Summary

In this episode, Lars Janssen interviews Rika Lim, a lead level designer in the gaming industry. Rika shares her experiences working on various projects, including Payday 3 and Project Baxter. They discuss Rika's love for characters in video games and her choice of Igor from the Persona series as a character she would like to talk to. Rika also talks about her passion for point-and-click adventure games and her interest in working on games like Gabriel Knight. They delve into Rika's transition to a leadership role and the challenges she faced in delegating tasks. They also discuss the importance of structure and culture in a company and the challenges of collaboration in the industry. Rika shares her aspirations for her next project and the importance of challenging oneself and creating a supportive environment in game development.

Takeaways

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

00:44 Rika's Career and Recent Projects

02:08 Discussion on Singapore and Gamescom Asia

02:29 The Love for Characters in Video Games

03:41 Talking to Igor from the Persona Series

05:31 Games Rika Would Have Loved to Work On

08:45 Working on Gabriel Knight and Point-and-Click Adventure Games

09:49 The Difference in Level Design for Point-and-Click Adventure Games

11:36 Games Rika Would Erase from Her Memory to Play Again

13:42 Crucible Moment: Transitioning to a Leadership Role

17:22 Challenges of Being a Leader and Delegating Tasks

20:52 Importance of Structure and Culture in a Company

21:42 Challenges in the Industry and the Importance of Collaboration

23:06 The Impact of COVID-19 on Communication and Collaboration

26:10 Dream Project and the Importance of Challenging Oneself

29:13 Rika's Next Opportunity and Focus on Level Design

33:06 The Importance of Structure and Environment in Game Development

34:18 Closing Remarks