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A bi-weekly video game development podcast by John R. Diaz, a veteran game designer who goes 1:1 in candid conversations with the developers behind today‘s hit games where we discuss their journey and learnings in this wild industry with no punches pulled. John is a kid born to emigrants from the Dominican Republic in New York City, raised with lots of love, off of food stamps & welfare, where English was not his native language, who got lucky enough to find his passion in developing video games. It took him years in college before figuring out that video game development was something he could learn and do. It wasn‘t until 2007 when he got his lucky 1 in a million chance to get his foot in the door, which required him to move away from all of his family into a city that he knew no one in, Austin Texas to work on his first game Blacksite Area 51 with Midway Games. Since then he‘s gone on to work on some of the biggest games of our time including Grand Theft Auto V and both Red Dead Redemptions. However that road was long, exhausting, and expensive, and it didn‘t have to be. That‘s why he‘s making this show. The video game industry needs more people from all walks of life, beliefs, countries, cultures, languages, shapes, sizes, and origins to make the next big game the world wants to play. If John could do it so can you. This show is all about sharing the experiences of his network, the developers behind the games you love and play, including Game Designers, Animators, Artists, Producers, Engineers, Testers, Directors, Writers, and everything in between, sharing their stories and advice, to answer all those questions you have about how video games are made, and how do you even become a game developer. If you are making video games or want to make them this show is for you, the current & future video game developers where we discuss our art and motivations out of the lines, out of the play area. This is to help put you on to get the opportunity to make the video games you want to play, by hearing how they are made and how the people got here. http://outofplayarea.com Connect with us on Twitter @OutOfPlayArea & the host John R. Diaz. @ElKingpin
Episodes
Monday May 24, 2021
Monday May 24, 2021
On episode 9 of Out of Play Area we sit down with one of the co-founders of the Latin X In Gaming Organization Juan Vaca an El Salvadorian / Ecuadorian American currently working as a Narrative Design Lead at Netflix. We'll go through his journey breaking into the industry, shifting from production to narrative design while at TellTale Games working on The Wolf Among Us, The Walking Dead, Tales from the Borderland, and my personal favorite TellTale Batman. We discuss mentoring, what it's like coming from Washington DC, and making the move to California to follow his dream of becoming a game developer and the power of representation, and more.
Chapters:
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(00:00) Who is Juan Vaca? |
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(06:57) Latinx in Gaming & Culture |
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(23:24) Creative Spaces |
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(35:41) DC Roots & Fallout 3 |
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(42:04) Power of Stories |
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(50:10) TellTale Games |
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(01:09:34) Evolving from Producer to Narrative Designer |
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(01:21:56) Trading Industry Stories |
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(01:35:53) Conexion & Staying in Touch |
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(01:43:18) John's Final Thoughts |
Episode External Resources:
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Connect with Juan Vaca on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/juanvaca/ |
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Follow Juan Vaca on Twitter- |
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Juan's Moby Games Credits - https://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,574415/ |
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Follow John Diaz on Twitter: https://twitter.com/elkingpin |
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To be a guest book a meeting here: https://calendly.com/outofplayarea/preshow |
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Connect with us http://outofplayarea.com |
Monday May 10, 2021
Monday May 10, 2021
In episode 8, John gets to learn all about game audio design from Kristen Quinn an Audio Director for PolyArc Games in Seattle, WA. Her credentials include FEAR & Condemned (Monolith), Fable 2 & 3 (Lionhead), Sunset Overdrive (Insomniac), and Legends of Runeterra (Riot).
She talks about how she got into games, how she approaches hiring and building a strong team, and what she's learned from going to AAA to smaller teams, and what strong audio design means to her, and more.
Chapters:
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(00:00) Who is Kristen Quinn? |
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(09:55) Hiring At PolyArc |
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(19:43) Supporting Your Team |
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(31:46) Finding a Partner |
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(40:00) Adapting from AAA to Smaller Teams |
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(51:18) Effective Audio Design & Direction |
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(59:56) Inferiority Complexes |
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(01:09:02) Repetitive Dialogue |
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(01:17:06) Kristen's Wrap Up |
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(01:20:50) John's Final Thoughts |
More Info:
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Reducing Bias in Game Audio Hiring: https://blog.prosoundeffects.com/reducing-bias-in-game-audio-hiring |
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GDC 2021 - Avoid an Identify Crisis as a Technical Designer: https://schedule.gdconf.com/session/avoid-an-identity-crisis-as-a-technical-designer/878097 |
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Connect with Kristen Quinn on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gameaudiogirl/ |
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Follow Kristen Quinn on Twitter - https://twitter.com/GameAudioGirl |
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Kristen's Moby Games Credits - https://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,173696/ |
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Follow John Diaz on Twitter: https://twitter.com/elkingpin |
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To be a guest book a meeting here: https://calendly.com/outofplayarea/preshow |
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Connect with us http://outofplayarea.com |
Monday Apr 26, 2021
Monday Apr 26, 2021
In episode 7, Jeff Junio, a Lead Game Designer for Jam City in Carlsbad, CA, talks about what's it like building major free to play mobile games, how he approaches hiring and managing, how to sustain for over 30 years in this industry, and working at Rockstar San Diego on Midnight Club L.A, and more.
