Game Production Community Podcast

This session featured hosts Juney Dijkstra and Angela Dachowski interviewing guest Jay Myung.The Production Professionals Interview Series features exemplary production professionals in a series of focused knowledge sharing conversations on a broad range of topics, from tackling tough conversations with your team, to preferred tools, methods and software and how to maximise professional and personal growth.Jay Myung, with 15+ years of experience in the games industry, has worked in publishing, product management, business development, and licensing before settling in project management at Electronic Arts. After 6 years on the FC Online franchise, he moved from his Head of Development position to a new project as Lead Development Director for external development.Please share with peers that could benefit from these insights & experiences!Organised with the amazing support of our Event Producer Angela Dachowski and our Supporters for this session, Janyl & Ayman ♡Resources Cited & RecommendedAtomic HabitsNever Split the DifferenceCrucial ConversationsWe would love feedback: Reach out to us on Discord!ABOUT THE GAME PRODUCTION COMMUNITY“Level up together with our inclusive, growth minded community as we share game production knowledge & experiences, advocate team health & happiness and lead the way to diverse, high quality, sustainable game development.”

This session featured hosts Juney Dijkstra & Angela Dachowski interviewing guest Marchi Loen.The Production Professionals Interview Series features exemplary production professionals in a series of focused knowledge sharing conversations on a broad range of topics, from tackling tough conversations with your team, to preferred tools, methods and software and how to maximise professional and personal growth.Marchiano Loen is a Production and Product Management specialist who started his career as a Tester at Electronic Arts. After moving his way up to lead testing teams, he got his Production break at Ubisoft. He has worked on titles such as Candy Crush Saga and Fortnite, and has worked at both large studios and indie studios. Besides a lifelong passion for gaming, Marchi also loves the startup world and has worked for a Silicon Valley startup.Please share with peers that could benefit from these insights & experiences!Organised with the amazing support of our Event Producers Angela Dachowski & Jess Avelsgaard and our Supporters ♡We would love feedback: Reach out to us on Discord! For more articles and interviews with producers & others in the games industry, check out our affiliate website.ABOUT THE GAME PRODUCTION COMMUNITY“Level up together with our inclusive, growth minded community as we share game production knowledge & experiences, advocate team health & happiness and lead the way to diverse, high quality, sustainable game development.”

This session featured hosts Juney Dijkstra, XDI Operations Director at EA, and Angela Dachowski, Producer at Flippfly interviewing guest Anya Zielińska, Production Director at Paradox Development Studio.The Production Professionals Interview Series features exemplary production professionals in a series of focused knowledge sharing conversations on a broad range of topics, from tackling tough conversations with your team, to preferred tools, methods and software and how to maximise professional and personal growth.Anya Zielińska is a Production Director at Paradox Development Studio driven by a passion for reaching projects' goals while prioritizing team growth with over 7 years of diverse experience from kickstarting projects to managing live games, all on different platforms.Please share with peers that could benefit from these insights & experiences!Organised with the amazing support of our Event Producers Angela Dachowski & Jess Avelsgaard and our Supporters ♡Resources Cited & Recommended: Creativity, Inc. by Ed CatmullWe would love feedback: Reach out to us on Discord! For more articles and interviews with producers & others in the games industry, check out our affiliate website.ABOUT THE GAME PRODUCTION COMMUNITY“Level up together with our inclusive, growth minded community as we share game production knowledge & experiences, advocate team health & happiness and lead the way to diverse, high quality, sustainable game development.”

This session featured hosts Juney Dijkstra, XDI Operations Director at EA, and Angela Dachowski, Producer at Flippfly interviewing guest Kimberly Rodatos.The Production Professionals Interview Series features exemplary production professionals in a series of focused knowledge sharing conversations on a broad range of topics, from tackling tough conversations with your team, to preferred tools, methods and software and how to maximise professional and personal growth.Kimberly Rodatos, with over fifteen years of experience, has worked with major studios like Perfect World, Crytek, Jagex, and Epic Games. This year, she joined OtherSide Entertainment as Lead Producer and continues to support indie developers through workshops and global conferences.Please share with peers that could benefit from these insights & experiences!Organised with the amazing support of our Event Producers Angela Dachowski & Jess Avelsgaard and our Supporters ♡Resources Recommended: Everyday Business Storytelling by Janine KurnoffWe would love feedback: Reach out to us on Discord! For more articles and interviews with producers & others in the games industry, check out our affiliate website.ABOUT THE GAME PRODUCTION COMMUNITY“Level up together with our inclusive, growth minded community as we share game production knowledge & experiences, advocate team health & happiness and lead the way to diverse, high quality, sustainable game development.”

This session featured hosts Juney Dijkstra and Jess Avelsgaard interviewing guest Linda Tiger, Paradox Development Studio Black's Studio Manager.The Production Professionals Interview Series features exemplary production professionals in a series of focused knowledge sharing conversations on a broad range of topics, from tackling tough conversations with your team, to preferred tools, methods and software and how to maximise professional and personal growth.A production thought leader with a love for knowledge-sharing, Linda joined the games industry as a QA Tester in 2002 and has since then been involved in over 30 titles - in production roles since 2008 and for the past 2 years as studio manager at Paradox Development Studio's Studio Black.Please share with peers that could benefit from these insights & experiences!Organised with the amazing support of our Event Producers Angela Dachowski & Jess Avelsgaard and our Supporters ♡Resources Cited & RecommendedIndia GDC Talk on Knowledge & Experience Sharing Initiative: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBLACDo-Oy4&list=PLup45nWHfVmVBOOv0LkcQPRHvjOTwg5zh&index=20&t=1sLeadership Course: UGL in English - All you need to know | UGL-guidenWe would love feedback: Reach out to us on Discord! For more articles and interviews with producers & others in the games industry, check out our affiliate website.ABOUT THE GAME PRODUCTION COMMUNITY“Level up together with our inclusive, growth minded community as we share game production knowledge & experiences, advocate team health & happiness and lead the way to diverse, high quality, sustainable game development.”

