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Episode 35 of Out of Play Area the game developer's podcast, we sit down with the creator of Treachery in Beatdown City and discuss founding his company NuChallenger, alongside his time working in the Game Devs of Color Expo, as well as his journey from NYC and the games industry. Chapters: (00:00) Who is Shawn Alexander Allen? (11:14) Sneakerhead Transformation  (23:49) Hip-Hop (29:57) NuChallenger Full Time (37:29) Running Your Own Studio (43:29) Treachery in Beatdown City (58:52) Inspirations and Origins (01:09:58) Combat Mechanics (01:28:36) Game Devs of Color Expo (01:48:33) Game Dev Origin (02:00:38) John’s Outro   Links: Shawn’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnalexanderallen/ Shawn’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShawnDoubleA GDC Vault - Independent Games Summit: Indie SoapBox - https://gdcvault.com/play/1027343/Independent-Games-Summit-Indie GDC Vault - Knights, Fist Fights, Lasers & Catacombs: Subversive Diversity to Improve Our Games - https://gdcvault.com/play/1023756/Knights-Fist-Fights-Lasers-Catacombs (Beyond Basic Represenation) Treachery in Beatdown City: A Postmortem #GDoCExpo 2021 - https://youtu.be/4YKA_swJm5A Game Devs of Color Expo's Shawn Alexander Allen on COVID-19, Allyship & Future Plans - https://youtu.be/MKRl1TeOlQA Go Straight: The Ultimate Guide to Side-Scrolling Beat-’Em-Ups - https://www.bitmapbooks.com/products/go-straight-the-ultimate-guide-to-side-scrolling-beat-em-ups Connect with the host: http://elkingpin.com  Come On The Show: https://outofplayarea.com  Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-play-area/id1550421307  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Da0qLAOBi6rV6ccSzx1gX?si=043f4ec5a6034bf0 Follow @outofplayarea & @elkingpin on Twitter Check out Descript using my affiliate url: http://[email protected]

Henry Golding is a Principal Software Engineering Lead at Xbox Game Studios currently spreading the significance of Test Driven Development and Automated Testing in Game Development. He's a native of the UK who has programmed for Sea of Thieves, Minecraft, Disney Universe, and Dead Space: Extraction for the Wii.  We talk about his latest endeavors as well as discuss his journey into the games industry. Chapters: (00:00) Who is Henry Golding? (11:21) Software Architecture In Games  (25:13) Development Team Dynamics (37:30) Academics & University (51:02) Deadspace Extraction (01:05:44) Rare & Work Visas (01:19:01) Breaking in at Microsoft (01:27:19) Final Round (01:37:43) John’s Outro Links: Henry’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hgolding/ Henry’s MobyGames:https://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,451834/ The Games Automated Testing Resource Hub : https://trello.com/b/nGE5yqZk/game-automated-testing-resource-hub Henry’s GDC Talk -  Lessons Learned in Adapting the 'Sea of Thieves' Automated Testing Methodology to 'Minecraft' https://gdcvault.com/play/1027345/Lessons-Learned-in-Adapting-the  Connect with the host: http://elkingpin.com  Come On The Show: https://outofplayarea.com  Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-play-area/id1550421307  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Da0qLAOBi6rV6ccSzx1gX?si=043f4ec5a6034bf0 Follow @outofplayarea & @elkingpin on Twitter Check out Descript using my affiliate link: http://[email protected]

Kent Hudson is a fellow Midway Austin colleague who now serves as a Design Director for Brass Lion Entertainment.  We talk about his start at Ion Storm on Deus Ex in Austin TX, then his jump to 2K Marin on Bioshock 2, and end with his indie hit The Novelist and everything in between. Chapters: (00:00) Who is Kent Hudson (15:38) Ion Storm  (24:12) Shipping Deus Ex (39:09) Midway Austin Criminal (51:23) Leaving for 2K Marin (01:06:10) Bioshock 2 (01:34:06) Going Indie The Novelist (01:57:36) Contract Advice (02:07:55) Brass Lion Entertainment (02:17:39) Final Round (02:23:29) John’s Outro Links: Follow Kent on Twitter: https://twitter.com/KentInPublic Kent's MobyGames: https://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,70322/ Connect with the host: http://elkingpin.com  Come On The Show: https://outofplayarea.com  Learn more about Brass Lion Entertainment: https://brasslionentertainment.com/careers/ Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-play-area/id1550421307  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Da0qLAOBi6rV6ccSzx1gX?si=043f4ec5a6034bf0 Follow @outofplayarea & @elkingpin on Twitter Fast Company Article on Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney - https://www.fastcompany.com/90741893/epic-games-ceo-tim-sweeney-talks-the-metaverse-crypto-and-antitrust

