GameDev Loadout | A Game Developer Podcast

Alexandra M. Lucas is a content writer for Microsoft's Cortana GCS Team and a game writer for Immersed Games. She writes dialogue, design characters, and develop quest arcs for educational MMO-RPG. She also is the podcast host at Cheat Codes Entertainment and does consultants at SoYouWantToMake.Games.

We discuss:

Game writing & Narrative DesignThe importance of research for authenticityHer persistence after having a game canceled and losing her jobUsing social media for branding and having a updated resume readySupporting female game developersAnd much, much moreConnect:

Website:https://www.alexandramlucas.com/Twitter: @silkenmoonlightPodcast: Cheat Codes PodcastHer book coming out in November: Digital Love: Romance & Sexuality in Video GamesResources:

GDC ScholarshipSocial MediaGameDevMap - game companies locationOrcaHQ - job siteGame Writer Facebook groupGame Dev SubRedditIGDA ScholarsEnjoy!

Richard Rouse III is a creative director, writer, designer, and consultant at his company Paranoid Productions currently working on the game "The Church in the Darkness." His past projects include Quantum Break, Sunset Overdrive, and numerous other titles. He also wrote the popular book Game Design: Theory & Practice and is a frequent speaker on game design and interactive storytelling at conferences and universities. https://www.gamedevloadout.com/single-post/62RichardRouse

Michael Csurics is the founder of the Brightskull Entertainment Group, a for-hire production services company providing dialogue and audio solutions to video game developers. Some of his works include Bioshock 2 and The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. He also speaks at GDC, game audio network guild, and game voice actors coalition. You can learn more at https://www.gamedevloadout.com/single-post/61MichaelCsurics

https://www.gamedevloadout.com/

Deborah Henderson is a cognitive psychologist who has worked in games for more than 6 years. She specializes in helping teams understand when they are delivering on their design vision, or what is blocking players from getting to that vision. Currently, she works at Microsoft Studios User Research.

Key Points:

Playtest the game before the prototype by using pen and paper.

Do a risk analysis to figure out which feedback can be implemented.

Be transparent with the community so they know what you are trying to accomplish.

Use strangers for playtesting because friends and family might be too soft on you.

Thank you for listening. Connect with me at [email protected]

Fred has been an artist in the video game industry making effects and real-time art for over fifteen years. He's the founder of Gentleman Fred FX creating effect assets for Unreal Marketplace. He has worked on several games the latest being 'Just Cause 3' where he made many explosions. And now, he's lead visual effects artist at Nvidia.

Adding visual effects helps to enhance the experience but it has to make sense. You can't have a realistic explosion in a stylish game because it would look out of place. The effects should marry the emotions and aesthetics of the game. We also talked about setting up boundaries for work so that you don't overwork and the importance of taking breaks.

Nick is the live producer for Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes at EA. He helps to design the goals and strategy which includes significant character releases, monetization opportunities, and anticipating players' needs.

Key Points:

Spend a lot of time upfront in building the ways to mess with the game.

Engage with players so they know that you will make changes.

Don't alienate your players with a feature that makes no sense.

Have a second set of eyes that double check your work.

Geoff Engelstein is an award-winning tabletop game designer, whose titles include The Ares Project, Space Cadets, and The Dragon & Flagon. He is also a noted podcaster contributing to the Dice Tower and GameTek, and he hosts Ludology a weekly podcast on game design. Geoff has been an adjunct professor with the NYU Game Center, teaching Board Game design.

Ches Hall is the host of the +7 Intelligence podcast where he interviews game designers, psychologists, and everyday players to discuss how games influence their life and work. On this episode, we talk about how games affected our lives. Games can have many positive effects like making us more productive, be social, or do exercise depending on what we are playing. If you want to learn more about this subject, I highly recommend you check out his podcast.

He has been developing audio engines for various platforms since 2002. He has worked on everything from slot machines to AAA titles to indies, and written audio engines for them all, Now he works at Echtra Incorporation.

Key points:

The sound that most important should overtake other sounds.

Don't tell the world sensitive information such personal names, companies, issues.

Find people that compliment your weakness.

Sponsor Giveaway:

I am doing a giveaway sponsored by Game Dev Underground, a marketing and connection platform for indie developers that helps you build, finish and launch better games. The winner gets a 1-hour long indie game marketing consultation with the founder, Tim Ruswick. This is over $1,000 in value, and it can be yours! All you have to do is go to gamedevloadout.com and sign up for the email list. That's it!

Justin Fischer is a veteran game producer and consultant at Agency Principle. He has worked on AAA games using IP from Disney, Marvel, and Pixar. He also blogs about how to improve video game production through better processes at www.breakingthewheel.com. We talk about agile development, Scrum, and being self-aware of how you make choices.