This session featured host Juney Dijkstra and guest Katie Rössler, LPC. Burnout is on the rise and though we are talking about it, we're not discussing how to prevent or recover from it. During this talk, we discussed what burnout symptoms actually look like, why more people are burning out now more than ever, and steps you can take to prevent it.Katie Rössler is a licensed therapist specializing in burnout and hidden grief specialist. With 15 years of experience, she is shifting the way we think about and experience challenges in our lives and teaching us to transform our pain into our greatest empowerment.You can find the Slides here: https://katierossler.com/burnout-culture-notesYou can find Katie through:https://katierossler.com/linkshttps://katierossler.com/podcasthttps://katierossler.com/the-new-face-of-griefhttps://www.instagram.com/katie.rossler/https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-r%C3%B6ssler-lpc-08501933/Please share with peers that could benefit from these insights & experiences!Organised with the amazing support of our event producer Albert Bassili & our Supporters ♡We would love feedback: Reach out to us on Discord! For more articles and interviews with producers & others in the games industry, check out our affiliate website.ABOUT THE GAME PRODUCTION COMMUNITY“Level up together with our inclusive, growth minded community as we share game production knowledge & experiences, advocate team health & happiness and lead the way to diverse, high quality, sustainable game development.”

This session featured host Juney Dijkstra and guest Mae Mierop, Recruiting Operations Program Manager at Striking Distance.Mae lifted a tip of the veil on the production interview process: How to decode a job description's qualifications and responsibilities to prepare for the questions a hiring manager may ask, and how to approach answering questions truthfully while showing your best self. Bonus: What should you ask in return?* Mae Mierop, Recruiting Operations Program Manager at Striking Distance Studios. With over 10 years experience in training, recruiting, and mentoring in gaming, tech, and non-profits, Mae is an avid cosplayer who loves to help people reach their goals.You can find the Slides here.Please share with peers that could benefit from these insights & experiences!Organised with the amazing support of our event producer Mike Thorn & our Supporters ♡We would love feedback: Reach out to us on Discord! For more articles and interviews with producers & others in the games industry, check out our affiliate website.ABOUT THE GAME PRODUCTION COMMUNITY“Level up together with our inclusive, growth minded community as we share game production knowledge & experiences, advocate team health & happiness and lead the way to diverse, high quality, sustainable game development.”

This session featured hosts Juney Dijkstra & Angela Dachowski interviewing guest Claire Bromley.The Production Professionals Interview Series features exemplary production professionals in a series of focused knowledge sharing conversations on a broad range of topics, from tackling tough conversations with your team, to preferred tools, methods and software and how to maximise professional and personal growth.Claire is a Producer at Criterion Games, and has an impressive 17 years of game industry experience across PlayStation Studio and EA. Starting in QA and moving over to Production in 2013, she's worked on a variety of AAA titles, including LittleBIGPlanet, Need For Speed and now Battlefield.Please share with peers that could benefit from these insights & experiences!Organised with the amazing support of our Event Producers Angela Dachowski & Jess Avelsgaard and our Supporters ♡Resources CitedTED Talk by Casey Brown, “Know your worth, then ask for it”#talk #AMA #interview #casestudy #gamedevelopment #gameproduction #production #producer #projectmanagement #productmanagement #management #business #businessdevelopment #videogames #computergames #games #indie #AAA #console #pc #mobile #learning #lifelonglearning #growthmindset #growth #professionaldevelopment #personalgrowth #career #careerdevelopment #leadership #community #mentoring #dei #diversity #equity #inclusion #belonging #culture #collaboration #cooperation #team #software #tools #methodology #difficultconversations #delegation #prioritisation #workrelaxationbalance #impostersyndromeWe would love feedback: Reach out to us on Discord! For more articles and interviews with producers & others in the games industry, check out our affiliate website.ABOUT THE GAME PRODUCTION COMMUNITY“Level up together with our inclusive, growth minded community as we share game production knowledge & experiences, advocate team health & happiness and lead the way to diverse, high quality, sustainable game development.”

This session featured host Juney Dijkstra and guests Shams Jorjani, Maria Cornelius and Alex Bolle.Our latest panel looked uniquely at a chain of three mentors/mentees as mentorship knowledge is passed down and refined across three generations. With Shams mentoring Maria and Maria mentoring Alex, the three panelists discussed their experiences and takeaways from mentorship across the spectrum of professional experience while giving you a framework (and a slight nudge) for taking on your own mentee(s)! The panel is also an excellent opportunity for mentees to understand how to leverage their relationship with their mentor effectively.Maria Cornelius, COO at Arrowhead Games Studios, bulldozer for positive change with a passion for developing the leaders of tomorrow.Shams Jorjani, Chairman of the Board at Hooded Horse, Shams ran business development for the better part of a decade at Paradox. Today he's the Chairman of publisher Hooded Horse and is about to start a new games studio. Somehow he still finds time to host a podcast about the business of the video games industry.Alex Bolle, Lead Producer at Arrowhead Games Studio, used to tame chaos at Ubisoft (lately on Assassin's Creed Mirage), and gave a lot of love for indies in other studios.Please share with peers that could benefit from these insights & experiences!Organised with the amazing support of our Event Producer Albert Bassili & our Supporters with a special call out for Angelo Diktopoulos ♡Resources Cited & RecommendedMaria Cornelius' Mentorship Framework: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1qkzlpYiUQMIvNt8luRgZX_CYtTfY2aAjrJGvAwIqt-8/edit#slide=id.gcb5028ab6d_1_42#mentorship #mentoring #mentor #mentee #industryexperience #industrygrowth #generationalknowledge #talk #AMA #interview #panel #gamedevelopment #gameproduction #production #producer #videogames #computergames #games #indiedev #indie #AAA #console #pc #mobile #learning #lifelonglearning #growthmindset #leadership #community #projectmanagement #productmanagement #management #team #dei #diversity #equity #inclusion #culture #collaboration #cooperation #business #businessdevelopment #careerdevelopmentWe would love feedback: Reach out to us on Discord! For more articles and interviews with producers & others in the games industry, check out our affiliate website.ABOUT THE GAME PRODUCTION COMMUNITY“Level up together with our inclusive, growth minded community as we share game production knowledge & experiences, advocate team health & happiness and lead the way to diverse, high quality, sustainable game development.”

