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
Planet Money by NPR

Planet Money

30,850 Listeners

Freakonomics Radio by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Freakonomics Radio

32,121 Listeners

Ludology by Erica Hayes-Bouyouris, Sen-Foong Lim

Ludology

344 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

708 Listeners

The Tim Ferriss Show by Tim Ferriss: Bestselling Author, Human Guinea Pig

The Tim Ferriss Show

16,237 Listeners

Writing Excuses by Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler

Writing Excuses

1,284 Listeners

How I Built This with Guy Raz by Guy Raz | Wondery

How I Built This with Guy Raz

30,293 Listeners

The Board Game Design Lab by Gabe Barrett

The Board Game Design Lab

199 Listeners

Shut Up & Sit Down by Shut Up & Sit Down

Shut Up & Sit Down

1,599 Listeners

So Very Wrong About Games by Mike Walker & Mark Bigney

So Very Wrong About Games

291 Listeners

Board Game Barrage by Board Game Barrage

Board Game Barrage

402 Listeners

My First Million by Hubspot Media

My First Million

2,616 Listeners

Board Game Hot Takes by Board Game Hot Takes

Board Game Hot Takes

171 Listeners

Fun Problems by AJ Brandon and Peter C. Hayward

Fun Problems

16 Listeners