Writing the Haunting Narrative of INDIKA with Dmitry Svetlow

This episode is supported by Xsolla Austin Wintory chats with composer Kenny Young. Together they discuss his career featuring several collaborations with Media Molecule on the Little Big Planet and Tearaway franchises all the way to his latest project, Team Asobi's galactic trek across PlayStation history, Astro Bot. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review. Please consider supporting game dev students with: AIAS Foundation

2 Des 20241h 55min

This episode is supported by Xsolla Chris Charla chats with industry veteran Jen MacLean. Together they discuss her journey in the games industry; what she's learned at each studio she's been a part of; the importance of the first hour in games; and what she thinks developers have to focus on to capture the attention of Gen Z and Gen Alpha. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review. Please consider supporting game dev students with: AIAS Foundation

29 Nov 20241h 9min

This episode is supported by Xsolla Alexa Ray Corriea chats with Abby Howard and Tony Howard-Arias from Black Tabby Games, developers of Slay the Princess. Together they discuss their backgrounds in graphic novels before moving into games; how they approached writing for a game with many possible narrative choices; the technical hurdles they had to overcome; and the different ways that Slay the Princess handles the idea of intimacy.  If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review. Please consider supporting game dev students with: AIAS Foundation

25 Nov 20241h 5min

This episode is supported by Xsolla Trent Kusters chats with Maria Cornelius, the Chief Product Officer for HELLDIVERS™ 2 developer Arrowhead Game Studios. Together they discuss her life outside of games at Spotify and how she found herself at Paradox Interactive and then to Arrowhead; the profound impact mentoring programs have had on her career; the development of HELLDIVERS™ 2; the lessons they've learned from running one of the biggest live service titles of the year; and how they're working with the community to continue fighting the galactic war into the future. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review. Please consider supporting game dev students with: AIAS Foundation

21 Nov 20241h 6min

This episode is supported by Xsolla Alexa Ray Corriea chats with Final Fantasy VII actor Briana White. Together they discuss the casting process and how she originally auditioned for both Tifa and Aerith; respecting the original Japanese performance by Maaya Sakamoto; how localization transforms the creative process; how she dealt with insecurity and imposter syndrome ahead of her performance; and what her next dream role would be. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review. Please consider supporting game dev students with: AIAS Foundation

18 Nov 20241h 12min

This episode is supported by Xsolla Adam Orth chats with Dom Matthews, Studio Head of Senua's Saga: Hellblade II developer Ninja Theory. Together they discuss the history of Ninja Theory as a studio and the unique DNA found in their games; their mission of crafting life changing art with game changing tech; avoiding making games for "everyone" and finding their audience; becoming a part of Xbox Game Studios and feeling empowered; and the importance of having a studio culture of trust. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review. Please consider supporting game dev students with: AIAS Foundation

14 Nov 20241h 7min

This episode is supported by Xsolla Trent Kusters chats with Derek Yu, Jon Perry, and Eirik Suhrke. Together they discuss how they collaborated along with other legendary indie developers to brainstorm the 50 games found in the retro-inspired collection, UFO 50; how important it was to have a core vision for each game, the creative decisions they made to fit within the limitations of the era; when they knew a game was finished; and how the long development time allowed them to start a game only to revisit it years later with fresh eyes and new skills. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review. Please consider supporting game dev students with: AIAS Foundation

11 Nov 20241h 40min

This episode is supported by Xsolla Adam Orth chats with Tim Willits, Chief Creative Officer at Saber Interactive. Together they discuss Tim's long tenure at id Software and his work on the Quake series; why after 23 years he decided to leave and join Saber; the development of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2; the importance of "finding the fun" early; the creation of the swarm technology behind the Tyranids; and how the success of Space Marine 2 has been transformative for the entire company. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a rating and review. Please consider supporting game dev students with: AIAS Foundation

4 Nov 20241h 30min