This session featured host Juney and guest Tina Merry, exploring what's meant by cultural diversity plus how our cultural values impact the way we navigate life, including how we communicate, plan and get work done.A game development industry veteran, Tina leverages global leadership experiences to support cultural inclusion, innovation and production excellence particularly when working with distributed teams.You can find the Slides and Handout here:https://tinamerryconsulting.ca/events/cultural-inclusion-for-game-producers/Please share with peers that could benefit from these insights & experiences!Organised with the amazing support of our event producer Fitzgerald Lewis & our Supporters ♡Resources Cited & Recommended for further study:Driven by Difference - Dave Livermorehttps://davidlivermore.com/driven-by-difference/Expand your Borders - Dave Livermorehttps://davidlivermore.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Sample_EYB.pdfThe Culture Map - Erin Meyerhttps://erinmeyer.com/books/the-culture-map/ CQ related blogs and general resources:https://tinamerryconsulting.ca/blog/https://davidlivermore.com/blog/https://culturalq.com/about-cultural-intelligence/blog/CQ Research:https://culturalq.com/about-cultural-intelligence/research/https://culturalq.com/products-services/assessments/cultural-values-profile/Assessment/self guided development journey (or reach out to Tina directly!):https://www.learncq.com/cq-pathway/Link to complete a culture profile using Erin Meyer's model: https://hbr.org/2014/08/whats-your-cultural-profileGeert Hofstede - The 6D model of national culturehttps://geerthofstede.com/culture-geert-hofstede-gert-jan-hofstede/6d-model-of-national-culture/ Hofstede's country insights and comparison tool: https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison/We would love feedback: Reach out to us on Discord! For more articles and interviews with producers & others in the games industry, check out our website.ABOUT THE GAME PRODUCTION COMMUNITYOur Vision is to enable games industry professionals to plan better, lead better and stop the crunch culture, through building a community of support, knowledge and training.

This session featured host Juney interviewing a panel of three game production professionals who successfully transitioned into the game industry: Michelle Velez of Electronic Arts, Giulia Carlotta Zamboni of Gamera Interactive, and Ariana Marchigiano of Blackbird Interactive, who discussed their background before transitioning into the game industry, what motivated them to make the switch, and how they made it. They'll talk about what skills they were able to take with them from their previous careers, share some of the hurdles they had to overcome, and discuss what they've learned about what it's like to work in games coming from very different industries.Please share with peers that could benefit from these insights & experiences!Organised with the amazing support of our event producer Kaz & our Supporters ♡We would love feedback: Reach out to us on Discord! For more articles and interviews with producers & others in the games industry, check out our website.ABOUT THE GAME PRODUCTION COMMUNITYOur Vision is to enable games industry professionals to plan better, lead better and stop the crunch culture, through building a community of support, knowledge and training.

In this episode, Juney hosted a session featuring PLAYERUNKNOWN Productions Art Director Scott Davidson. Scott talked to us about his experience with imposter syndrome throughout his career in the games industry. He will discuss the lows, the highs, the times he thought about giving up and how he kept going. Scott also shared useful ways of coping with imposter syndrome, should we ever feel self-doubt throughout our own journey. There was a live Q&A after the event.Slides can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dOqiQXRCLnw-Q8XzEAJxWRDKpq0ms4lw/view?usp=sharingPlease share with peers that could benefit from these insights & experiences!Organised with the amazing support of our event producer Kaz & our Supporters ♡We would love feedback: Reach out to us on Discord! For more articles and interviews with producers & others in the games industry, check out our website.ABOUT THE GAME PRODUCTION COMMUNITYOur Vision is to enable games industry professionals to plan better, lead better and stop the crunch culture, through building a community of support, knowledge and training.

In this episode, Juney hosted freelance producer Demi Mark! Demi talks to us about the importance of networking in the industry, sharing her story and other success stories, and giving a 101 on why, how and where to find and connect with peers from the game development community. There was a live Q&A after the event.Long form article & slides can be found here: https://demimarkzedzinc.wordpress.com/2022/06/25/the-importance-of-networking/Please share with peers that could benefit from these expert insights & experiences!Organised with the amazing support of Angelo Diktopoulos & our Supporters ♡We would love feedback: Reach out to us on Discord! For more articles and interviews with producers & others in the games industry, check out our website.ABOUT THE GAME PRODUCTION COMMUNITYOur Vision is to enable games industry professionals to plan better, lead better and stop the crunch culture, through building a community of support, knowledge and training.

In this episode, Juney hosted game industry veteran, games user research consultant, author of the “How to be a Games User Researcher” book and most recently creator of “The Playtest Kit”, Steve Bromley!During this session, Steve offered solutions to many of the barriers to regular playtesting, such as “Where can I find playtesters”, “When should I run a playtest” and “How should I handle player feedback”. There was a live Q&A after the event.Slides can be found here: https://gamesuserresearch.com/gpc/Transcript can be found here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1055908/10930310Please share with peers that could benefit from these expert insights & experiences!Organised with the amazing support of Angelo Diktopoulos & our Supporters ♡We would love feedback: Reach out to us on Discord! For more articles and interviews with producers & others in the games industry, check out our website.ABOUT THE GAME PRODUCTION COMMUNITYOur Vision is to enable games industry professionals to plan better, lead better and stop the crunch culture, through building a community of support, knowledge and training.

