Player Characters
41 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 5 years ago - ★★★★★ - 2 ratingsGet inspired to get a job in video games, by hearing the stories on how others did it.
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Episodes
How Do We Make This Game Fun | Programmer and 3D Artist Jordan Heaton
September 16, 2019 08:40 - 1 hour - 64 MBJordan has a fascinating story about growing up in less than ideal circumstances, and even though he's always loved games, he was kinda guided away from a career in games. But of course, it crept into his life anyway. I talk to Jordan about Lord of the Rings, Elder Scrolls, modding, running a remote team, what having construction company can do for your game studio and much more.
Make sure your demo works | Game developer Mark Gregory
September 02, 2019 06:16 - 1 hour - 64.8 MBTitle: Make sure your demo works | Game developer Mark Gregory Guest: Mark Gregory, Game developer at Freesphere Entertainment Twitter: @gamedevmark Freesphere: freesphere-entertainment.co.uk Summary: I talk to Mark about all the areas of the game industry that he has touched so far. Writing about the technical qualities of ports for Mac, developing games, seeking funding for games, and organizing talks for game developers. That leads to topics like how to combat Imposter S...
It's about the art | Solo game developer Paul Bradish
August 19, 2019 07:57 - 1 hour - 60.8 MBTitle: It's about the art | Solo game developer Paul Bradish Guest: Website: http://www.marshinthegame.com/ Steam page: store.steampowered.com/app/1062180/Marshin/ Twitter: @MarshinTheGame Instagram: @MarshinTheGame YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCr6Y2II45Kf8mbJcsJWWBiw Summary Paul recently started a journey as a solo game developer. We talk about how his background as a web designer and in digital marketing fits into that journey. We also get around topics like how to man...
How do you build a community | Tastygraph the Viking solo game developer and streamer
July 29, 2019 04:00 - 1 hour - 75.7 MBIn this episode, I talk to Tastygraph the Viking, a streamer and solo game developer. Making games has always been a hobby project for Tastygraph, but he has plans to change that. He's put a lot of thought into what it takes to make sure that when you release a game, it has a chance to be seen and discovered by players. We talked about how he's building his community on Discord and Twitter. But we started with his obsession with MMO's and also got into how he uses the social int...
Your Doubt is Not Uncommon | Solo developer Davis Bickford - Studio Sploot
July 15, 2019 04:00 - 1 hour - 62 MBIn this episode, I talk to the solo developer behind Studio Sploot. We get into how to structure your work, Impostor Syndrome, asking for help, getting feedback and the whole mentality of working on something on your own.
It's better to be yourself | Twitch streamer Virtute
July 01, 2019 15:54 - 1 hour - 60.8 MBTitle: It's better to be yourself | Twitch streamer Virtute Guest: Twitch streamer Virtute Twitch: twitch.tv/virtute Twitter: twitter.com/VirtuteStreams Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/VirtuteStreams/ Other links: links.virtute.gg Summary Virtute tells the story of how he started streaming from his PlayStation 4. Broadcasts that he himself now labels as not good. But he kept at it and began thinking about ways to improve his stream. We get into his thought process be...
Remember to network | Twitch streamer Mr Jake Woof
June 17, 2019 06:18 - 1 hour - 60.5 MBTitle: Remember to network | Twitch streamer Mr Jake Woof Guest: Twitch streamer Mr Jake Woof Twitch: twitch.tv/MrJakeWoof Twitter: @MrJakeWoof Instagram: @MrJakeWoof/ Summary I talk to Jake about how getting fired from his job lead to streaming video games. He shares his thoughts on all the different aspects of streaming like what type of stream you want, the skills you need, building a community, what games to stream, stream schedule and how to stay healthy when you sit in...
Make art, not just games | Lead organizer of Nordic Game Jam Victor Breum
June 03, 2019 15:58 - 1 hour - 61 MBTitle: Make art, not just games | Lead organizer of Nordic Game Jam Victor Breum Guest: Victor Breum - Lead organizer of Nordic Game Jam Twitter: @zepcap Nordic Game Jam: www.nordicgamejam.com Summary I talk to Victor about why his goal is to make art, and why he chose to enter a film school in order to make games. We also talk about the role of the game jam in the broader gaming industry and all the work that goes into running Nordic Game Jam. Highlights A degree from t...
