Game Dev Advice: The Game Developer's Podcast

Game Director Chip Sineni talks about the project he’s working on that dates back 20 years and how he got into the industry back in 1994 starting in QA. Learn about odd arrangement of the Beavis and Butt-Head console games each done by different developers. Hear his thoughts about the industry now with tools like Unity3D and Unreal Engine letting developers explore game ideas without publishers, along with challenges to get market attention. Learn thoughts on Twitter’s evolution, how to...

NBA Jam writer Reyan Ali talks about being born in the U.S., moving to Pakistan when he was young, and how the NES and Sega Mega Drive II video games influenced him. How the release of NBA Jam got him interested in the NBA, along with getting into Mortal Kombat and working on website in Pakistan. Learn how he wrote a FAQ for the team’s arcade classic The Grid without having actually having played the game by emailing the dev team member John Vogel. Hear how he decided to write a book about...

28-year video game and toy industry veteran Chris Nicolella talks about moving from the U.S. to living in Bangkok as an expat that included some initial challenges. How he started in the video game industry working at NEC’s TurboGrafx-16, then transitioning to NuFX, which was later acquired by Electronic Arts turning into EA Chicago. Hear the challenges of game industry crunching and what it was like in the early 2000s, along with breaking into making iPhone apps on the side. Learn how he...

25-year industry entrepreneur and designer Doc Mack of Galloping Ghost Productions talks about his game production company and working on his arcade fighting game, “Dark Presence”. How the company has mushroomed into creating the biggest arcade in the world (731 games and counting!), a reproductions company, gym and martial arts studio, automotive repair shop, and a pinball arcade. Learn about his desire to work in video games growing up and a chance encounter with a game industry legend...

+15-year industry veteran John (JJ) Williams of NetherRealm Studios talks about his current role as Advanced Designer at NetherRealm Studios and the challenges we had working on a Disney IP. Learn how he decided to get out of a career as a headhunter with a business degree and into game development. Hear about going back to school for an art degree and getting his first job as a freelance animator on WrestleMania 21. Learn about his first role at Studio Gigante, then Stainless Steel...

Nick Laing talks about his new role as Senior Publishing Producer at Amazon Games and working before at Turn 10 Studios on the Forza series. Hear how his path diverted from following in his family’s footsteps to going to a specialized comic book artist school. Learn how in the late 90s iconic comic book companies went bankrupt or struggled to stay in business (it’s hard to believe now). Learn how he transitioned those skills to being hired as a Concept Artist and UX Designer for his first...

Dwayne Mason of NXA Studios talks about his current role in the company and his career and entrepreneurial aspirations going back to his teens. Hear about the computer revolution while studying to be a graphic designer. How PC Paint and Corel Draw changed his trajectory and focus toward the future. Learn about a chance encounter working as a valet being a big break. Hear how motion capture data was first used for sports analysis and working as a gofer. Learn how the hustling lead to a...

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

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. (See gamedevadvice.com for in-depth show notes and other details.)

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....

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. (See...

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 in-depth show notes and other...

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...

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...

-Hear from developer & CEO Patrick Curry who talks about his company, FarBridge. -Learn about his early career in web dev and transitioning to game dev. -Learn about the early days of mobile phone game dev. -Hear ideas on how to improve as a designer. -Learn about working on games like Stranglehold & Guilty Party. -Hear how a previous company was acquired by Unity. -Hear a funny story about going to Shanghai. -Hear opinions on the current state of the industry, including AR, VR & streaming...

-Part 2 of 2 w/Mike Antonicelli who shares how to expand your skills as a freelancer -Learn how he works remotely from locations like Brazil and Chile -Hear freelancer work methodologies that can also be applied as a remote employee -Learn how to get an advantage when applying for jobs that most people don’t do -Hear what other developers look for when hiring freelance talent -Learn perspectives on the state of freelancing in today’s game industry -Ways to get in touch with Mike about his...

-Hear how he learned about the game industry as a career -How studying computer animation lead to an internship -Learn the type of work he did as an unpaid intern -Hear the risks he took moving to LA to be an intern, again -How he was mentored by industry legends -Learn about his bizarre 1st freelancing job -How persistence paid off and working with Disney Interactive -How it's critical to keep your skills up-to-date -Hear the importance of reputation -Heads up: this is part 1 of a 2-part...

-Learn how he transitioned into the game industry -James Bond and Stephen King books that were made into games -Learn about the Austin game dev roots -Working with Richard Garriott and the evolution of Ultima -Listen to advice on working in game development -Learn when the graphics explosion started in games -How GWAR! played a Microsoft Doom haunted house party -Hear about writing James Bond -Discover his books based on Metal Gear Solid -Hear what crunch mode used to be like -His latest...

-Hear about early game art programs, like Deluxe Paint. -What the working environment was like in SEGA and Midway Games. -Learn advice on how to land your first job. -3 things he looks for when hiring. -Thoughts on working in Hollywood. -Learn about what kind of art jobs are in high demand. -Who some of the largest employers of his students are. -Uses for VR outside of gaming, like immersion therapy. -Some funny industry stories. -Hear about Richard Rouse III's new game, "Church in the...

-Guest Heinz Schuller talks about making the transition from IT into the game industry -2 things he wished he’d known when starting out -How to radically improve your odds in this highly competitive job market -Experience of working on small & medium size indie game projects -The importance of YouTube -Funny stories about the industry -Ideas around work output & fixing the crunch culture -Hard questions to ask when interviewing (See gamedevadvice.com for in-depth show notes and other...