Zach Mumbach is a designer & producer at the Wandering Band who spent 17+ years at EA as a producer on Dante's Inferno, Dead Space, Battlefield: Hardline, Godfather 2, Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel, the Simpsons and more. We talk about his journey in and out of games and more. Chapters: (00:00) Who is Zach Mumbach (07:21) Visceral Games  & Ragtag (18:28) Critical Skills (27:32) Managing External Teams (35:51) Being a Closer (47:37) Montreal Memories (56:10) Pitching at EA (01:05:56) Rag Tag (01:15:22) Time for New Adventures (01:27:34) Something Calls You Back (01:37:55) Publishing with Epic (01:45:50) Final Round (01:53:16) John’s Outro Links: Follow Zach on Twitter: https://twitter.com/zachulon Zach’s MobyGames: https://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,164514/ Connect with the host: http://elkingpin.com  Come On The Show: https://outofplayarea.com  Check out his latest game Airborne Kingdom: https://www.airbornekingdom.com/ Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-play-area/id1550421307  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Da0qLAOBi6rV6ccSzx1gX?si=043f4ec5a6034bf0 Follow @outofplayarea & @elkingpin on Twitter

Episode 31 features Ben Retan, a Lead AI & Encounter Designer at 2K’s Hangar 13 Studio out of Novato California. Ben is an old Midway Austin homie as well as a fellow Full Sail University alumni whose credits include Star Wars the Force Unleashed 1 & 2 for his days at LucasArts. We talk about Quantum Computing, Game Design, Dream Week, and more.   Chapters: (00:00) Who is Ben Retan? (7:49) Discord or Slack? (18:31) LucasArts (33:01) Quantum Computing (39:10) Back to GameDev (49:46) Game AI (57:58) All About Marketing (01:05:40) Dream Week (01:18:55) Final Round (01:27:45) John’s Outro   Links: Ben’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benretan/ Ben’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/benretan Ben’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/benretan/ Discord: Ben "Phrost" Retan#1337 Ben’s MobyGames: https://www.mobygames.com/developer/ben-retan/credits/developerId,368591/ Connect with the host: http://elkingpin.com  Come On The Show: https://outofplayarea.com  Learn more about Full Sail University https://www.fullsail.edu/

Episode 30 features Chris Bourassa, a Design Director at Polyarc working out of Seattle. Chris is a fellow Full Sail University of Alumni with over 15 years of game design and engineering experience having worked on Midnight Club LA & Red Dead Redemption at Rockstar San Diego and Carnage Racing at Tiny Giant on Mobile, to his last game Moss 1 & 2. Chapters: (00:00) Who is Chris Bourassa? (13:05) Moss 1 Design Responsibilities (22:16) Player Empathy & Game Balancing (32:44) Design Director Moves (40:41) Game Dev Origin & Full Sail University (58:13) Working on Midnight Club LA (01:07:56) Designing Stronghold For Red Dead Redemption (01:20:19) Startup Life (01:28:06) Final Round (01:39:51) John's Final Thoughts & Teaser   Episode Resources: Chris Bourassa’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bourassa86 Polyarc’s Careers :https://www.polyarcgames.com/work Connect with the host: http://elkingpin.com  Show: https://outofplayarea.com  Learn more about Full Sail University https://www.fullsail.edu/

On episode 29 we sit down with Jason Jurecka, a Lead Software Engineer at Visual Concepts, who just released WWE 2k22 laying the smack down on the competition. He’s a fellow Full Sail Alumni who I had the pleasure to work with at R* San Diego on Red Dead Redemption 1 and GTA V, and who has worked with damn near all the heavy hitters in the game from Blizzard, to EA on Battlefield, to where it all started at Big Huge Games on Catan & Rise of Legends. Chapters: (00:00) Who is Jason Jurecka? (13:12) UGC Tools for Wrestling Games (23:07) A Day as an Engineer (35:36) Coming Up in a Small Texas Town (46:23) Finding the Right School for Comp Sci (56:58) Unpacking Burnout (01:04:42) Tools & Pipeline Engineering at Rockstar (01:12:44) Final Project at Full Sail (01:21:02) Schools of Engineering (01:31:15) Final Round (01:45:57) John's Final Thoughts & Teaser   Episode Resources: Support Humanitarian Relief for Ukraine (epicgames.com) Jason Jurecka’s' LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-jurecka-9362182/ Visual Concepts’ Careers: https://vcentertainment.com/careers/ Connect with the host: http://elkingpin.com  Show: https://outofplayarea.com  Learn more about Full Sail University https://www.fullsail.edu/

Episode 28 is dedicated to the people of Ukraine. We sit down with Alan Blaine, a Principal Technical Designer for Bungie on Destiny, and a former Rockstar Designer for Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto V. We talk about the latest release of the Witch Queen, his upcoming GDC 2022 talk, and the craft of being a Technical Designer and a good manager while still staying hands on as a Technical Designer. Chapters: (00:00) Who is Alan Blaine? (12:37) Principal Tech Designer Responsibilities (25:59) Play Your Game (32:20) Starting as a Technical Artist (47:30) Thrasher & Skate Boarding (53:58) Shared World Shooters (01:04:20) Grand Theft Auto (01:12:40) The Chopping Block (01:21:57) GDC Presentation (01:28:59) Final Round (01:38:58) Words for Aspiring Devs (01:48:27) John's Final Thoughts & Teaser   Episode Resources: GDC 2021 Panel Avoid an Identity Crisis as a Technical Designer: https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1027541/Avoid-an-Identity-Crisis-as GDC 2022 Talk: 1000 Hours of Difficulty: How Destiny Build Systemic Challenge: https://schedule.gdconf.com/session/1000-hours-of-difficulty-how-destiny-builds-systemic-challenge/882052 Alan Blaine’s' LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-blaine-4163314/ Alane’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alan_M_Blaine Bungie Careers : https://careers.bungie.com/ Connect with the host: http://elkingpin.com  Show: https://outofplayarea.com 