Share your passions | Freelance writer Daryl Baxter
May 20, 2019 20:34 - 1 hour - 66.4 MBTitle: Share your passions | Freelance writer Daryl Baxter Guest: Daryl Baxter freelance writer and podcaster Twitter: @darylbaxter Website: darylbaxter.com/ Podcast: PAL Keys Summary I talked to Daryl about writing and freelancing, how does he use feedback and Google Analytics, what's special about a retrospective and what does his process look like when he's writing, plus how to send a direct message to an editor to ask for a gig. Highlights Daryl was studying computer n...
You'll never be completely ready | Gamification Expert Rob Alvarez
May 06, 2019 15:27 - 1 hour - 64 MBTitle: You'll never be completely ready | Gamification Expert Rob Alvarez Guest: Rob Alzarez Expert on Gamification Website: professorgame.com Twitter: @robalvarezb Instagram: @robalvarezb Summary Rob is an expert on gamification and works at IE Business School in Madrid. He is involved with the various projects that they make around gamification and also teaches at the school. We talk about what gamification is exactly, how and why you'd use it in both education and busin...
Be the best version of you | Freelance concept artist Jason Pickthall
April 15, 2019 15:55 - 1 hour - 56.3 MBTitle: Be the best version of you | Freelance concept artist Jason Pickthall Guest: Jason Pickthall freelance concept artist. Twitter: @jpickthall www.jasonpickthall.com Summary Jason tells the story of how he got his first job almost by chance, and how he pivoted from in-game assets to concept art. We talk about the importance of finding your own voice as an artist, and also believing in yourself and your worth. Highlights Started as a product designer. Took university ...
Excellence requires teamwork | Mike Rutter director at The Digi Monsters
April 01, 2019 15:55 - 1 hour - 57.8 MBTitle: Excellence requires teamwork | Mike Rutter director at The Digi Monsters Guest: Mike Rutter Co-Founder and Director at The Digi Monsters www.thedigimonsters.com Twitter: @digimonsterboss Summary I talk to Mike about his work on the UI for Colin McRae: DiRT and his journey from 3D modeling to UI and becoming a director and co-founder at The Digi Monsters. Games Pac-Man Space Invaders Pitfall! Galaxian LMA Manager Club Football Operation Flashpoint Colin McRae: ...
Bonus: How to get started with games journalism
March 25, 2019 21:19 - 5 minutes - 5.31 MBHey Players It's just me, so no new episode this week Unfortunately, I've been without internet for almost 2 weeks and so I didn't have a chance to set up a new interview for an episode this week. Sorry about that. But I have a bonus episode for you. I got an email from a listener named Brandon who asked me if I had any advice on how to start off with gaming Journalism. And I figured, since giving advice is the whole purpose of this podcast, why don't I share that advice with ...
You have to be a leader | Jess Bolden coach and analyst
March 11, 2019 20:42 - 1 hour - 57.4 MBTitle: You have to be a leader | Jess Bolden coach and analyst Guest: Jess Bolden - Coach and analyst for PENTA Rainbow Six Siege Twitter: @jessica_r6s Twitch: twitch.tv/jesspenta Instagram: @jessbolden Highlights: Educated as a criminology specialist Got into playing games on PlayStation 2 through her dad. While at school she bought Rainbow 6 Siege for her rent money. Switched from console to PC and started her own team. Kept studying during the day and got a bachelor i...
Nobody's going to just give you the answer | Gabriel Langlois Lead Designer
February 25, 2019 19:30 - 54 minutes - 48 MBTitle: Nobody's going to just give you the answer | Gabriel Langlois Lead Designer Guest: Gabriel Langlois Lead Designer at CAGE Studios Instagram: @CageStudios Facebook: facebook.com/cagestudios/ www.cagestudios.net/ Highlights: I talk to Gabriel about crowdfunding a game on Kickstarter, pivoting away from the survival genre, how does it feel when well-known studios like Rare and UbiSoft release AAA titles with the same theme as the one you are working on and much more. Ga...
Make the space readable | Lead Designer Jonathon Wilson
February 11, 2019 18:58 - 1 hour - 57.3 MBTitle: Make the space readable | Jonathon Wilson Lead Designer Guest: Jonathon Wilson Lead Designer / Producer at Pocket Money Games Twitter: @Omnislash92 Highlights: I talked to Jonathon about how UX and level design cross over, crunch, communication in the team and of course his journey from studying at university, to getting a job as an intern with QA, to now being a Lead Designer. Games Metal Gear Final Fantasy Rayman Shu Esper 2 Dimension Hunter Links Coatsink ...