In this panel, host Juney invites four experienced accessibility professionals to guide us through the process of planning, budgeting, implementing and testing accessibility features from the ground up in both new and ongoing projects to make better and more welcoming experiences.Our expert panellists:Ally McLean: Senior Producer at Mighty KingdomTabby Rose: UX Director at Mighty YellBrannon Zahand: Senior Gaming Accessibility Program Manager at MicrosoftJonas Lundqvist: Senior Development Director at RespawnTranscript can be found here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1055908/10019657Please share with peers that could benefit from these expert insights & experiences!Organised with the amazing support of Sergio Maldonado & our Supporters ♡Resources shared during the panel:Article: How Producers can make games more accessible - https://workinglunch.substack.com/p/how-producers-can-make-games-more?r=nokf3&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=Xbox Accessibility Resources - https://aka.ms/xgaXbox Accessibility Guidelines - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/gaming/accessibility/guidelinesXbox Gaming Accessibility Fundamentals course - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/paths/gaming-accessibility-fundamentals/ Microsoft Gaming Accessibility Testing Services - https://aka.ms/mgatsAble Gamers Player Panels: Community of players with disabilities interested in participating in play-testing and user research on games - https://ablegamers.org/player-panels/#:~:text=AbleGamers%20Player%20Panels%20is%20a,to%20make%20games%20more%20accessibleUnity Screen Reader - https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/tools/gui/ui-accessibility-plugin-uap-87935TTS Speech Engine in development for Unreal & Unity - https://www.readspeaker.ai/unity-unreal-game-engine-plugin-free-trial/How developers are trying to solve motion sickness in video games - https://www.polygon.com/2013/10/26/4862474/video-games-and-motion-sickness-dying-light-techland-fpsTwitter thread detailing Ubisoft subtitle usage - https://twitter.com/tisseranddavid/status/1143570437173104643Discord Live Transcription Bot - https://www.scriptly.xyz/We would love feedback: Reach out to us on Discord! For more articles and interviews with producers & others in the games industry, check out our website.ABOUT THE GAME PRODUCTION COMMUNITYOur Vision is to enable games industry professionals to plan better, lead better and stop the crunch culture, through building a community of support, knowledge and training.

During this Fireside Chat, Juney invited her guest Maria Cornelius, Operations Manager at Spotify, to talk about supporting and scaling large teams & organizations in ever-changing industries.

Featuring 3 community managers with varying backgrounds, we explored a community manager's goals, how they achieve these, how this benefits a game production and how we as producers can help facilitate their work.With community managers from AAA to indie, a plethora of interesting perspectives emerged as we spoke about their road to the industry, their studios, their everydays and goals.Raccine Malcolm: Freelance Community & DEI Manager, Founder of Games Community Garden (formerly Games Marketing Essentials), Co-Founder & CCOO of CommSprout, Community Engagement and DEI Manager at The*GameHERs. Jenny Windom: Producer/Co-Owner at Soft Not Weak, Portfolio Manager at Kowloon Nights, & Communications at Rose City Games. In her spare time, Jenny is an indie game streamer and Wholesome Games organizer and host.Daria Ilyina: Community Developer at Paradox Interactive. Previously Team Lead for various projects from mobile to console & PC games, with vast customer support and IT analytics background. In her spare time, Daria creates cosplay costumes and plays video games.Raven Hoegalmen (

A panel featuring 4 wonderful Producers working in the games industry, with highly varying backgrounds: From years of experience to education & culture, and from studio size & composition to role & responsibilities! Topics ranged from their road into the industry, what production looks like at their studio, tools used and best practices.Esmeralda Hoffman: Producer at Silver Rain Games, currently working on an EA Originals project. Contributed to several projects varying from Indie to AAA titles. Believes we can work towards a more mindful approach to game production.Heather Chandler: Video game producer with 24 years and counting under her belt in the game industry. Led teams at Epic Games, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, and Activision. Launched over 40 games across all gaming platforms and has worked on popular franchises including Fortnite, Star Trek, and Ghost Recon. Currently working on a game about the ocean called Beyond Blue. Wrote several well known & read books on game production and game localisation.Dr. JC Lau: Producer at Harebrained Schemes with experience in empathetic game production, localization, and advocacy. Often speaks at industry events such as GDC and PAX Dev, and her work has been featured on podcasts and in various academic and professional publications. Currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Seattle chapter of the IGDA, and Global Game Jam.Amanda Duarte (Host): Project Manager at Achimostawinan Games. Co-organises Women Game Jam Brazil, and loves volunteering at game events such as game jams, conferences and expositions.We would love feedback - leave it anywhere we can reach it! For more articles and interviews with producers and others in the games industry, check out:http://www.game-production.comABOUT GAME-PRODUCTION.COMOur Vision is to enable games industry professionals to plan better, lead better and stop the crunch culture, through building a community of support, knowledge and training.Please visit the website, which exists as a place to gather and chat, swap ideas and learn from each other, accumulate expertise and even accreditation. We are gradually building a library of podcasts, videos, training, articles and guides. Please join us.http://www.game-production.comFOLLOW US:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gameproductioncommunityWebsite: https://www.game-production.comDiscord (most active): https://discord.gg/NBamcKYsP6

This session featured three industry recruitment experts from vastly different backgrounds to talk about the do's and don'ts when looking for a job in the games industry. Throughout the panel, our host Raven asked the panellists to tackle topics the community requested, including but not limited to: the key traits & experiences of good candidates, good CV practices, and some common mistakes and pitfalls to avoid.Many thanks to our wonderful panellists:Maja Żmijewska: Lead Operations Manager at 8Bit Recruitment Agency.Sophie Vo: Creative lead with over twelve years of experience in the mobile gaming industry, currently leading a small creative studio with Voodoo in Berlin. Additionally, founder of Rise and Play: a platform on leadership practices advocating for a human-centric approach to game development and teams.Lexi Wood: Talent Acquisition Partner, currently with The Pokemon Company International. Before that, she lived and worked in Japan as an international recruiter and career adviser.Our host: Raven Hoegalmen, a technical media MSc. graduate from Aalborg University and an aspiring game producer.https://www.linkedin.com/in/raven-hoegalmen-792437161/Made possible  by Juney Dijkstra MSc. - Producer, Game & Player Analyst, Game (Dev) Event Organiser. Thank you Juney.We would love feedback - leave it anywhere we can reach it! For more articles and interviews with producers and others in the games industry, check out:http://www.game-production.comABOUT GAME-PRODUCTION.COMOur Vision is to enable games industry professionals to plan better, lead better and stop the crunch culture, through building a community of support, knowledge and training.Please visit the website, which exists as a place to gather and chat, swap ideas and learn from each other, accumulate expertise and even accreditation. We are gradually building a library of podcasts, videos, training, articles and guides. Please join us.http://www.game-production.comFOLLOW US:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gameproductioncommunityWebsite: https://www.game-production.comDiscord (most active): https://discord.gg/NBamcKYsP6

