Behind Massive Screens - a Game Development Podcast

When designing a game, how do you make sure that the player gets the information they need while playing? Or navigate menus and button prompts in an intuitive way? In this episode of Behind Massive Screens, UI artist Anna Kuzminska takes our dynamic hosts on a journey through the fascinating world of user interface design – from fonts and art to colors and shapes.

Resources:

We Can Fix It In UI - https://onewithmachines.notion.site/onewithmachines/WE-CAN-FIX-IT-IN-UI-9f588869324a45e2b2d0595546ce77d1

Design Interfaces: Patterns for Effective Interaction Design - https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Interfaces-Patterns-Effective-Interaction-ebook/dp/B082WQ28FM

Behance - https://www.behance.net/

The Game Assembly - https://thegameassembly.com/

Game Empowerment Movement (GEM) - http://www.gamehabitat.se/gem/

Ever wondered how game developers create stunning visual effects in video games? How they make red barrels blow up and explosions look great? How cars in racing games kick up dirt, or how the energy crackles from magical potions? In this episode of Behind Massive Screens, we meet John Behrens, VFX Artist at Massive Entertainment, who tells us about visual effects design and what is going on behind the scenes when the bullets hit the red barrel.

Real-Time VFX - https://realtimevfx.com/

The Elementary Particles (GDC Vault) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7wFPkGmWdI

Shader Sauce: How to use Shaders to Create Stylized VFX (GDC Vault) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqdVG_qcKok

John Behren's ArtStation - https://behjohn.artstation.com/

How do you become a playtester for video games and how does a playtest work? And what are the User Researchers, that are running the tests, looking for? In this episode of Behind Massive Screens, we meet User Researcher Hanna Rosvall, who will give us a look behind the scenes.

What tools do User Researchers use, how does a games lab look, and what’s going on behind those mysterious one-way mirrors? Let’s find out!

Ever wondered how to start working on artificial intelligence in a video game and how the AI in The Division was put together? What do you need to keep in mind when creating AI for an NPC? And how do you get started in modding games and what can you create using the tools available?

In this episode of Behind Massive Screens, Associate Game Director Drew Rechner covers these subjects in detail, since he’s worked with both – and has built one of the most ambitious Neverwinter Nights mods ever created.

In this special episode of Behind Massive Screens, we meet Thomas Parrott, author of Compromised, the latest The Division novel! Learn about how Thomas immerses himself in the worlds he writes about, the research he does, what inspires him and how he has worked with the team at Massive on both Compromised and the previous book in the series, Recruited. And what is it with The Division universe and its characters that make them so fascinating to write about?

Join Petter and Dóri as they meet Keltic Vermeersch, Environment Artist at Massive Entertainment, to find out how environments in video games are created - from "simple" hallways to sprawling open worlds. They also learn brand new creative uses for lamps. Yes, lamps.

Welcome to the Behind Massive Screens podcast! But what is it? Let Petter and Dori explain it to you, and then join us as we dig deeper into the games industry, find out more about the people behind some of your favorite games, and learn about what life is like in the gaming industry.

In this episode of Behind Massive Screens, Petter and Dori sit down with Lead Game Designer Lau Korsgaard to talk about experimental game design, indie development versus AAA, what uses a regular controller can have beyond the norm, and how games without rules can encourage social interaction.

From being a part of an indie development collective to working in AAA gaming, Lau has gone on quite the design journey. Join us as we find out more about how his past informs his present, and what impact the indie scene has had on the major development studios.

Join Petter and new co-host Dori as they sit down with Palle Hoffstein, Art Producer for The Division 2, and dive into his job and his long history in the games industry.

What does an Art Producer do and how do they work with the artists? What was it like to work in the industry back in the 90s? How did you develop a fully fledged FPS with only 20 people? And how was the experience of moving from North America to Europe?

We sat down with Chella Ramanan, Narrative Designer at Massive Entertainment, to dig into the complicated subject of storytelling in video games – in everything from smaller indie projects to giant AAA games.

Chella has had a long career, spanning over disciplines like literature, games journalism and indie games, before coming to Massive. How did all of them inform her current job? How does game journalism help a career in actual game development, and what can video games learn from literature and theater?

Resources:

GDC Narrative Talks Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY9igWPHZ4w&list=PL2e4mYbwSTbYD6zfuWTwz2nTfvKOZBWMe&index=1

AdventureX - https://adventurexpo.org/

Game Maker's Toolkit - https://www.youtube.com/c/MarkBrownGMT