Don't take gaming so seriously | YouTuber Callum "Reaygun" Reay
January 28, 2019 16:58 - 53 minutes - 50.5 MBTitle: Don't take gaming so seriously | YouTuber Callum "Reaygun" Reay Guest: Callum Reay Twitter: @ReayGun YouTube: youtube.com/c/Reaygun Instagram: @ReayGun Highlights: How do you become an ArenaNet partner and what does it entail? What does it mean to study esport? Balancing competitive games for both casual players and pro players. How to standout with Guild Wars 2 content in sea of content creators and on YouTube in general. Dealing with making mistakes in your cont...
It should be like this, for these reasons | Chris Wilson, Design Director at Cardboard Sword
January 14, 2019 16:58 - 1 hour - 56.3 MBTitle: It should be like this, for these reasons | Chris Wilson, Design Director at Cardboard Sword Guest: Chris Wilson, Design Director at Cardboard Sword Twitter: @crwilso Cardboard Sword The Siege and the Sandfox Highlights: We talk about: How he started playing Formula One games with manual gear and a crash helmet on as a kid. How did he get a job as a designer without any prior experience as a designer. The pros and cons of working in AAA and indie. What does the da...
End of the year status - 2018
December 31, 2018 11:03 - 12 minutes - 11.5 MBIt's just me. No guests, I thought I'd give them and myself a little vacation. But then I saw someone mention that the end of the year, is a good occasion to look back at the year that's passed, and maybe celebrate your wins. Now I am super bad celebrating my successes. There's a voice inside me that says that if it can't be perfect, it shouldn't be done at all. You should definitely not be showing off something flawed. So this whole podcast is me trying to overcome that feeling...
Wouldn't you want as much information as possible | Adam Lobel, Games User Researcher at Ubisoft, Montréal
December 19, 2018 16:58 - 1 hour - 58.6 MBTitle: Wouldn't you want as much information as possible | Adam Lobel, Games User Researcher at Ubisoft, Montréal Guest: Adam Lobel, Games User Researcher at Ubisoft, Montréal Twitter: @GrowingUpGaming YouTube: youtube.com/user/GrowingUpGaming Highlights: How did a psychology student from Brooklyn end up working in Montreal for one of the biggest game publishers in the world? And what did he do in Geneva and The Netherlands? We discuss whether the invention of Achievements ...
Give uniqueness to the conversation | Nida Ahmad UX'er and host on the Level Edit podcast
December 03, 2018 16:58 - 1 hour - 58.9 MBTitle: Give uniqueness to the conversation | Nida Ahmad UX'er and host on the Level Edit podcast Guest: Nida Ahmad UX'er and host on the Level Edit podcast Twitter: @NidaAhmad_ Level Edit podcast: @leveledit Highlights: We talk about what UX really is, is it manipulative? Why a game is all in the head of the player, crunch and over time, game jams, and the value of being yourself and being unique. People: Celia Hodent: celiahodent.com Chris Wilson: @crwilso Luke Wroblewsk...
Agreeing is boring | David Turner host on The Computer Game Show
November 20, 2018 17:58 - 1 hour - 62.7 MBGuest: David Turner from The Computer Game Show about video games and podcasting. David has over tean years of experience making podcasts and naturally has a lot of advice to give for anybody considering starting a podcast. We talk about why they spend a lot of time arguing on The Computer Game Show and how or why you'd want to monetize your podcast. Or not
You gotta jump in | Jason Howard, Graphic Designer for Twitch and Mixer
November 07, 2018 20:44 - 1 hour - 64.8 MBTitle: You gotta jump in | Jason Howard, Graphic Designer for Twitch and Mixer Guest: Jason Howard, Graphic Designer for Twitch and Mixer Twitter: @jhoward404 Instagram: http://instagram.com/jhoward414 Twitch: http://twitch.com/jhoward414 http://414graphics.weebly.com Takeaways: Ask questions if the client doesn’t know what they want. Watermark the files you show on social media or to the client before final delivery. Make showcases in low resolution. Accept rejectio...
You need a business sense | Moxu Kraze translator
October 11, 2018 21:45 - 57 minutes - 50.3 MBTitle: You need a business sense | Moxu Kraze, translator Guest: Moxu Kraze freelance translator Twitter: @MoxuKraze YouTube Highlights: Kraze grew up with parents who didn't really want him to play video games even though they had a Sega console at home. Possibly a bootleg version. But as a teenager, he got a laptop, discovered DragonAge and the world of video games. He's been hooked ever since. He grew up outside the US but visited with his parents and found out that he w...