The ID@Xbox team gave our community the chance to ask questions that will help them and their teams develop and deliver great player experiences for everyone, and now we're sharing in the hopes it'll help you, too!Topics range from being approved to publish on Xbox through post-launch best practices, from marketing & sales, to community management & engagement. The Q&A contains something of interest for games in every stage of development!Made possible  by Juney Dijkstra MSc. - Producer, Game & Player Analyst, Game (Dev) Event Organiser. Thank you Juney.We would love feedback - leave it anywhere we can reach it! For more articles and interviews with producers and others in the games industry, check out:http://www.game-production.comABOUT GAME-PRODUCTION.COMOur Vision is to enable games industry professionals to plan better, lead better and stop the crunch culture, through building a community of support, knowledge and training.Please visit the website, which exists as a place to gather and chat, swap ideas and learn from each other, accumulate expertise and even accreditation. We are gradually building a library of podcasts, videos, training, articles and guides. Please join us.http://www.game-production.comFOLLOW US:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gameproductioncommunityWebsite: https://www.game-production.comDiscord (most active): https://discord.gg/NBamcKYsP6

The Game Production Discord hosted a panel on Scrum and agile practices in game development, featuring four panelists with varying backgrounds from in- and outside the industry!Huge thanks to Maurice Kroes from Abstraction Games who housed a session with panellists Jeff Lindsey from Bossa Studios, Kimberly Rodatos from Digital Owl, Barry Anderson from Sainsbury's, Diversive and Selfull. They tackled topics like the backlog, user stories and estimations, discussing their practical implementations, limitations encountered and accompanying solutions.Made possible  by Juney Dijkstra MSc. - Producer, Game & Player Analyst, Game (Dev) Event Organiser. Thank you Juney. We would love feedback - leave it anywhere we can reach it! For more articles and interviews with producers and others in the games industry, check out:http://www.game-production.comABOUT GAME-PRODUCTION.COMOur Vision is to enable games industry professionals to plan better, lead better and stop the crunch culture, through building a community of support, knowledge and training.Please visit the website, which exists as a place to gather and chat, swap ideas and learn from each other, accumulate expertise and even accreditation. We are gradually building a library of podcasts, videos, training, articles and guides. Please join us.http://www.game-production.comFOLLOW US:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gameproductioncommunityWebsite: https://www.game-production.comDiscord (most active): https://discord.gg/NBamcKYsP6

The last time we spoke with Callum Godfrey, we had a blast covering the intricacies of game production in an evolving world. This time around, he's joined by Anil Das-Gupta, a highly experienced product manager with an enviable mobile gaming background. These guys give us an incredible wealth of insights around the difference between production and product management, with a focus on understanding the latter.Callum has worked as a Head of Production at Bossa Studios and done the rounds at EA, Wargaming, Microsoft, Playfish, Activision etc. Meanwhile, Anil has served his time at MindCandy, GREE, Capcom, NaturalMotion and Wargaming, before setting up his own studio, FirstLight Games:https://firstlight.games/If you come from a traditional game development background, this chat will be a game-changer. If you're a product manager and wishing there was more understanding and knowledge around the role, the chaps deliver and then some.Topics covered include:03:40 Setting the scene: the overlaps between production and product management07:00 Business-driven product development - is it heartless compared to making games?09:20 Prototyping and the power of fast feedback and iterationProduct Manager Deep-Dive13:25 What is a product manager? 18:00 The natural conflict of who is really in charge20:05 Inserting someone with no game experience into your team as a PM24:30 The focus on making a scalable business34:40 The Producer's role and how to work with a PM36:30 Creative Direction and the Vision - who owns it when you have a PM?42:00 Lowering risk and rapidly testing game 'improvements' is what PMs do56:00 Evolving a PM from inside your team - can it work?61:30 What do you lose if you remove the Producer from the mix?67:40 Do Indies need a PM?81:20 When bring in a PM to a PC/console game?85:30 How to join a team as a PM and win their trust92:00 How can you learn to be a PM?Quick-fire round:96:40 Can Publishers, Indies and a PM all get along?100:50 Is a PM needed if you're just launching a game and publishing DLC?102:20 Is a PM involved in the creation of a new game? How?104:50 How does a PM and a Marketing Team work together?106:00 Advice on bringing in a PM without alienating the team107:50 Loot Boxes are evil - the Kinder Egg ControversyFinal Thoughts and farewellsAnil mentions that this is a good place for learning analytics and the like:https://gopractice.io/We would love feedback - leave it anywhere we can reach it! For more articles and interviews with producers and others in the games industry, check out:http://www.game-production.comABOUT GAME-PRODUCTION.COMOur Vision is to enable games industry professionals to plan better, lead better and stop the crunch culture, through building a community of support, knowledge and training.Please visit the website, which exists as a place to gather and chat, swap ideas and learn from each other, accumulate expertise and even accreditation. We are gradually building a library of podcasts, videos, training, articles and guides. Please join us.http://www.game-production.comFOLLOW US:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gameproductioncommunityWebsite: https://www.game-production.com

