In this episode, Nina and Jeff chat about the secret sauce in strong teams and the value of passion, perspective, and communication across all forms of design.

In this episode of Growing Pains, GDL host and Games Strategy Consultant Jay Uppal sits down with Teemu Haila, CPO and founder of Metaplay, they discuss Teemu's path in Games from the early days of mobile and live-service games to the behemoth the industry has become today. His journey in games has seen him found and lead several teams across various facets and regions within the industry. So tune in as he shares some of his learned insights from his time growing and building games as well as the teams that empower them.

Jay Uppal https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayant-uppal-18ab34a5/

The GDL podcast is back for 2025. In this special episode, the Founder and CEO of GDL is joined by Jay Uppal (host of the popular GDL Growing Pains series) to talk all things Games and beyond. Warning: Lot of tangents abound. So, if you want to hear more about The State of Play and where we’ve been, where we are going, and how we fit into the world, and hey if that’s not enough, then just tune in to hear two grown men complain about being British!

In this episode, GDL Host Laura Donohue Speaks to Jimmy Zhou, an Insights Manager at Riot Games, about the benefits of being a mentor and mentee, how to get the most out of a mentorship, and how to find your perfect mentor.

Gunnar Holmsteinn from Quest Portal joins Oscar on his Podquest to explore the influence of Dungeons and Dragons and his decision to make the next generation of Virtual Table Tops (VTTs) - we also talk a little about a positive use of AI to support the games master.

In this episode of Growing Pains, GDL host and Games Strategy Consultant Jay Uppal sits down with Kae Cheung, senior designer at Payload Studios, they discuss Kae's path into game design and the broader industry trends that impacted Payload Studios. Once a proud champion of UK's games industry, Payload is only one of a number of studios that has recently been brought to the verge of bankruptcy. Jay and Kae have a candid discussion about the time period leading up to the recent decision that has seen Payload lay off roughly 90% of its staff, in a bid to understand what went wrong and if there were ways to mitigate it.

Amelia Price from Sustainable Film joins Oscar on his Podquest to explore the different challenges and lessons faced by Film and Game Studios when it comes to leaving a reduced impact on the world. What practical ways can we be more sustainable?

Greg Hennessey, Design Director at CCP Games (Eve Online), has had an interesting and winding journey through games which has brought him from his home country of Canada all the way to Iceland. In this episode, we take a peek at his life as a Design Director, cover how leaders can make themselves open to critique and leave the door open for conversation and talk about the his idea of a great party.

In this episode of Growing Pains, GDL host and Games Strategy Consultant Jay Uppal sits down with Anime Producer Will Feng to discuss everything about life in Japan. Will has been in the Animation space for 20+ years and has been right on the frontlines of the recent Anime boom that has inspired some of the recent transmedia strategies in games. Jay and Will dive deep into everything from life in Japan as a foreigner to the secrets behind building working relationships in Japan.

Growing Pains is a series focusing on key business trends and people shaping the Global Games Market and their impact on the Games Industry. In this series Jay speaks with industry leaders across the Games and Gametech space; trying to demystify the industry, understand the state of leadership, and answer the all-important question ‘Is having a fun game still enough to succeed in today’s games market?’

Jay Uppal Social https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayant-uppal-18ab34a5/

Will Feng Social https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-feng-93528a3/

Episode 5 Segments:

00:00 Introduction to Episode Five

01:46 Introduction to Will

03:46 Animation in US vs Japan
11:40 Cultural Differences Working in Japan
16:40 Business in Japan is just Done Differently
24:10 Legal is Still a Nightmare
28:10 Find Your Clan (Networking in Japan)
34:00 Life in Japan as a Foreigner
40:30 Bars in Japan
44:30 Transmedia in Japan
50:50 Are Visual Novels Games?
55:00 Do the Grind
57:00 Netflix – Anime, Games, & Live Action
01:03:15 Korean Webtoons on the Rise
01:05:15 Collaborating with Japanese Productions
01:10:20 Japanese Idol Culture
01:16:20 Ending Segment

Fellow host Laura joins Oscar on his Podquest to explore the nature of professional learning in various forms from the humble webinar to interactive workshops, accelerator programs, mentoring and even peer information sharing. Why does it matter that we keep on learning? And what does someone doing that training need to consider in the ways they deliver that?