How do you become a Narrative Director? And why is “listening to a game” such an important part of the job?

In the latest episode of HOGmented, Alek Sajnach shares his journey into the role and gives us a behind-the-scenes look at what it really means to shape stories in games.

Join us for a conversation about storytelling, creative challenges, and the many layers of narrative design at Flying Wild Hog.

HOGmented is a podcast for anyone curious about how games are made and what it’s like to craft them here at Flying Wild Hog.

We’re a game development studio powered by talent from around the world - different skills, different stories, one shared goal: creating games players love. This is where you’ll meet the people behind it all: passionate, talented, smart, and just the right amount of wild.

They’re the ones who make this studio such a special place to build games.

We’re proud of who we are, and we’d love to show you why.

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CHAPTERS:
00:04:00 Welcome Alek Sajnach
00:01:00 Espresso
00:04:56 Were Hogs like Valve? (Bonus: HOGscars!)
00:08:12 What Alek found out in Hogs?
00:09:08 Punk Rock Band interview
00:12:20 Meritocracy
00:14:00 Illustration storyboarding, and narrative intuition
00:16:19 Hogs’ games: fun-oriented fat milk!
00:19:40 Creativity, frustrations, identity.
00:23:45 Listen to the game you’re making.
00:25:38 Game is an experience
00:29:13 Good and bad sides of growth
00:33:18 Flexibility and multiproject approach
00:36:02 Creative Tyrants vs Design by Committee
00:39:51 Creating the game fantasy
00:44:29 Evil West game fantasy
00:48:30 The academics and (mis)conceptions of writing for games?
00:55:40 Questions are better than answers
00:57:36 Friction and ideas you’re not convinced towards
00:58:58 Community quote (Jesse & Emilia)
01:03:03 “They didn’t think about it!”
01:03:51 Thanks and goodbyes

How do you direct a game? Brad Auty, Associate Game Director, shares his unique perspective on crafting game direction and pushing past the typical 'silos' of expertise. Get ready for a conversation about relentless drive and amazing opportunities he found at Flying Wild Hog.

HOGmented is a podcast for everyone curious about making games, and how we craft them here at Flying Wild Hog. We’re a game dev studio powered by global talent. Different skills. Different stories. One goal: create games players love. This is where you meet the people behind it all – talented, passionate, smart, and just the right amount of wild.
The kind of team that makes this place feel like the best spot on earth to build games.

We are proud of who we are, and we’d like to show you why.

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CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro
00:52 Welcome Brad Auty!
01:47 Espresso
04:49 Brad’s gamedev background
06:21 Brad on joining Hogs
07:06 Animation and feedback
10:43 Reaching outside your domain
14:50 Becoming a game director
16:57 Building the right team
20:10 Management VS remote work
25:24 Advice for beginners
27:14 Game direction and IP
30:10 Working with Tomb Raider IP
31:15 Executing the vision and sustaining it
33:35 We’re leaving preproduction, or are we?
34:53 Development stages
37:15 Conversation with the game
38:55 The myth of vertical slice
40:26 Missing the deadlines
42:11 Art and struggle of letting go
45:34 Brad’s take on present/future of Hogs
50:37 Thanks and goodbyes