Part One of our Podcast Episode can be found here:https://www.game-production.com/podcast/episode/49b730cf/25-game-production-interviews-renee-wooten-part-1-of-2-associate-producer-at-kingsisleIn Part Two we took a segment out of the chat and based an article around it:https://www.game-production.com/post/making-space-for-everyone-in-gamesIt launches into the discussion quite suddenly! During this segment, we talk about:00:00 Being a woman in the games industry05:00 Resources out there to help with learning06:40 Bias and advantage10:20 Wanting to be understood is different from "wanting attention"13:20 Safe spaces: what they are and how to create them17:15 Spreading awareness and giving time to process21:30 Leadership responsibilities24:00 Intentions and shared experiences28:30 Women in leadership30:50 Unlearning32:00 Be clumsy but learn33:30 Final thoughts (for now)We would love feedback - leave it anywhere we can reach it! For more articles and interviews with producers and others in the games industry, check out:http://www.game-production.comABOUT GAME-PRODUCTION.COMOur Vision is to enable games industry professionals to plan better, lead better and stop the crunch culture, through building a community of support, knowledge and training.Please visit the website, which exists as a place to gather and chat, swap ideas and learn from each other, accumulate expertise and even accreditation. We are gradually building a library of podcasts, videos, training, articles and guides. Please join us.http://www.game-production.comJOIN US:Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gameproductioncommunityWebsite: https://www.game-production.com

This episode, Renee Wooten was an exceptional guest. Renee has a keen interest in accessibility and inclusion, as well as solid experience with customer and community-facing roles. After gaining a Game Design Bsc from Full Sail University, she started her inevitable climb to production stardom with KingsIsle Entertainment, based in Austin, Texas. Renee has worked on the Live Service MMO Wizard101 for the last 3.5 years. We split the episode: part 1 is production focused, whereas part 2 is focused on being a woman in the games industry. Renee has been kind enough to contribute an article on the subject which we will link to from Part 2!Topics in Part One include:00:00 Intros03:10 What Renee brings to the job of game production08:00 Empowerment and enrichment11:50 Communication across teams and titles15:00 Inclusion and accessibility21:20 Was life as a producer as expected? (Spoiler: no)24:55 Creative input and leadership26:00 Taking advantage of the Game Design BSc27:50 A Day in the Life31:00 Listening to feedback from internal and external sources35:00 Deep-dive into Wizard101 - Intro37:00 Child Safety and Production concerns41:20 Ever feel like a spare part?43:20 Data-driven decision-making47:10 Project management for features and content work52:30 Hybrid methodologies55:00 The voice of the game - who owns it?59:20 How to face the noise near milestone deadline day62:20 Retrospectives - do them64:50 Advice on forming strong relationships with the team and leads68:20 The hardest part of producing the game69:25 2 headlines and leadership support73:40 Mentorship(We took out a bunch of talking at this point and that forms Part 2!)75:15 Why be a producer?83:20 What does the future hold?85:05 How everything affects everything else when you are making a game!88:20 FarewellsRenee mentioned a few things while chatting that you might like the links to.Darksider Post-Mortem: https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/119736/Postmortem_Highlights_Behind_The_Scenes_of_Darksiders.phpCrucial Conversations:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Crucial-Conversations-Talking-Stakes-Second/dp/0071771328I mentioned Blood, Sweat & Pixels:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Sweat-Pixels-Triumphant-Turbulent/dp/0062651234As well as the SpecialEffect charity:https://www.specialeffect.org.uk/We would love feedback - leave it anywhere we can reach it! For more articles and interviews with producers and others in the games industry, check out:http://www.game-production.comABOUT GAME-PRODUCTION.COMOur Vision is to enable games industry professionals to plan better, lead better and stop the crunch culture, through building a community of support, knowledge and training.Please visit the website, which exists as a place to gather and chat, swap ideas and learn from each other, accumulate expertise and even accreditation. We are gradually building a library of podcasts, videos, training, articles and guides. Please join us.http://www.game-production.comJOIN US:Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gameproductioncommunityWebsite: https://www.game-production.com

I wanted to try something a bit different with this episode: this is the first of a short series of interviews with recruitment professionals in the games industry. Our goal is to find out what recruiters seek out in potential game producers from associate to EP and beyond, from product manager to project manager. We also want to know what's changed during coronavirus and how they see recruitment changing moving forwards. Simon Hope from Aardvark Swift joins us in this episode. Aardvark is one of a handful of rock solid game recruitment companies in the UK and were the first that I know of to start a game-production-specific newsletter with jobs, advice and relevant news, along with a recent podcast. I was really pleased with the topics we managed to cover in this session, as well as the generous insights from Simon. Please enjoy.You can visit Aardvark Swift here:https://aswift.com/Topics include:00:00 Intro08:10 Advice for people who are trying to become producers for the first time10:40 Can an Associate Producer come straight out of University?13:50 Advice for those stepping up to Producer15:20 Role differences between pc/console & mobile19:00 The most difficult production roles to place21:20 The traits of a successful producer24:50 Senior levels28:00 Support for producers moving up31:10 How the industry is shifting34:00 The impact of covid-19 and remote working38:00 Care & Health and a producer's responsibilities43:00 Handling different needs and standardising time in/out45:20 Why would anyone want to be a producer?48:50 Long-term relationships50:20 Studios returning to work: how will they handle health and dynamic teams?58:00 What is next for Aardvark Swift and Simon?61:00 FarewellsThanks again to Simon and the team at Aardvark Swift!https://aswift.com/We would love feedback - leave it anywhere we can reach it! For more articles and interviews with producers and others in the games industry, check out:http://www.game-production.comABOUT GAME-PRODUCTION.COMOur Vision is to enable games industry professionals to plan better, lead better and stop the crunch culture, through building a community of support, knowledge and training.Please visit the website, which exists as a place to gather and chat, swap ideas and learn from each other, accumulate expertise and even accreditation. We are gradually building a library of podcasts, videos, training, articles and guides. Please join us.http://www.game-production.comJOIN US:Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gameproductioncommunityWebsite: https://www.game-production.com

