one thing that actually matters: moving the organization towards a valuable goal. What You'll Learn: The importance of shifting from a "task-doer" to a big-picture leader who influences the entire studio Why specific tools like Jira and sticky notes aren't the "point" of your job Why shipping a "good enough" game to pass a milestone is a dangerous trap that can break your team How prioritizing towards the goal outperforms doing what worked last time Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: #GameDev #GameProduction #GameLeadership #BuildingBetter Games #ProjectManagement
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E111: Why Western Game Dev Is Breaking — What Leaders Do Next
01/06/2026
E111: Why Western Game Dev Is Breaking — What Leaders Do Next
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: 30,000 Layoffs. Solid prototypes can’t get funding. Western Game Dev Is Breaking. In this episode, Rich Vogel explains why Western game development isn’t in a downturn, it’s in a reset. Fresh off fundraising conversations in 2025-2026, Rich breaks down why funding for large-budget games has nearly disappeared, why publishers and VCs are pulling back from North American teams, and how leadership decisions, not creativity, are sinking studios. Rich is a 30-year industry veteran who’s founded and led four major studios, including BioWare Austin and Sony Online Entertainment Austin, which have generated over $3B in revenue. As producer on Ultima Online, Star Wars Galaxies, and Star Wars: The Old Republic, he’s seen every cycle, and knows exactly why this one is different. We cover: Why investors see Western studios as high-risk How salary inflation and entitlement narratives are reshaping where games get made Why unproven big bets are no longer survivable How small, shippable wins are the new path to scale This episode is a wake-up call for studio heads, producers, and game leaders still playing by outdated rules. Learn more about our guest: 🔗LinkedIn: 🔗T-Minus Zero Entertainment LinkedIn: 🔗Website: If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Newsletter Signup: 🔗YouTube: 🔗Website: #GameDev #GameIndustry #Leadership #VideoGameDevelopment #BuildingBetterGames
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E110: The Truth About Game Studio Politics (And How to Win Without Becoming a Monster)
12/16/2025
E110: The Truth About Game Studio Politics (And How to Win Without Becoming a Monster)
If you’re a leader in game dev who feels stuck, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: You're doing the work, fighting for your team, but your ideas stall in meetings and people with less context somehow have more influence than you. It can feel like the only way to win is to become the political operator you hate. In this episode, Ben breaks down the simple, three-part system for influence—the Influence Trifecta—so you can drive change for your team and career without selling your soul. Organizational influence is not just about who's right or what's logical; it's about understanding the social fabric of your organization. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: What influence without authority looks like Why trust is so important to your long-term success Why being “right but not helpful” stalls careers What to watch for so you don’t become the “political animal" You're always playing politics. If you choose not to play, you cap your influence and allow others to set the direction. Learn how to deliberately build influence for the benefit of your game, your team, and your own advancement in an ethical way. Connect with us: 🔗Ben’s LinkedIn: 🔗BBG’s LinkedIn: 🔗Instagram: 🔗Website: 🔗YouTube: #GameDevLeadership #GameStudioPolitics #InfluenceTrifecta #GameDevCareers #BuildingBetterGames
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