Focus on the soft skills | Matt Demers social media manager for Evil Genuises
September 27, 2018 15:52 - 1 hour - 61.9 MBTitle: Focus on the soft skills | Matt Demers social media manager for Evil Genuises Guest: Matt Demers social media manager for Evil Genuises Twitter: @mattdemers Instagram: @mattdemers Twitch: twitch.tv/mattdemers Highlights: We talk about the role of the journalist in video games today, and content creators on a broader scale. How the current model of free content paid for by ads and sponsorships is not very solid and certainly not scalable. For Matt this meant that he c...
Don't wait for someone to pay you | Esports shoutcaster Sam Wright
September 10, 2018 16:58 - 1 hour - 57.4 MBTitle: Don't wait for someone to pay you | Esports shoutcaster Sam Wright Guest: Sam Wright - Esports shoutcaster plus tech and games blogger Blog: techgirl.co.za Facebook: facebook.com/techgirlza Twitter: @techgirlza Instagram: instagram.com/techgirlza/ YouTube Highlights: Got her start in video games with Nintendo games and playing Mortal Kombat 3 on PC that her dad had gotten. Later her brother and his friends would play Dota in the weekends, and he eventually got sign...
Write something only you can write | Video games journalist Vic Hood
August 30, 2018 16:00 - 1 hour - 56.4 MBTitle: Write something only you can write | Video games journalist Vic Hood Guest: Vic Hood - Video games journalist Twitter: @hood_vic Highlights: Got into video games early with her dad playing Tomb Raider and playing games with her cousins. She even wanted to be a pro gamer as a kid. Went the route of creative writing and journalism and got an internship at Eurogamer. Love digging in for the deep stories Most people are willing to help, they want to see people succeed. ...
You gotta write for an audience | Independent game journalist Steven "holoz0r"
August 15, 2018 20:30 - 1 hour - 53.6 MBTitle: You gotta write for an audience | Steven - Independent gaming journalist Guest: Steven - Independent gaming journalist Steemit: steemit.com/@holoz0r Twitter: @holoz0r Highlights: Steven studied visual arts at university with the aim to get into video game development or video game storytelling. Got his first console from his grandparents, and eventually graduated to playing PC games at school. At the same time, he started writing his school projects in the style of t...
Programming is easy, designing is hard | Jens Andersson, designer on Yoku's Island Express
July 30, 2018 18:00 - 1 hour - 49.8 MBThis is Player Characters, and if you're a fan of video games and you want to get a job that has something to do with games, this show is for you. Maybe you're thinking about becoming a youtuber, a streamer, a producer, a journalist or a creative like Jens. I want to help you do that. Highlights from this episode: Jens started programming BASIC on his fathers computer and later joined the local swedish demo scene. Helped Magnus Högdahl start Starbreeze Studios and became Programmer ...
If we always do the safe, we will never evolve | Regina Content Lead on MovieStarPlanet
July 03, 2018 18:00 - 1 hour - 51.9 MBThis is Player Characters, and if you're a fan of video games and you want to get a job that has something to do with games, this show is for you. Maybe you're thinking about becoming a youtuber, a streamer, a producer, a journalist or a creative like Regina. I want to help you do that. Highlights from this episode: Educated in design for movies - Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. Earning pocket money by doing paint brush for his father To advance in your job, look at areas in the ...
What does a heart rate monitor have to with video games? | Twitch streamer Candy Explosives
June 19, 2018 19:44 - 1 hour - 56.6 MBThis is Player Characters, and if you're a fan of video games and you want to get a job that has something to do with games, this show is for you. Maybe you're thinking about becoming a youtuber, a streamer, a producer, a journalist or a streamer like today's guest Candy Explosives. I want to help you do that. Candy got her love for games from her dad, who was kind enough to get her a PlayStation for Christmas. But obviously he had to try it out for himself first. That started a lif...
Writing is a craft and you should study it | Michael Vogt lead writer on Hitman
June 05, 2018 20:02 - 1 hour - 52.9 MBThis is Player Characters, and if you're a fan of video games and you want to get a job that has something to do with games, this show is for you. Maybe you're thinking about becoming a youtuber, a streamer, a producer, a journalist or a writer like Michael the guest in this episode. I want to help you do that. Michael actually never pictured himself as a games writer, and he started his career focusing on movie with a degree in film and media science. He was involved in making musi...
