Game Dev Advice: The Game Developer’s Podcast
Leisure:Video Games
I put this information together for a presentation at DePaul University in Chicago recently. The audience found it helpful, plus listener Chris Hardin thought it’d make a great episode. So I made some tweaks and recorded it solo as a short episode :)
While it’s intended for folks looking to get their first job there are different ideas and strategies that should be helpful if you’re already working in the industry. I cover strategies around resumes, applying for jobs, doing due diligence, interviewing strategies, following up afterwards, the importance of your portfolio/website, and other areas.
It’s not meant to be extensive, but tips and ideas to help in your game development journey. (Plus if you’d like to go deeper my Gain Wisdom Patreon level has monthly private coaching included.)
Bio:
John Podlasek is the Director of Talent Acquisition at Level Ex, bringing over 30 years of experience in the video game & technology sectors. He is known for recruiting top game development talent and has played key Production roles in successful game franchises such as Mortal Kombat and Marvel Avengers Initiative. With a deep background in team organization and growth, John’s worked at companies like Midway Games, Disney, Zynga, Viacom, and others, plus is the host of the popular Game Dev Advice podcast with a global following.
Resources:
* Joe Hobbs Game Development Advice Contact List, also follow him on Twitter: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/e/2PACX-1vRYveFAl_GuvBo0iuy3EvgPm0fWAGci-Z8e5CZ6hoYz9n8gcoK4dgE0RML-x0pWqRNjGqte-V7phtqB/pubhtml
* GrackleHQ: www.gracklehq.com
* GameDevMap: www.gamedevmap.com
* Game Developer (formerly Gamasutra): https://www.gamedeveloper.com/
* GDC YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UC0JB7TSe49lg56u6qH8y_MQ
* Unity blog: https://blog.unity.com/
* Unreal Engine blog: https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/feed/blog
* 80lv: https://80.lv/
* Designer Notes: http://www.designer-notes.com/
* GameIndustry.biz: http://gamesindustry.biz
* Game Industry News: https://www.gameindustry.com/
* Breaking the Wheel - Producers: https://www.breakingthewheel.com/
* VentureBeat’s GameBeat: https://venturebeat.com/category/games/
* YouTube Why Level Ex? https://youtu.be/GsWoygM_r3Q
* My interview about the TurboGrafx 16-bit gaming days and other things: https://youtu.be/U4BP-3GX2kc
* My YouTube presentation Careers Beyond Traditional Game Development mentioned earlier: https://youtu.be/ib_MegZm5-4
Game Dev Advice Links:
* Game Dev Advice Patreon - please support this work if you find it useful
* Game Dev Advice Twitter
* Game Dev Advice email: info@gamedevadvice.com
* Game Dev Advice website
* Level Ex Careers - we’re hiring for lots of roles!
* Game Dev Advice hotline: (224) 484-7733
* Subscribe and go to the website for full show notes with links
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Working on Uncharted, 4-Day Work Week, Crunch, XTC, Psychology in Design, Sustainable Game Development, and the USC Games Program with Richard Lemarchand
Marathon Not A Sprint, ArtStation Is Key, Seizing Opportunities, Virtual Boy, Paying It Forward, Working In Mexico, Personal Projects, and My Origin Story with Glenn De Leon Garza
Startup Principles, Working on StarCraft II and Fortnite, Burnout, Empathic Design, UI is Key, Tools Development, VC Ecosystem, Mental Health, and Crossplay with Matt Schembari
Creativity is a Business, LotR’s Inspiration, Toxic Workplace Cultures, Using Agents, Defining Your Terms, Twitter For Connecting, Asking For Advice, and Creating Friendships with Marta Svetek
Battlefield Mobile, Gratitude, Getting Sh*t Done, Marvel XP, Bad Interview, Pareto Principle, Game Dev Identity, and Surviving a Layoff with Justin Fischer of Industrial Toys/EA
Horror Games, Career Strategies, What Publishers Want, Capital Is King, Poland and Israel’s Game Dev Scenes, and Finding Your Own Way with Scott Millard of Feardemic
Self-Taught Coding, Importance of Tools, Crunch, NLP, Snow Crash, Ageism, GitHub, Toastmasters, and Quake’s Elegance with Norman Morse of Perforce Software
Halo 2, Steve Ballmer, IGDA, Gamergate, Star Wars, Diversity and Inclusion, Networking, Going Solo, Cloudpunk, and Developer Leverage with Kate Edwards of Geogrify and the Global Game Jam
Stack the Job Deck, Canada, Iron Galaxy, PSX Conference, Recruiter Horror Stories, Dot-com Bubble, LT, and Wisdom From Perspective with Adam Boyes of Iron Galaxy Studios
Interviewing Tips, Global Teams, NY Comic Con, Running LiveOps, Crunching, Mentors, Mass Effect, Austin Game Dev, QA Life, and Relationships Matter with Patrick Moran of Kongregate
SXSW, Keys to Kickstarter, Smash TV, Editing Challenges, Ready Player One, Games Are Harder Than Film, Persistence, Magic Leap, HoloLens, and Film Festivals with Joshua Tsui of Insert Coin
Artist Turned Indie Filmmaker, Layoff Transition, New Artist Tools, Actor Types, E3 Stories, Key Skills For Getting Hired, and LA Traffic, with Mehran Torgoley of Cult Cinema
Creative Directors, Diversity and Inclusion, Level Ex, Your Mutant Ability, Van Halen, Making For Honor, Mythic Quest, Player Motivation, and Hades with Jason VandenBerghe of Level Ex
Successful Original IP, Design Challenges, Global Teams, Portfolio Matters, Industry Parties, Retro Consoles, GDC Indie Games, and Online Privacy Laws with Clark Stacey of WildWorks
Travis Scott, Activision Pitches, Good Vs. Bad Producers, EQ, Social Networks, MicroProse, Steve Jobs, Taking the High Road with Chris Hewish
Making Warcraft II, Breaking Crunch, Disney Infinity, Pitching Investors, Diablo, Animal Talking, Industry Stories, and Parting Advice with Bill Roper
Working at Epic Games, Avoiding Crunch, Tony Hawk, Better Health, Metallica, The Rookies, Montreal, and Midway Games Floods with Justin Mohlman
PR For Games, Influencers, Working With Nintendo, Metrics Vs. Impact, Value of Live Events, and Relationships Matter with Johner Riehl
Going Indie, Changing Crunch, Mocap SWAT, Bungie, Wild West Days, Management Lessons, and VR with Richard Lico
Triple-A to Indie, Lessons From Blizzard, Growing Remote Teams, Future Game Trends, Animal Crossing, and Magehunter with Richard Khoo
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Super Best Friends Video Game Sleepover
Weekly Games Chat
Super Gamer Boys
The Life & Times of Video Games
Indie Pod: An Indie Games Podcast