GameDev Loadout | A Game Developer Podcast

Trynn Check is an independent game designer from DePaul University. She works at iThrive Games that promote mental health and teen thriving. She also has her studio called Intrynnsic Entertainment. We talk about her journey of going to school, working, and breaking into the game industry. Breaking into the game industry is hard, and entry-level jobs pay low, and she needed to keep her corporate responsibility to pay off school. It did not stop her from investing in skills like in Udemy or implementing game design elements into her job. She also pointed out not to assume your game is not worth it because there might be people who will resonate. So take small steps, be self-motivated, and make your game. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast for more inspiring content. Share it with your friends. Support my work at patreon.com/gamedevloadout.

Voice actor Ben Britton graduated from NYU's Tisch School of Arts and has been behind the mic for more than 30 years. You can hear him in a variety of games such as Lamplight City, Spellforce III, The Occupation, and many more. You have to learn how to edit files, work on volume levels, create a functional space for consistent recording, and learn acting because you will be expressing a range of emotions. One important tip is to get the exact criteria for the voice-over recording to ensure it works with the game. Support my work at patreon.com/gamedevloadout.

Vincent Michael is one of the founding directors of YHWH Games that teach students how to create video games and transform them into self-sustaining artists. We discuss: Exploit your strengths and stop wasting time on your weaknessLearn the different type of artists and stages of an artistThere is no work/life balance, only work/life decisionsBest investments: god, family, self, board, companyHammer in your value and do not sell your service for cheap *** If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in ranking higher. Subscribe to the podcast if you felt inspired and loved this content. Sign up for Tony's email newsletter at gamedevloadout.com/subscribe Follow Tony: Twitter: twitter.com/gamedevloadout Facebook: facebook.com/gamedevloadout Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chantony/

Award-winning British voice actor, Jay Britton has done 50 titles and over 300 characters ranging from indie studios to AAA developers. Games include Divinity Original Sin 2, FIFA 17, Starcraft 2, and more. We discuss: Voice actors should be experts in creating charactersGet them involved in a project as soon as possibleTable reads is a great way to establish characters90% of having a successful voice acting career is what you do outside the boothFoster emotional agility because your lines...

Mikolai Stroinski is a music composer that has worked on the Witcher 3, Dark Souls 2 trailer, Vanishing of Ethan Carter, and much more. We discuss: Think not just as a composer but as a video game maker as well. You don’t want to get too attached to your music because it might not fit the game.Trust your inner voice because it's a sign to either continue or stop composing.Study different music vocabularies and play lots of different games. Don't just study video game music.Be a good human...

Jeremy Liu was the narrative design lead at NetEase Games, an intern at EA, and a technical designer at Rockstar Games. Titles include Red Dead 2, NBA Live Mobile, and Realm of Duels. We discuss: How to get into technical designWhy you need to study and plan ahead of time before taking actionHis worst moment of working on a game that was destined to not be a commercial hitListening is a great quality of a leaderDo power naps, 20 minutesHow he becomes a walking exoticism in China because of...

Gary Kings of National Insecurities is a lead game designer, writer, editor that has worked on games such as Once Upon a Crime in the West and 2000:1 A Space Felony. We discuss: *** If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in ranking higher. Subscribe to the podcast if you felt inspired and loved this content. Sign up for Tony's email newsletter at gamedevloadout.com/subscribe Follow Tony: Twitter: twitter.com/gamedevloadout Facebook: facebook.com/gamedevloadout Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chantony/

Ivy Dupler is a NYC-based voice actress who can be heard in video games, commercials, and cartoons. Her recent work includes voicing protagonist Special Agent Vera Englund in Whispers of a Machine (Clifftop Games/Faravid Interactive), as well as several roles in Unavowed (Wadjet Eye Games) and Lamplight City (Grundislav Games). We discuss: *** If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really...

Solo UK indie Nic Rutherford is working on a game called Fringe Plant. We discuss: *** If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in ranking higher. Subscribe to the podcast if you felt inspired and loved this content. Sign up for Tony's email newsletter at gamedevloadout.com/subscribe Follow Tony: Twitter: twitter.com/gamedevloadout Facebook:...

IGF-nominated narrative designer Xalavier Nelson Jr. creates a morally-complex world with human emotion at the core of every scenario, where the individuals outside your squad matter as much as the rangers you deploy on each map. We discuss: *** If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in ranking higher. Subscribe to the podcast if you felt inspired and loved this...