Chapters:
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(00:00) Who is Jeff Junio? |
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(04:07) Studying in Seattle |
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(07:42) The Marathon Runner |
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(15:06) Longevity & Mobile Game Development |
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(32:25) Being a Lead Designer |
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(46:23) Living Your Best Life |
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(53:15) Interviewing & Hiring Advice |
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(01:01:23) Working at Rockstar Games |
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(01:24:04) Jeff Junio Part 2 |
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(01:28:20) John's Final Thoughts |
More Info:
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Connect with Jeff Junio on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-junio-85687a1/ |
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Follow Jeff Junio on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jefe_june/ |
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Jeff's Moby Games Credits - https://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,402167/ |
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Follow John Diaz on Twitter: https://twitter.com/elkingpin |
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To be a guest book a meeting here: https://calendly.com/outofplayarea/preshow |
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Connect with us http://outofplayarea.com |
Monday Apr 12, 2021
Monday Apr 12, 2021
In episode 6, Nicholas Zippmann, a Senior Staff Systems Designer for Sony's Bend Studio talks about his career working in the industry on Rockstar Games' Red Dead Redemption, Guerrilla Games' Horizon Zero Dawn, Days Gone, and more.
He talks about how to approach game systems design, where he got his start, and we both admire open world systems design and the various approaches to it on Unreal, Rage, and other game engines. We even give some travel tips for navigating Amsterdam, and more.
This episode is dedicated to the hip hop legend Earl DMX Simmons & founder of Rockstar Leeds and beloved colleague Gordan Hall. Both men who will live on through their art and the impact they had on the people's lives around them, and through their children.
Chapters:
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(00:00) Dedication to Earl DMX Simmons & Gordan Hall |
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(00:52) Who is Nicholas Zippmann? |
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(02:11) Home Office Setup |
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(05:16) Tea & Sony Swag |
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(12:54) First Day at Rockstar |
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(20:17) Game Design & Combi Scopes |
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(31:47) Game Dev in Amsterdam with Guerrilla |
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(40:22) Unreal Tech Design |
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(52:28) Systems in Days Gone |
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(01:05:39) Full Sail Program Advisory Committee |
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(01:15:45) John's Final Thoughts |
Episode External Resources:
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Connect with Nicholas Zippmann on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nzippmann/ |
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Follow Nicholas Zippmann on Twitter - https://twitter.com/NickZipps |
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Nic's Moby Games Credits - https://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,429515/ |
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Follow John Diaz on Twitter: https://twitter.com/elkingpin |
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To be a guest book a meeting here: https://calendly.com/outofplayarea/preshow |
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Connect with us http://outofplayarea.com |
Monday Mar 29, 2021
Monday Mar 29, 2021
In episode 5, our first animator on the show, John Geiger a Señior Animator for Eidos Montréal talks about his career working on iconic characters such as Lara Croft and on Deus Ex Mankind Divided & Human Revolutions.
We discuss lifting heavy things, bringing your best self to work every day, and more.
Chapters:
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(00:00) Who is John Geiger? |
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(01:32) Lifting Heavy Weight |
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(04:25) A Toast over homemade Bourbon |
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(11:53) What's Video Game Animation |
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(28:53) Why Games Over Film |
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(36:27) Performance Capture |
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(47:40) Deus Ex Cover System |
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(56:46) Animation Tips & Advice |
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(01:08:16) John's Final Thoughts |
More Info:
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Geiger's Moby Games Credits - https://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,453751/ |
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Follow John Diaz on Twitter: https://twitter.com/elkingpin |
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To be a guest book a meeting here: https://calendly.com/outofplayarea/preshow |
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Connect with us http://outofplayarea.com |
Monday Mar 15, 2021
Monday Mar 15, 2021
In episode 4, Jameson Durall, Director of eSports for Full Sail University's Team Armada in Winter Park FL falls Out of Play Area and talks about studying game design & development at Full Sail University, playing D&D with Dave Arneson, breaking into the industry thanks to Gamasutra, working at Oddworld, EA, Volition, and coming back to return the favor to Full Sail University. He also explains why he became a Twitch Affiliate and started his own game dev podcast Game Dev with a Shot of Jameson and more.
