Think Like A Game Designer

Travis George — From League of Legends to Vela Games: Prioritization, Leadership, and the Power of Constraints (#75)


Listen Later

About Travis George

Travis George joins us on today’s episode, bringing over two decades of experience in the video game industry. Travis has held leadership roles at renowned companies like Activision and Riot Games, where he served as the product lead for League of Legends, helping to grow the game into a global phenomenon with over 117 million monthly players. He later co-founded Vela Games, where he continues to innovate as CEO, focusing on designing new player experiences in the cooperative gaming space.

In this episode, Travis shares his journey from launching his first IT services company as a teenager to pursuing a formal education in game design and eventually playing a pivotal role in building one of the most successful live-service games in history. He offers critical insights into team building, the challenges of scaling a studio, and how to align your company around vision and priorities. Travis also discusses the lessons he learned from his successes and failures, including evaluating personal and professional growth, managing creative burnout, and pivoting when necessary. Whether you’re a novice designer or a seasoned creator, Travis’s experiences and philosophies provide a treasure trove of wisdom for navigating game development. Enjoy!



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit justingarydesign.substack.com/subscribe
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Think Like A Game DesignerBy Justin Gary

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

82 ratings


More shows like Think Like A Game Designer

View all
The Dice Tower by Tom Vasel and Eric Summerer

The Dice Tower

1,140 Listeners

The Secret Cabal Gaming Podcast by The Secret Cabal Founders

The Secret Cabal Gaming Podcast

782 Listeners

The Besties by Chris Plante, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Russ Frushtick

The Besties

4,784 Listeners

The Game Design Round Table by Dirk Knemeyer & David V. Heron

The Game Design Round Table

145 Listeners

Magic: The Gathering Drive to Work Podcast by Mark Rosewater

Magic: The Gathering Drive to Work Podcast

709 Listeners

Decoder with Nilay Patel by The Verge

Decoder with Nilay Patel

3,118 Listeners

The Board Game Design Lab by Gabe Barrett

The Board Game Design Lab

201 Listeners

Lords of Limited by Lords of Limited

Lords of Limited

309 Listeners

Shut Up & Sit Down by Shut Up & Sit Down

Shut Up & Sit Down

1,601 Listeners

So Very Wrong About Games by Mike Walker & Mark Bigney

So Very Wrong About Games

290 Listeners

Board Game Barrage by Board Game Barrage

Board Game Barrage

402 Listeners

Triple Click by Maximum Fun

Triple Click

1,111 Listeners

Board Game Hot Takes by Board Game Hot Takes

Board Game Hot Takes

170 Listeners

Fun Problems by AJ Brandon and Peter C. Hayward

Fun Problems

16 Listeners