I'm very grateful to Chris Sykora to find the time to chat after a busy week at Yager in Berlin, where he has served as an Associate Producer for a year. Yager has given us its namesake, as well as Spec Ops: The Line, Dreadnought and The Cycle. Previously, Chris worked as a QA Lead at Konami and EA, a project manager at Accenture, Epsilon and Wargaming, as well as as a brand champion and Google marketing campaign specialist. Chris has had an interesting entry point into game production and I very much enjoyed talking to him all about it.Topics include:00:00 Intros07:20 The benefits of having a project management background09:10 Leadership11:00 Support for producers at Yager12:30 Life as an Associate Producer (AP)16:00 Traits, Skills and Guilds for APs22:00 Agile & Story Points25:00 The Cycle - Game Deep Diveincluding:31:40 A Day in the Life of an AP34:00 Advantages of having a marketing background37:00 Did Chris ever feel like a spare part? Trello board40:00 How does he plan?45:00 Giving an example of when planning failed52:00 How to build a good relationship with the team and peers53:40 Hardest part of making the game55:00 Player feedback and how to focus on features58:00 If you could go back and change one thing..63:00 Spec Ops and other gamesGeneral Q&A:64:20 Advice for College students - get yourself a background68:20 Why would anyone want to be a producer?70:40 Pressure, Resilience, Mental Health and asking for help74:30 The future for Chris76:00 What training would he advise? Toastmasters!80:00 Remote teams and working from home - his experience and insights87:10 FarewellsChris mentioned Toastmasters and the Cycle Trello board whilst chatting. Here's the links to those:https://trello.com/b/6LuxGQiP/the-cyclehttps://www.toastmasters.org/We would love feedback - leave it anywhere we can reach it! For more articles and interviews with producers and others in the games industry, check out:http://www.game-production.comABOUT GAME-PRODUCTION.COMOur Vision is to enable games industry professionals to plan better, lead better and stop the crunch culture, through building a community of support, knowledge and training.Please visit the website, which exists as a place to gather and chat, swap ideas and learn from each other, accumulate expertise and even accreditation. We are gradually building a library of podcasts, videos, training, articles and guides. Please join us.http://www.game-production.comJOIN US:Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gameproductioncommunityWebsite: https://www.game-production.com

Our guest today is Chris Keeling, Executive Producer at Street Smarts VR and living in Orlando, Florida. Previously, Chris has had a myriad of impressive roles, including Product Director at Wargaming, where he was the first American to join the Eastern Europe-centric company at the senior level. He was Program Manager at Full Sail University, leading the Game Design Bachelor of Science department on behalf of almost 2000 students. Chris served in the US Army as a Sergeant First Class for 23 years, with 10 years of active duty. He has been a game designer and writer and worked on titles such as Panzer Elite, America's Army, World of Tanks, Master of Orion and World of Warships: Blitz for mobile.In this episode, we talk about Chris's experience in the military and how that helped shape his approach to production leadership and training. We delve into his thoughts around the Game Design course, then plunge headfirst into Masters of Orion and its path from free giveaway to refocusing it to be a paid for product. Chris believes that producers cannot graduate from college, but should gain experience within game development before being supported and trained as producers. We talk a lot about that too.Topics include:00:00 Intros12:00 Producers need experience in game dev first15:40 The importance of holding Product Vision19:30 From writer to producer22:50 VR, AR, MR24:00 Game Design BSc29:30 VR production32:30 Experience before production, training and support required41:40 Master of Orion deep-dive61:02 Movies and Games65:00 Market Research & Player Types, Feedback and Bias73:00 Back to Master of Orion for some final questions74:00 Is Chris still in gaming?78:20: Educating producers80:20 Game Crunch and producer responsibility91:00 Farewells & Wise WordsWe would love feedback - leave it anywhere we can reach it! For more articles and interviews with producers and others in the games industry, check out:http://www.game-production.comABOUT GAME-PRODUCTION.COMOur Vision is to enable games industry professionals to plan better, lead better and stop the crunch culture, through building a community of support, knowledge and training.Please visit the website, which exists as a place to gather and chat, swap ideas and learn from each other, accumulate expertise and even accreditation. We are gradually building a library of podcasts, videos, training, articles and guides. Please join us.http://www.game-production.comFOLLOW US:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gameproductioncommunityWebsite: https://www.game-production.com

The transcript can be found here:https://www.game-production.com/post/anthony-kyne-podcast-episode-full-transcriptThis being my second ever attempt at recording and editing a podcast, be kind and feel free to give advice! Our guest today is Anthony Kyne, a Lead Producer at Mediatonic Games. They've made games such as Gears Pop!, Murder by Numbers and the upcoming Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, which looks awesome. Anthony has worked on titles such as Madden, Championship Manager & The Sims. Unlike nearly every Producer that I've met or stalked on LinkedIn before now, Anthony has worked in games as both a lead designer and senior programmer. This gives him a unique understanding of making games which I'm looking forward to delving into. He was Lead Designer on Championship Manager game back in 2009, which saw the franchise finally rise to become a viable alternative to Football Manager. In this episode, we talk about Anthony's experience as a designer, coder and producer. We deep dive into The Golf Club to use as an exploration of production methods. We talk about pods, cancelling all meetings, how producers need to be leaders and a lot more.This time I have added the topics as chapters in the podcast so hopefully you can see them when you download this!00:00 Intros11:25 Advantages of coming from a different gaming background21:10 The bare minimum of a Producer - traits, experience & skills28:40 Agile methods - new concepts, prototyping & tech demos34:36 Play your own game!38:49 Producers - the good, the bad but always leaders46:10 Earning Trust49:00 Production Deep Dive: The Golf Club86:12 Meetings, meetings, meetings89:11 Why be a producer?92:03 What's next for Anthony?We would love feedback - leave it anywhere we can reach it! For more articles and interviews with producers and others in the games industry, check out:http://www.game-production.comABOUT GAME-PRODUCTION.COMOur Vision is to enable games industry professionals to plan better, lead better and stop the crunch culture, through building a community of support, knowledge and training.Please visit the website, which exists as a place to gather and chat, swap ideas and learn from each other, accumulate expertise and even accreditation. We are gradually building a library of podcasts, videos, training, articles and guides. Please join us.http://www.game-production.comFOLLOW US:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gameproductioncommunityWebsite: https://www.game-production.com