From Edge Magazine to Angry Birds 2 | Author, designer, and product manager Will Luton
May 21, 2018 20:33 - 1 hour - 52.6 MBTitle: From Edge Magazine to Angry Birds 2 | Author, designer, and product manager Will Luton Guest: Will Luton: http://will-luton.co.uk Twitter: https://twitter.com/will_luton Book: Free 2 Play - Making Money from Games You Give Away Highlights: Will tells the story of how he first got introduced to video games via a very early console, that his father used to test tv's as a tv engineer. Later Will got a job at Sega in the QA department, and from there he worked his way into produc...
Freelance Game & Screenwriter Morten Brunbjerg
May 08, 2018 20:18 - 1 hour - 67.7 MBTitle: Meet up in person and start shaking hands | Freelance Game & Screenwriter Morten Brunbjerg Guest: Morten Brunbjerg | https://www.mortenbrunbjerg.dk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mortenbrunbjerg Twitter: https://twitter.com/mortenbrunbjerg Highlights: Morten tells the story about how he always wanted to write, but had to support himself with a education in IT and later a job as an IT teacher, because getting hired as a writer was difficult. But he kept writing, and read a...
Building a gaming community from a hostel in Mexico | Ben - Slothyy
April 23, 2018 16:00 - 1 hour - 54.8 MBGuest: Ben - Slothyy Twitter: @getslothyy Steemit: steemit.com/@getslothyy Dlive: dlive.io/@getslothyy) ### Advice: Leverage all you possible can. Your brand is your most important thing besides your product. Find that little niche and run it, make it yours. Don't copy what everybody else is doing. Either get a website going or get an e-mail list going and just engage with people. Send them a weekly update. Send out a little digest. For your personal brand you could do a weekly reca...
Be really good at one or two things, and pretty good at a bunch more | Actor Alex Lehman
March 11, 2018 21:16 - 1 hour - 67.2 MBMy guest in this episode is actor Alex Lehman. Alex tells the story of how and why he added motion capture for video games to his already impressive acting CV. Why does it take an actor to do motion capture? Why not just use a person who is professionally doing those movements? We get into the differences between traditional acting with an audience where everything is live and you have one take, and using your body to very precisely express movements and feelings through possibly an...
If you want to design video games - play board games | Thomas Løfgren from lovegreen.dk
February 09, 2018 20:13 - 1 hour - 69.6 MBThomas is celebrating 20 years in game design, and is now a freelance designer in what he calls "full stack design". His interest in video games actually runs parallel with his passion for board games, a passion that started with pen and paper roleplaying games. Hear the story of how Thomas started as an intern and worked his way to a senior position - twice. Hear how IO grew along with the rest of the gaming industry, and basically had to figure out how to make games at a bigger an...
Do it with a friend - how to start a YouTube channel | Scott and Simeon from Two Button Crew
January 22, 2018 12:45 - 1 hour - 65.1 MBLearn the origins of the Two Button Crew name, and how it's actually so much more than "just" a YouTube channel for and by Nintendo fans. Scott and Simeon tell about the respective memories and experiences with gaming and Nintendo games in particular, and the Big N is the cream of the crop in their eyes. I ask them about how and why they started their YouTube channel, and get and insight into their strategy on how they actively foster a positive community. And of course I get the de...
Give them a reason to notice you | Tim "Teemo" Ashton from cybersport.com
November 26, 2017 14:04 - 1 hour - 76.8 MBIn this episode my guest is Tim "Teemo" Ashton who works for cybersport.com where concentrates primarily on League of Legends. But Tim has also worked as a barista before running a GameStop, and then he started to talk about video games every chance he got. I want to thank you for listening to this episode of Player Characters If you want to hear more interviews with people working with video games, please subscribe to Player Characters on SoundCloud or iTunes and of course tell all...
What is a Games Producer and how can you become one | Jesper from EA Dice
October 31, 2017 10:23 - 1 hour - 78.8 MBAn interview with Jesper Nielsen from EA Dice about what it means to be a video game producer. I want to thank you for listening to this episode of Player Characters If you want to hear more interviews with people working with video games, please subscribe to Player Characters on iTunes and of course tell all of your friends. You can find show notes and links on www.playercharacters.co
How combining math with a love for drawing lead to work on Hitman | Rasmus from IO Interactive
October 19, 2017 09:24 - 1 hour - 67.5 MBAn interview with Rasmus Rolfshøj giving a bit of advice on how to make it in the video game industry. Rasmus works as a digital artist for IO Interactive and I talked to him about his job and how he got to where he is today. We talked about how it is work to in a big games company, what kind of games he plays, how he got into gaming in the first place and lots of other stuff. I want to thank you for listening to this episode of Player Characters If you want to hear more interviews ...