GameDev Loadout | A Game Developer Podcast

Matt is an engineer with Unity Labs, working primarily on EditorVR. He joined Unity last year to continue to work on VR authoring tools with Jono Forbes, his co-founder at Defective Studios. Schoen has worked on a wide gamut of projects, from PC games to mobile AR apps. Be wary of who you work with. Someone can make us believe they have the best intention but when it comes down to commitment and honesty, it's not there.

Jerry Belich, the creator of the award winning Choosatron, is an alternative game designer, using hardware, electronics, and software to create immersive interactive and storytelling experiences. He went independent in 2013 after a decade of professional software development, and in the summer of 2016, after touring the world exhibiting his work, giving talks, and putting on workshops, he joined Miami University as a Professor in Game Design. He hopes to use his experience in game design, narrative writing, and installation work to inspire a new generation in the field. Today we talk about how players engage with your game. For example, do they use a touchscreen to play your game, a controller, or mouse and keyboard? It can make a huge difference because of the way it feels and controls.

Nicolas is the author of the book "Children Know Success. Do You?" We talk about taking action on our dreams and passion, why it's important to be around positive people, and respecting time. It's scary taking risks but sometimes we have to in order to get the best rewards and results.

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!

Fakhra is the founder and CEO of Hybrid Humans, the first independent game studio in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Some of her titles include Hop Hop Away and Who Lurks. She also organizes game jams, and create workshops to introduce students to game design.

The incredible hunger, persistence, and passion Fakhra have for video games is truly inspiring. She worked hard to open her company, and I can't wait to see what other big accomplishments she will have in the future. My mind is blown on how she works at another job while running her own company, and still have time to help students learn about game design.

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!

Thomas is the founder of Future Friend Games based in Brighton, UK. His main expertise is in consultation and public relations (PR). He was worked on more than 30 games including League of Legends, Smite, Paladin, and various indie games. He is also a regular speaker at Game Developer Conference (GDC) and Digital Taipei.

To make our game appealing, we must first figure out the main hook in the game. But even with a great hook, we still need to make an appealing trailer or message to grab players attention. Figure how your hook and find the best way to showcase that hook to your audience.

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!

Alon is a music producer for JoyTunes and manages a sound production business which mainly focuses on video games, film and theater productions. In addition, he is a lecturer on sound design for a few of the game design programs in Israel. He has been working on more than 50 shipped games, mostly in the indie, PC and mobile space, and has been invited to speak at conferences around the globe.

If we want to find and do what we are passionate about. We must take the effort to go out in the world and take action. At networking events, make yourself stand out, approach people and start conversations. If you want to find a job, keep building your skill and create meaningful relationships. Do not wait for something to happen.

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!

Dave Lang is the C3PO of Iron Galaxy, aka the founder. The company was founded in 2008 and has worked on games such as Street Fighter 3 Online Edition, Divekick, and more. Currently, they are working on Killer Instinct Season 3. Dave focuses on assisting other developer achieving their goals.

Be someone that people want to work with and enjoy being around. Cherish the good times and bad times of game development. Being a great teammate means communications, encouragement, giving feedback, and sticking together.

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!

Russ first began as an artist and designer on small indies games then soon created Gametunnel.com which did reviews and news update for indie games. He worked at Amazon as senior game producer releasing 13 game titles. And now, he is at MobilityWare which created a catalog of Solitaire games in which 2 of it made the top 5 most played games on iOS.

Looking at the data is a great way to study the trends, to see what's popular and not popular, and understand what mechanic works. Read the reviews including the harsh 1-Star reviews to get an understanding of why they gave that review. We also touched upon having a positive working environment that encourages teamwork, communication, and being open-minded.

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!

William has been a professional writer since the mid-1990s and has written for some the largest and most prestigious entertainment companies in the world, including Sony Entertainment, 2K, Ubisoft, Techland, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Sega, and Top Cow. He currently works at Hangar 13 as narrative director and was the lead writer on 'Mafia III'.

Learn how to write first and build up that skill. You can challenge yourself by putting a word limit. This will force you to think more creatively. Study and learn from medias such as movies, books, and video games.

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!

Matthew is a co-founder of SomaSim, a Chicago-based indie studio founded in 2013 to create simulation games. He has extensive experience in creative direction, writing, and graphic design. He also has done a few GDC talk such as his latest one called "Running a Post-Apocalyptic Indie Studio."

Those 1-star reviews, those hate comments, and trolls can definitely ruin a person night. Luckily there is the positive side of the community. The people that love your game, that will back you up and give constructive feedback. It's important to stay engaged with your fans and not forget their support.

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!