The transcript can be found here:https://www.game-production.com/post/callum-godfrey-podcast-episode-full-transcriptThis being my first ever attempt at recording and editing a podcast, please forgive the obvious amateurish mistakes! However, that is made up by the quality of our first ever guest, Callum Godfrey, Head of Production at Bossa Studios. You might know Bossa from Surgeon Simulator and I am Bread. Previously, Callum worked for Wargaming Mobile as an Exec Producer then Head of Studio at Wargaming Helsinki. Callum has found the fun at such esteemed gaming companies as King, EA, Microsoft, Playfish, Activision and Codemasters. He has dwelled mainly, but not exclusively, within the mobile gaming space for the last decade.In a very long and interesting chat, we cover the following topics:04:20 What makes a natural producer?08:38 The hierarchy of production roles in modern game development12:30 Your potential career path and specialisation17:25 Diversified roles and skillsets19:00 Agile servant leader roleWe talked for a long time about mobile game development and the differences between that and PC/console.21:00 The differences between developing on mobile and PC/Console30:10: Habits, addiction & dopamine, oh my36:00 Complexity and scale of game dev now41:00 The difference between making a product and a game46:20 Innovations in mobile48:00 Big data, grinding and mobile games = maths54:20 Monetisation strategies57:40 Can mobile games be as 'pure' as PC/console?We then skipped around some areas around production roles and skillsets.58:40 What is a Program Manager and what do they do? The importance of communications as a core skill.62:20 A maturing industry66:00 What was the Head of Studio role in Helsinki all about?68:50 All about the production role at Wargaming, working with mobile product managers and a lot more about mobile Product Managers73:30 A lot of discussion around project management and what is expected of producersTen minutes of quickfire questions to end off.83:30 Callum's 3 biggest joys and headaches at Bossa90:20 Do successful producers need to be obsessed with games?93:26 Advice for new producers on what to do and what not to do96:00 Did Callum have a clear career path in mind when he started?98:05 Future plans99:50 The question he wished I had asked him: Should producers have budgetary responsibilities? (Spoiler: yes)We would love feedback - leave it anywhere we can reach it! For more articles and interviews with producers and others in the games industry, check out:http://www.game-production.comABOUT GAME-PRODUCTION.COMOur Vision is to enable games industry professionals to plan better, lead better and stop the crunch culture, through building a community of support, knowledge and training.Please visit the website, which exists as a place to gather and chat, swap ideas and learn from each other, accumulate expertise and even accreditation. We are gradually building a library of podcasts, videos, training, articles and guides. Please join us.http://www.game-production.comFOLLOW US:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gameproductioncommunityWebsite: https://www.game-production.com

Although I have added this as a podcast episode, you might be better off watching the video of me going through the spreadsheet tabs discussed here! Or grab the files below and travel the journey with me..https://youtu.be/PljB6IBZW2wPart 3 is a walkthrough of generating a Risk and Issue Log that you can download and use/abuse at your leisure.Here's the links to those files as promised:Excelhttps://1drv.ms/x/s!Aqnki7UtWwaHrWlhLwLMNYCyOKyu?e=TGjb0EGoogle Sheetshttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kb2zIGHkIyamABMbPFKJ_gPQJxamw-YrjPhUXipw_Ag/edit?usp=sharingFor more articles and interviews with producers and others in the games industry, check out: http://www.game-production.comABOUT GAME-PRODUCTION.COMOur Vision is to enable games industry professionals to plan better, lead better and stop the crunch culture, through building a community of support, knowledge and training.Please visit the website, which exists as a place to gather and chat, swap ideas and learn from each other, accumulate expertise and even accreditation. We are gradually building a library of podcasts, videos, training, articles and guides. Please join us.http://www.game-production.comFOLLOW US: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gameproductioncommunityWebsite: https://www.game-production.com

Part 2 goes into more detail on actual risk and issue examples. I have based the categories on the only current academic research I could find on the topic. You can read that in full here:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262250152_Risk_Management_in_Video_Game_Development_ProjectsTopics covered in Part 2 include:02:39 High level risks06:19 Staffing risks12:32 Schedule & Budget Risks19:20 Inadequate specs (I decided to skip talking about Design specs here as that deserves its own section some other time)24:37 Fun Factor33:46 Change management38:20 Expectations of third parties such as publishers40:40 SummaryPart 3 is a walkthrough of generating a Risk and Issue Log that you can download and use/abuse at your leisure.For more articles and interviews with producers and others in the games industry, check out: http://www.game-production.comABOUT GAME-PRODUCTION.COMOur Vision is to enable games industry professionals to plan better, lead better and stop the crunch culture, through building a community of support, knowledge and training.Please visit the website, which exists as a place to gather and chat, swap ideas and learn from each other, accumulate expertise and even accreditation. We are gradually building a library of podcasts, videos, training, articles and guides. Please join us.http://www.game-production.comFOLLOW US: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gameproductioncommunityWebsite: https://www.game-production.com/

A general chat around risk management for those involved in making video games. This is an introduction to the topic and is aimed at game producers. Topics covered include:- Why should you take risks and issues more seriously when making a game?- What does risk management in the gaming world look like?- What are risks and issues anyway?- Why Risk and Issue logs are so useful- How to tie in to Leadership meetings to really make this all useful- Complexity of game making affecting risks/issues- Example of how plans change, dependencies arise, etc and how your log can track this and assist in planning- Producer accountability- Continuous improvement of you and your team(s)- Conversations, collaboration and transparency that arise for a positive approach to risk management- Following through and taking action: how this leads to gaining trust, faith and momentumPart 2 goes into more detail on actual risk and issue examples.Part 3 is a walkthrough of generating a Risk and Issue Log that you can download and use/abuse at your leisure.I mentioned some other articles on risk management for gaming. Here they are:https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131309/risk_management_with_development_.phphttps://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/191523/managing_risk_in_video_game_.phpFor more articles and interviews with producers and others in the games industry, check out: http://www.game-production.comABOUT GAME-PRODUCTION.COMOur Vision is to enable games industry professionals to plan better, lead better and stop the crunch culture, through building a community of support, knowledge and training.Please visit the website, which exists as a place to gather and chat, swap ideas and learn from each other, accumulate expertise and even accreditation. We are gradually building a library of podcasts, videos, training, articles and guides. Please join us.http://www.game-production.comFOLLOW US: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gameproductioncommunityWebsite: https://www.game-production.com