Henrique Olifiers has been in the game industry for more than 30 years working on web-based games, massive multiplayer games, and social games. He is currently the CEO of the award-winning Bossa Studios, which are the makers of Surgeon Simulator, Monstermind and I Am Bread. Now they are currently working on Worlds Adrift, a sandbox MMO with real-time physics where you band together to build sky ships and explore floating islands of a shattered world. We discuss: *** If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in ranking higher. Do me a huge favor and subscribe to the podcast if you felt inspired and love this content. Sign up for Tony's email newsletter at gamedevloadout.com/subscribe Follow Tony: Twitter: twitter.com/gamedevloadout Facebook: facebook.com/gamedevloadout Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chantony/

Jordan Blackman has been writing, producing, and designing video games for over a decade. He is a mobile game design expert and an accomplished producer. He has designed, produced, and consulted on several 9-figure franchises for companies like Zynga, EA, and Ubisoft. Mr. Blackman brought CSI to Facebook with the smash hit, CSI: Crime City. He went on to Zynga where he led the design team on FrontierVille. Jordan has collaborated with top studios worldwide including Telltale games,...

Passionate about cartoons and games since a kid, Liviu Boar dreamt of making a point and click adventure game since first seeing someone play Day of the Tentacle and realizing interactive cartoons were a possibility. Twenty-odd years later, he started a studio called Stuck In Attic together with another artist and a programmer, Kickstarted Gibbous - A Cthulhu Adventure in 2016, releasing it on August 7, 2019, for PC on Steam and GOG. You will learn: *** Sponsor Outstandly: Making a first...

David Galindo is the creator of the Cook, Serve, Delicious! series. You will learn: *** Sponsor Outstandly: Making a first great impression with your game visuals is critical. Even if the gameplay is great, if your game does not look catchy with intriguing visuals, potential buyers will not notice it or worse, never hit the buy button. If you have been listening to the podcast then you know the guests have been highlighting the importance of marketing. This is where Outstandly comes in. A...

Angel Muniz is a designer and art lead at IS Studios. She has experience with environment and prop creation for Unity and Unreal Engines. She co-organized 3D Learning Network on Facebook for industry vets, juniors, and recent grad artists. She also tutors in 3D art and lighting for games and films. Because of Angel, I’ve been able to network and meet amazing people. Some of my guests on the show is thanks to her. In addition, she has given us her time to tell her story and tips to become...

Nathan Hamley is the artist and designer at Sick Chicken Studios, creator of point and click adventure game Guard Duty. Nathan has been involved in game development as a hobbyist since the mid 2000's, making the step to full time development in 2017 whilst working on his first commercial game Guard Duty. Currently freelancing as a pixel artist on various game projects whilst working through pre-production for his next personal project. You will learn: *** Bluehost Affiliate: If you want...

With 20 years in the technology industry, 10 in the game industry, on 4 continents, Roger Miller comes with a breadth of knowledge. Roger Miller has been on the leading edge of both server and client side technologies from factory automation to data cataloging to award-winning games. He has worked with leading advertising agencies such as Ogilvy One, been a vendor for entertainment companies such as Disney and HBO, created solutions for BMW and Deloitte and been nominated for awards such as...

Alexander McDonald is a freelance game artist working primarily in pixel art and voxel art style. He has worked on games like Duelyst, Moonquest, Primal Carnage and Rivals of Aether. He has also collaborated with streamers and YouTubers making emotes, channel designs and stream graphics. 3 Top Advice: *** For show notes and connect with the guest, please visit gamedevloadout.com/102. Sign up for Tony's email newsletter at gamedevloadout.com/email. Follow Tony: Twitter:...

Victoria Tran is the communications director at Kitfox Games, a small indie team in Montreal, Canada that is creating intriguing worlds like ‘Boyfriend Dungeon’ and ‘Moon Hunters’. They are publishing ‘Dwarf Fortress’ and ‘Six Ages’ to Steam. She has spoken at the game developer conference about Why You Should Care About Fashion and wrote a blog post about Designing Community for Kindness. She also does community consultations and co-organizes various local game events. Top 3...

We made it to episode 100! Thank you for taking the time out of your day to listen to the podcast and supporting it. This episode is about my long absence, changes to the podcast, new partners, and five action steps I learned from interviewing 100+ experts to help you get started in the game industry. Here are five actions you can take toward success: *** For show notes and to connect with guest, please visit gamedevloadout.com/100. Sign up for Tony's email newsletter at...