New Player Character

What does it mean to see yourself reflected in the games you love and the industry that makes them? I chatted with Mika Dilig and Shavonne Yu, co-founders of AAPI in Gaming, a community dedicated to amplifying the voices of Asian American and Pacific Islander diaspora in games. Mika came from Aamzon Games and Shavonne from Meta Reality Labs and they seek to generate awareness and build a space for AAPI representation, career growth, and cultural celebration within games.

Connect with AAPI in Gaming:

🌐 ⁠⁠aapiingaming.com⁠⁠

📸 Instagram: ⁠⁠@aapiingaming⁠

What does a Head of Operations do in games? The short answer: a little bit of everything. 💼 In this episode, I chat with Cole Medeiros about the role that keeps studios running—from managing budgets and hiring to supporting production, reviewing legal docs, and stepping in wherever needed.

But it’s not just logistics. Operations is a people-first role, one that requires clear communication, emotional intelligence, and a whole lot of empathy. 💡 Cole shares how being a connector between teams means listening deeply, leading with care, and making sure everyone has what they need to do their best work.

If you’ve ever been curious about the backbone of a game studio, this one’s for you!

#NewPlayerCharacter #LevelUpYourGame #GamingIndustry #GameDevelopment #GamingCareers

Opinions expressed are solely our own and do not express the views or opinions of our employers

🎮✨ What does a Brand Manager actually do in games? Jessie David takes us behind the scenes to show how she protects a game’s identity, keeps marketing true to its core values, and ensures every campaign and release connects with players. From strategy to execution, this episode reveals why brand management is central to every successful game.

Scoring games and films isn’t just about playing instruments — it’s about building the right team, managing projects, and bringing a vision to life. Steffen shares his journey, the grind behind the creative process, and why an unending passion for learning is what sets great composers apart.

Tune in to hear how music shapes worlds and the people behind the magic!

🚀 Ever wonder how your favorite games make it onto PlayStation, Xbox, Steam, or Switch without a hitch?

That's where Release Engineering comes in — the unsung heroes of game launches! 🎮 In Episode 4, we talk to Heiden Salguero, a 1st-party Platform Specialist, about how release engineers manage the complex process of shipping games across multiple platforms.

From mastering compliance requirements to catching last-minute bugs, Heiden shares his path to becoming a Release Engineer!✨ It’s meticulous, technical, high-stakes work — and it’s crucial to making launch day magic happen.

#NewPlayerCharacter #LevelUpYourGame #GamingIndustry #GameDevelopment #GamingCareers

Opinions expressed are solely our own and do not express the views or opinions of our employers

Marcus describes himself as a multi-hyphenated individual in his work, and you'll see why when you listen to this episode. I gained plenty of insights into his role at Blizzard's Overwatch League and truly appreciate how he helped everything run smoothly, ensuring the product was as impressive and seamless as we experienced it—covering team coordination, processes, and on-screen assets.

#NewPlayerCharacter #LevelUpYourGame #GamingIndustry #GameDevelopment #GamingCareers

Opinions expressed are solely our own and do not express the views or opinions of our employers

Tune in to this episode all about Databases in games! David Queiroz and I scratch the surface of how database management is the invisible backbone that keeps the world alive. It tracks everything from your character’s gear and gold to world events, quests, and trades—making sure the game remembers who you are, what you’ve done, and keeps it all running smoothly for players!

#NewPlayerCharacter #LevelUpYourGame #GamingIndustry #GameDevelopment #GamingCareers

Opinions expressed are solely our own and do not express the views or opinions of our employers

Welcome back to New Player Character, season two! We're kicking off with Travis Ngov, a Character Designer at Respawn Entertainment.

#NewPlayerCharacter #LevelUpYourGame #GamingIndustry #GameDevelopment #GamingCareers

Opinions expressed are solely our own and do not express the views or opinions of our employers

Ever wonder how your favorite games land major partnerships or licensing deals? That’s the magic of business development in games. In this episode, Ed Calaunan breaks down how BD pros help studios grow—by brokering deals, forming strategic partnerships, pitching game concepts to external platforms, and identifying opportunities that align with both creative vision and business goals.

We talk about how business development roles focus on identifying opportunities, pitching ideas, building lasting partnerships, and helping studios navigate the intersection of creative vision and market viability. BD pros work cross-functionally with marketing, production, and leadership teams to move the studio forward—whether that’s through licensing, platform partnerships, funding, or new market expansion.

If you’re interested in the business side of gaming and love making connections, this one’s for you.

#NewPlayerCharacter #LevelUpYourGame #GamingIndustry #GameDevelopment #GamingCareers

Opinions expressed are solely our own and do not express the views or opinions of our employers

Eunice and I finally get a chance to discuss how Market Research fits into games! It comes back to psychology over and over, except this time we're interested in how players experience games, become interested based on different marketing tactics and more.