Episode 27 of Out of Play Area the game developer's podcast features James Kane, a Game Designer & QA Manager at Raccoon Studios in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He's an old WB Games Montreal buddy in arms during our time on Metallica & Gotham Knights, who has gone on to do major things in the industry coming up through QA and studying Game Design at Dawson College.    Chapters: (00:00) Who is James Kane? (9:02) Day in the Life of a Junior Designer & QA Manager (18:59) Different QA Branches (24:37) Levels of QA Part 2 (30:44) Alternative to Bug Quotas (38:06) Origin Story (50:00) Going to Typhoon Studios (56:51) Raccoon Logic (01:02:35) Final Round (01:13:04) John's Final Thoughts & Teaser   Episode Resources: James' LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kane-14893b47/ Racoon Logic : https://www.raccoonlogic.com/careers Connect with the host: http://elkingpin.com  Show: https://outofplayarea.com 

Marie has a long career in game development, where she has worked on several AAA titles such as Batman Arkham Origins, Dead Rising, RollerCoaster Tycoon and Deus Ex. She worked for a number of well-renowned studios such as Ubisoft, Capcom, Warner Bros and Eidos, eventually making her way up to Game Director. Nowadays, she is a consultant who offers her services for studios, publishers, investors and schools. Marie was also one of the early pioneers of eSports, which she started her side career in by co-driving Femina Gaming, the world’s then-biggest community org for female esports. Her focus was on events and she arranged Counter-Strike competitions at Dreamhack 2004-2010. She then continued in competitive MOBA SMITE, fielding roles such as commentator, analyst and coach for a top #12 team. She also organized and produced tournament broadcasts for ESL and Meltdown eSports bar.   Chapters: (00:00) Who is Marie Mejerwall? (12:00) A Game Director's Job (22:46) Do What You Love (31:53) Earn Your Credits (39:32) Breaking into AAA at WB Games Montreal (51:26) Change is Key for Growth (59:32) More Than Your Role (01:07:12) Negotiating & Selecting Your Team (01:20:25) Final Round (01:39:52) John's Final Thoughts & Teaser   Episode Resources: Marie's Website: https://mejerwall.com Marie's MobyGames: https://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,592335/ Marie's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariemejerwall/ Game Dev Map: https://www.gamedevmap.com/ Show Website: http://outofplayarea.com  Connect with the host: http://elkingpin.com 

On Season 2’s premiere episode we surf the waves of change with Mauro Fiore,  Studio Design Director at EA Firemonkeys in Melbourne, Australia.   Mauro has spent 20+ years navigating the ever evolving gaming landscape - from console to casual to mobile and beyond.    Join us as we discuss his journey from Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center to Angel Studios, Rockstar Games, Zynga, Forgame, Linekong, and EA, working on titles such as Midnight Club 2 & 3, Red Dead Redemption, CityVille, FarmVille 2, BattleCore, Independence Day Extinction, Real Racing 3, Need for Speed No Limits, the Sims Free Play, and the Sims Mobile.  Chapters: (00:00) Who is Mauro Fiore? (14:37) Leaving Artifacts (25:56) Higher Education (37:50) Angel Studios (52:49) Part of the Angel Family (01:11:03) Designing the Wild West (01:25:12) Strive to Stay Relevant (01:39:17) Head North to Zynga (01:55:03) Developing for Mobile Startups (02:07:09) Life Down Under in Australia (02:25:10) The Metaverse & NFTs (02:41:59) Better Hiring Practices (02:56:01) John's Final Thoughts   Show Resources: Midnight Club Take 2 Buys Zynga LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maurovfiore/ Portfolio: https://www.maurovfiore.com/

This bonus episode features your host John R. Diaz, a Senior Technical Designer for Electronic Arts Frostbite Engine. In this 1:1 we look back on the podcast and the inaugural year, where we've been, and where we hope to go in 2022. Season 202(2) will kick off at the end of January / early February. See you all then! Feel free to connect with John www.elkingpin.com And connect with the show at www.outofplayarea.com    Links to other recommended podcasts: Game Dev with a Shot of Jameson: https://open.spotify.com/show/2lvzEmdq6X9vwKWMi4F6CF The AIAS Game Maker's Notebook: https://www.interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.asp The Game Dev Show: https://www.ptw.com/thegamedevshow/ The Habibis: https://thehabibis.transistor.fm/ GDC Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3IjaJ0YoZiVvgOK5xRlDQx Zero To Play Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/13V48s0adPvEQRHHKPUU13