The Sandbox.Space Weekly Podcast by GDEX

Jeff Stevens joins us this week to talk about the exciting world of ASCII art and creating a cult simulator.

Jeffrey Stevens is founder of Bucephalus Studios (Website) and creator of CultGame (Steam, Itch.io)

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/260408

Watch the show live on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thegdex

Associate Professor Chris Totten from Kent State University is our special guest today and wow what a conversation!

Chris Totten is an Ohio-based 3D artist and indie dev with a studio called Pie for Breakfast. He has been in the industry for over 17 years. He is an Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator of the Animation Game Design program at Kent State University and has authored several books on game design, including Game Character Creation in Blender and Unity and An Architectural Approach to Level Design.

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/260401

Watch the show live on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thegdex

Founder & CEO of Midwest Games is our guest today. Enjoy our excellent conversation on the future of GDC as well as other regional shows and how the industry might look in the future.  @GDCFestivalofGaming  #videogames #indiedev

Ben Kvalo from Wisconsin is the Founder and CEO of Midwest Games and the President of the Wisconsin Games Alliance. He is an experienced manager and marketer with experience at Netflix, Blizzard, and 2K.

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/260325

Watch the show live on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thegdex

Garrett Davis, Managing Director of the ShawneeXP gaming accelerator joins us for a post  @GDCFestivalofGaming  and the changing landscape for #indiegame. #gamedev #videogames

Garrett Davis is a game developer, serial entrepreneur, and startup accelerator director with a deep passion for building and scaling gaming companies, consulting firms, and startup ecosystems. He is the Managing Director of the ShawneeXP Gaming Accelerator, where he leads efforts to support early-stage game studios through funding, mentorship, and industry connections. His work focuses on strategic partnerships, fundraising, curriculum development, and community engagement.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/garrettdavis23/
ShawneeXP Gaming Accelerator: https://www.storydoc.com/85e93215b8017cbbdcea59963f9fd646/f854aab-f80-c03e-ca68-4684ca04fa8c/67dbb3cce4ee1f3952614bab

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/260318

Watch the show live on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thegdex

Friend of GDEX, Senior Engineer and long time #gamedev Duke Paulus is our special guest for this week! Duke Paulus is an extremely talented programmer and indie game developer who has been building software since 1998, running Smiling Cat Entertainment since 2009, and currently works as Senior Engineer for Cold Iron Studios.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/duke-paulus-86982620/
https://www.smilingcatentertainment.com/
https://coldironstudios.com/

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/260304

Watch the show live on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thegdex

Mike Geig from @unity joins us today with some really insightful conversation. This is a good one, don't miss it!

Mike is Unity Technologies' leader of Advocacy and Community (formerly their Technical Evangelist), he hails from Canton Ohio and has championed Ohio game development for over a decade. He even penned a book, "Unity Game Development in 24 Hours" for the "Sams Teach Yourself" series.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikegeig
Unity Game Development in 24 Hours: https://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/images/9780672336966/samplepages/0672336960.pdf

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/260225

Watch the show live on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thegdex

Professor Roger Crawfish from The Ohio State University ( @theohiostateuniversity ) joins us to discuss educational games for good, creativity, and creating great code.

As both a professor of computer science and a founder of a game-focused start-up, Professor Roger Crawfis bridges academia and industry—mentoring the next generation of developers while continuing to innovate in production. His blend of technical mastery in C# and Unity3D, deep understanding of design patterns, and decades of creative problem-solving make him a rare figure in the field: someone who has not only witnessed the evolution of games but has actively driven it.

https://crawfis.com/

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/260218

Watch the show live on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thegdex

Good friend Chris Bergman from Gylee Games joins for a wild conversation about #gamedev, #ai and #life!

Chris Bergman is CEO and Founder of Gylee Games. He is based in Cincinnati where he is General Partner at the Midwest branch of The Fund of Everywhere Ventures. (He also co-owned Highball Cincy until 2026.)

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/260204

Watch the show live on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thegdex

Friend Renee Gittins joins us for this weeks podcast to talk about #gamedev and non-gamedev things alike.

Renee Gittins is former Executive Director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) and currently Creative Director at her indie game studio, Stumbling Cat, which made the game Potions: A Curious Tale.

Website: https://www.reneegittins.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reneegittins/

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/260128

Watch the show live on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thegdex

Our friend IzzyDojo joins us today. We're talking #gamedev, #GDEX, #indiegames and a load more.  @izzydojo  #videogames #indiedev

Mike Schmittle is a content creator and the founder of IzzyDojo. Hailing from Ohio, he is on a mission to cultivate a thriving gaming community. When he's not immersed in virtual worlds, you can find him constructing intricate models and engaging in lively discussions on a wide range of topics on YouTube, Twitch and TikTok.

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/260121

Watch the show live on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thegdex