Chapters:
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(00:00) Who is Jameson Durall? |
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(01:08) Intro Theme |
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(01:35) Esports Team Management |
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(05:08) Kentucky Mule Toast |
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(07:05) I want to make games |
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(22:26) Dungeons & Dragons |
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(35:00) Breaking In Via Gamasutra & Karma |
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(40:49) It's an Oddworld |
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(01:10:10) Fellow Electronic Artist |
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(01:11:10) Design Direction @ Volition |
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(01:16:47) Giving Back to Full Sail |
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(01:28:30) John's Final Thoughts |
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(01:30:20) Next Episode Teaser: John Geiger |
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(01:31:02) John's Outro |
Episode External Resources:
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Jameson Durall - Twitch - https://www.twitch.tv/jamesondurall |
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Jameson Durall - Twitter - https://twitter.com/jamesondurall |
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Jameson's Moby Games Credits - https://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,182216/ |
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Full Sail Armada - https://armada.fullsail.edu/ |
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Follow John Diaz on Twitter: https://twitter.com/elkingpin |
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To be a guest book a meeting here: https://calendly.com/outofplayarea/preshow |
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Connect with us http://outofplayarea.com |
Monday Mar 01, 2021
Monday Mar 01, 2021
In episode 3, Mayling Tan, a Senior Game Designer at Google Stadia in Montreal falls Out of Play Area and talks about the bombshell news that Google Stadia announced to their game studios. She candidly walks through her mindset to move forward, while reaffirming her passion for what she does as a Social Designer and everything that entails. Of course, we also get her to open up on how she broke into the industry.
Chapters:
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(00:00) Who is Mayling? |
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(01:08) Intro Theme |
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(01:35) Talking Shop over tea |
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(03:24) Working at Google Stadia |
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(06:17) Social Design |
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(10:48) Power of Community |
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(19:53) Stream-Sniping & ChatPlay |
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(27:52) Gameplay Implications |
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(35:39) Team Dynamics while WFH |
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(42:05) Prioritizing Accessibility & Inclusion |
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(47:03) When Did May fall for games? |
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(50:11) Breaking into the Games Industry |
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(57:06) Game Dev Roadmap |
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(01:02:40) Game Dev Organizations |
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(01:08:48) John's Recap |
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(01:10:20) Next Episode Teaser: Jameson Durall |
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(01:11:22) John's Outro |
Links:
Mayling Tan on LinkedIn
Mayling Tan's Mobygames Credits
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Follow John Diaz on Twitter: https://twitter.com/elkingpin
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To be a guest book a meeting here: https://calendly.com/outofplayarea/preshow
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| Connect with us https://solo.to/opa |
Monday Feb 15, 2021
Monday Feb 15, 2021
In episode 02, we sit down with Benjamin Johnson, or Mr. Benja as he’s known online, who is a designer and creative living in SoCal best known for being the lead designer on Rockstar Games Presents: Table Tennis and being a prominent open-world scripter for Red Dead Redemption.
Early on, he was introduced to the arts, but when he came across video games, he quickly decided to make game development his focus. Benja obtained degrees in Information Systems and Software Engineering from Florida A&M University and Michigan State University, respectively.
From there he went on to create and design video games for companies such as Sony Santa Monica, 3DO, WowWee, and, of course, Rockstar Games San Diego.
Afterward, he turned his focus away from the corporate and has since moved into creative ventures including podcasting, gallery curation, and a fine arts project called The 8Bit Cubist. And as he explains, “Life Imitates Game.”
Read the rest of this entry »
Wednesday Feb 03, 2021
Wednesday Feb 03, 2021
In the acapella version (no background music) of the inaugural episode, we sit down with fellow Full Sail University Alumni, dear friend, Detroit’s own Douglas Burton currently working as a Senior Designer for PolyArc in Seattle, WA.
Doug has worn various hats in game development riding the full spectrum between Game Design & Coding to refine his specialty in Puzzle Design.
I got to work with Doug at Midway Austin on our first shipped game Blacksite: Area 51 where he’s gone on to work for various studios throughout the US and in the UK.
In this episode we'll discuss:
Read the rest of this entry »
Monday Feb 01, 2021
Monday Feb 01, 2021
In the inaugural episode, we sit down with fellow Full Sail University Alumni, dear friend, Detroit’s own Douglas Burton currently working as a Senior Designer for PolyArc in Seattle, WA.
Doug has worn various hats in game development riding the full spectrum between Game Design & Coding to refine his specialty in Puzzle Design.
I got to work with Doug at Midway Austin on our first shipped game Blacksite: Area 51 where he’s gone on to work for various studios throughout the US and in the UK.
In this episode we'll discuss:
- (0:00) the dream of being a game dev consultant for Hollywood
- (3:10) cheers, sante , salud, let's enjoy a stout
- (4:28) developing in the pandemic
- (6:00) working in mobile slot games at Scientific Games in Austin Texas.
- (15:28) figuring out game development was his calling
- (18:15) meeting Steven Spielberg while working on Boom Blox
- (30:20) finding the right college to achieve his goals
- (43:20) discuss the responsibilities of a game designer
- (53:00) approaching high-level puzzle design
- (1:03:00) his perspective on the importance of studio culture and equitable hiring practices at Polyarc
Links mentioned in the show:
Doug Burton's Game Credits on Mobygames
Reducing Bias in Game Audio Hiring
Follow Doug's team Polyarc - @PolyarcGames
Follow Doug's work - @Dougomite_Dev
Follow your host John Diaz - @elkingpin