The Sandbox.Space Weekly Podcast by GDEX

Boundary Condition developer and long time @thegdex guest Andrew Groot join us. We talk about the nature of #indiedevelopment and #indiegame.

Andrew Groot is a very talented indie dev under the moniker TheSquareGroot, and most recently won our Independent, Student & Experimental (ISE) Award at GDEX 2025 for his game The Boundary Condition, which is coming soon on Steam! Check out his page at thesquaregroot.com

Boundary Condition https://store.steampowered.com/app/2141790/The_Boundary_Condition/

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/260114

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

Justin Kogge, Founder of Game Arena and Esports Foundry, joins us to talk about the world of Esports and where he thinks it's going.

Justin Kogge has been the Managing Principle of Esports Foundry and Owner of Vanguard Esports Team for over 6 years and Owner/Cofounder of Game Arena for over 13 years! He helps build our GDEX Underworld gaming space and has a ton of insights on the Esports scene, not to mention being a fierce competitor himself.

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/251217

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

Esteban from Unity joins us this week for a great conversation about supporting communities and the power of game dev tools to bring your ideas to life.

Originally from Puerto Rico, Esteban Enrique Maldonado Caban is a passionate gamer and geek with a lifelong love for video games, which he uses now to spread the word about Unity solutions. With a background in tools development for designers and content creators, Esteban brings his experience and knowledge and experience to his role as an advocate. Additionally, he applies his experience and passion for teaching to help his teammates and game developers of all ages.

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/251203

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

Our Thanksgiving episode with Tom and Chris. Lots of great topics covered in #gamedev and #ai.

Ubisoft AI: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/ubisofts-ai-npc-project-can-now-deliver-sarcastic-gms-helpful-team-mates-and-hidden-lore-and-is-being-playtested-now
Embracer: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/embracer-sells-off-arc-games-and-cryptic-studios
To The Moon: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/to-the-moon-expo-i-probably-couldve-counted-the-number-of-attendees-on-one-hand

Tom Allenbaugh is the technical lead of Multivarious, GDEX and the Sandbox.Space. He also teaches a game development capstone as an adjunct at Columbus State Community College. You can find him around many corners of the internet as Argembarger.

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/251126

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

Game Industry Lawyers Veda Cruz & Conner Richards join us from Oden Law with a ton of really insightful conversation.

Veda Cruz is a video game lawyer, educator, and indie game developer passionate about helping creators thrive. Former in-house counsel at award-winning game studio Gearbox Software, she now teaches video game law and business at the University of Miami and advises developers on contracts, IP, and publishing at Odin Law & Media, a boutique video game law firm. She's also certified as a Scrum Master and personal trainer, and founded Mana & Muscle, a game dev wellness initiative.

Connor Richards is an attorney at Odin Law & Media. The esports and video game worlds are near and dear to Connor’s heart. Like most of the Odin team, Connor grew up a gamer, and more recently became interested in esports. To this day, Connor competes in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournaments and actively participates in Esports Bar Association events. He has authored articles on video game legal issues and featured on various podcasts discussing the esports world.

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/251119

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

Friend of GDEX Tony Justo joins us this week for some really good conversations about how to make your games using #unity and other tools to make your dev life easier.

Tony Justo is a seasoned game enthusiast and software development professional, public speaker, and entrepreneur, who has over a decade of industry experience. He dedicates his time to creating custom tools and assisting other developers in achieving their objectives. Whether it’s understanding business, marketing, or customer relations, he provides guidance and support through his company, Creative Vein Studio. (If you live around the area, please do yourself a favor and check out the Central Ohio Gamedev Group!)

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/251112

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

Friend of Multivarious and GDEX, Jon Gazda, comes to us live from Germany with some really good conversations about developing your first game and running a studio, and the importance of building a good team.

Jon Gazda is our longtime friend who composed music for Multivarious for our game Hatch-It! He is now Founder and Project Manager for Couch Lion Studios, which is based out of Columbus Ohio and Berlin, Germany and is a regular indie exhibitor at GDEX. They have a free PG-13 visual novel dating sim on Steam called Dream & Sugar

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/251105

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

Developer Jason Wheeler from Nationwide Children's Hospital is our guest today. We have some good conversations about Virtual Reality and a host of industry topics!

Jason Wheeler is a Senior Interactive Media Developer in the IT Research & Innovation division at Nationwide Children's Hospital with over 15 years of full stack development experience ranging from desktop applications and web apps to mobile games and interactive media. Nearly half his career has been dedicated to bringing innovation to healthcare providers in central Ohio.

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/251029

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

John Daly from VIV Games joins us this week for a great discussion around #GDEX, challenges in the games industry, and sex in games. Come join us for this great conversation!

XBOX Dev Kit Price Increase: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/new-report-claims-xbox-has-increased-costs-of-its-development-kits-to-2000-a-33-price-hike
Sex in Games: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/report-nearly-half-of-us-adolescents-avoid-games-that-portray-women-in-stereotypical-and-harmful-ways
EU Game Dev Layoffs: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/over-26-of-european-game-professionals-were-laid-off-in-the-past-year-more-than-10-still-searching-for-jobs

John Daly and his brother Jack form the inimitable Violence in Videogames, AKA VIV Games! He and his brother were fresh faces in our Independent/Student/Experimental (ISE) section at GDEX 2025, and they even made a cool devlog of their experience on their YouTube channel! Check out VIV Games' itch.io library.

VIV Discord: https://discord.gg/vaSbKWtPM8

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/251022

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

Friend of the community Caleb Eno joins us this week to discuss AI & Adult content, as well as the importance of personal connection in growing your career and a community.

Caleb Eno is one of Ohio's most devoted and passionate developers and is a core admin of the Central Ohio Gamedev Group. He has been building web and application software since at least 2015 and knows a thing or two about cybersecurity, technical design, level design and educational software. You can catch him gaming with his wife as GamingInTheGarret on YouTube and Twitch. You can also hear him on another podcast, Pages of Play, on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/251015

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