Gaming has long grappled with challenges related to diversity and inclusion. From the high-profile lawsuit targeting Activision Blizzard, the publisher behind World of Warcraft and Call of Duty, for gender discrimination, to a recent incident involving a colorist joke by OfflineTV co-founder William "Scarra" Li, the industry has shown a lack of inclusivity for individuals of diverse gender, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. In response to Li's comment, influencer and gaming executive Erin Ashley Simon joins the podcast to discuss the path forward in a constructive manner.

"Humanizing stars are always going to be the best form of connecting and the best connecting stories."

Use code OVERCOME for $20 off a BEACN products today at www.beacn.com.

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Dan Fornace is the creator and developer of Rivals of Aether and its forthcoming sequel Rivals 2. In mid-November, Fornace and the Rivals team launched a Kickstarter to help fund further development on Rivals 2. The Kickstarter received public support from some of the largest influencers in the Super Smash Bros. community, including streamer Ludwig Ahgren. In just a month, the Kickstarter raised $1 million. But what's next for Rivals?

You can follow Dan at @danfornace.

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Ever reached a game level that stirred intense emotions? Odds are, music played a pivotal role. Join content creator Marco "MarcoMeatball" Cammarota, a former opera singer, as he talks with Jacob to explore the profound impact of music and scoring on the gaming experience. Dive into a conversation about iconic musical moments in gaming history, spanning from the sweeping scores of the Final Fantasy series to the rhythmic realms of Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Uncover the subtle ways in which music subconsciously influences the player's journey.

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Follow Marco on Twitter at @marcodmeatball. 

It's been a busy year for gaming, as the billion dollar industry's undergone transformative mergers and acquisitions and unnerving scandals. You've seen the stories and the reports, but how does someone on the inside see these changes?

In the latest episode of Visionaries, Lightforge Games co-founder and CEO Matt Schembari breaks down the intricate layers of his career, from his roots at Blizzard to his time at Epic Games and the departure to create his own studio.

Matt shared his insight on game design principles and how Lightforge is attempting to bend gaming's programming rules to create a choose your own adventure style RPG, inspired by tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons. Matt discussed his hopes for Microsoft's impact on the culture at Activision Blizzard after that developer's tumultuous two and a half years of labor disputes and sexual harassment lawsuits. And Matt talked about Epic Games scaling back and the broader issues around consolidation in gaming.

"I want to make a studio that lasts. I want to make a studio that's, yes, profitable so we can stay in business and keep doing what we're doing, but I want to make a game that brings people lots of joy. And so that's really what the focus is. I do truly believe that if you make a good game and then all the other things happen right."

You can follow Matt on Twitter @MattSchembari.

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Alban Dechelotte became Chief Executive Officer of G2 Esports in a critical moment of the organization's history after the controversial resignation of G2 Founder, Carlos 'ocelote' Rodriguez. Less than a year later, he joins Jacob on Visionaries to dive into G2's past problems and future obstacles. Explore G2 Esports' evolution from an up and coming Spanish brand to a global esports powerhouse, and understand how Alban handles hard questions about the future of esports at large.

"The fans give us their passion and attention. We should pay them for that."

You can follow Alban on Twitter @AlbanDechelotte.

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Get ready for a Marvel-ous treat with the latest episode of Visionaries! Joanna Robinson, the co-author of the upcoming book "MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios" joins Jacob Wolf to discuss the creation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its profound impact on the entertainment industry.

Diving into the unique challenge of crafting an ending for a narrative constantly evolving within the expansive Marvel Universe, Joanna shares how she and her co-authors captured Marvel's journey, from its triumphant highs to its occasional stumbles. With Jacob, Joanna explore the hurdles of reporting on nerd culture, shedding light on why it's tricky to unveil these behind-the-scenes stories.

You can follow Joanna on Twitter @jowrotethis.

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On September 20, the LCS waved goodbye to TSM, once the most popular name in the North American league, and rolled out the welcome mat for Shopify Rebellion. This unexpected move had everyone buzzing: What's Shopify Rebellion's game plan? Dario "TLO" Wünsch, ex-StarCraft pro turned esports leader at Shopify, joined Jacob this week to discuss how the e-commerce platform will be different and whether the current storm in the esports industry.

TLO and Jacob discuss how to build fandom in an environment that over indexes on winning—by shelling out million-dollar player salaries—and sees fans traditionally move with players, rather than building deep connections with teams. The two also discuss criticism around Shopify's perceived goals and whether or not the company's committed in the long term to the esports industry.

You can follow TLO on Twitter at @TLOgg.

If you enjoyed this episode, consider subscribing to the new Jacob Wolf & Mikhail Klimentov Patreon for exclusive Visionaries content: patreon.com/JacobWolfMikhailKlimentov

Listen to the full episode by subscribing to the Jacob Wolf & Mikhail Klimentov Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/JacobWolfMikhailKlimentov

In our first Patreon exclusive episode, Jacob is joined by former Riot Games and Loaded executive Avi Bhuiyan and attorney Bryce Blum to discuss their new set of essays entitled, "The Esports Reckoning." Long-time veterans of the esports industry, Bryce and Avi discuss their motivations behind publishing the most comprehensive writing of why the industry that many analysts praised as being worth billions is now struggling to become stable.

You can follow Bryce on Twitter at @esportslaw and Avi at @avibhuiyan.

David "GrandPooBear" Hunt is one of Twitch's fastest-growing stars, but he is, by no means, new to the art of content creation. After a snowboarding accident left him severely injured in early 2013, GrandPooBear found a new way to compete: Speedrunning — the art of competing for the fastest completion time in a certain game. In his time as a speedrunner, Poo's broken multiple world records at some of speedrunning's biggest events.

In this episode, Poo and Jacob talk about how Poo found his competitive drive (09:05) and what it means to represent Red Bull, one of the most iconic brands in action sports, as someone who transitioned from snowboarding to speedrunning (21:50). Then the two discuss how the birth of Poo's son in 2019 has affected his outlook on his career and changed his point of view in content creation (41:34).

You can follow Poo on Twitter at @GrandPooBear.

If you enjoyed this episode, consider subscribing to the new Jacob Wolf & Mikhail Klimentov Patreon for exclusive Visionaries content: patreon.com/JacobWolfMikhailKlimentov

After a combined span of 13 years at Riot Games, the developer of League of Legends, Andrea Sepenzis and Michael Chu have embarked on a new venture: Codename Islands. Taking inspiration from games like Minecraft, Roblox, and other cooperative multiplayer titles, the duo is deliberately veering from their origins of crafting competitive, player-versus-player experiences in their latest project.

Andrea and Michael delve into the apprehensions linked with leading a game startup following their tenure at the prosperous Riot Games (10:26). They also explore the reasons behind League of Legends' unfavorable reputation among gamers, attributed to its toxic and fiercely competitive culture (26:12). Lastly, Jacob, Andrea, and Michael discuss the disproportionate investment given to alumni of California-based gaming industry giants such as Riot Games, Blizzard, and Twitch, while also addressing the challenges of securing venture capital in the year 2023 (52:27).

You can follow Andrea on Twitter at @ajseps, and Michael at @WatChuKnow.

If you enjoyed this episode, consider subscribing to the new Jacob Wolf & Mikhail Klimentov Patreon for exclusive Visionaries content: patreon.com/JacobWolfMikhailKlimentov