Quest Markers

Parker Hartzler (Resident Evil 4 Remake, Forza Motorsport, New Tales from the Borderlands) joins Marina Ryan to talk about motion capture, lighting, and technical art in video games. They dig into each discipline and discuss what game developers are responsible for as motion capture technicians, lighting artists, and tech artists. Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat!* * * * * * * TIMESTAMPS:(00:...

Abigail Carey (Morbid Metal, Mecharashi, Liminal Point) joins Marina Ryan to talk about the journey of becoming a voice actor for video games. They touch on various topics, from auditions, to equipment, to growth and overcoming failure.  Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat! * * * * * * *  TIMESTAMPS: (00:00:00) Intro (00:03:23) How did Abigail get into acting? (00:07:17) How did Abigail get into...

Dr. Miko Charbonneau joins Marina Ryan to chat about best practices for remote work, how to prioritize the team’s wellbeing and happiness, and the path that took Miko from working on Minecraft to starting her own studio. Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat! * * * * * * *  TIMESTAMPS: (00:00:00) Intro (00:06:00) Miko’s path into game development (00:13:24) What is THE SPIRIT LIFT? (00:23:23) Game...

Rachel Heleva is back on the show to answer your questions about video game publishing! Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat!* * * * * * * TIMESTAMPS:(00:00:00) Intro(00:03:20) How Rachel got into the games industry (00:07:22) “What should I talk about when presenting a pitch deck?” (00:19:40) “What support do publishers offer besides financial support?”(00:27:50) “Should a game have a demo befor...

Tangleworm joins Marina Ryan to talk about the journey that led him to develop NOMIA, a tactics roguelike game. They delve into how fantasy and sci-fi can help us imagine a better world, how playtesters can shape the development of key game mechanics, and techniques to stay motivated while working on something as complex as a roguelike video game. Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat! * * * * * *...

Mike from Archangel Softworks joins Marina Ryan to talk about his game development journey and upcoming title, Highway Noir. They delve into what it’s like going from a solo developer to leading a team, managing complexity on larger-scale projects, the importance of prototyping, cohesive art direction, self-doubt, and much more. Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat! * * * * * * *  TIMESTAMPS: (00...

Antonio Freyre joins Marina Ryan to talk about his game development journey that led him to developing his upcoming title, As Time Surrenders. They delve into topics such as ambient storytelling, using art as a way to engage in conversation, how mechanics and symbols can be used to tell game stories, building appealing worlds, Antonio’s creative process, and much more. Grab a coffee, and join us f...

Cody Matthew Johnson is back! He joins Marina Ryan to talk about his path into video game music, his recent Grammy nomination, his plans for 2026, and advice he has for new video game composers.  They also delve into topics such as embracing failure, choosing action over hesitation, and decisive minimalism.  Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat! * * * * * * *  TIMESTAMPS: (00:00:00) Intro  (00:03...

Cody Matthew Johnson joins Marina Ryan to talk about his creative process in making video game music. Cody has worked on everything from Resident Evil to Bayonetta, to most recently Star Wars: Outlaws, which landed him a Grammy nomination (congrats, Cody!!!).  They delve into the differences between different music roles, how to balance a project’s needs with our own creative ideas, how limitation...

Ben Lazerbeam joins Marina Ryan to talk about the development of Team Lazerbeam’s upcoming roguelike double deckbuilder, Shroom and Gloom. They delve into the game’s design and balancing, art and implementation, and the marketing strategy that led them to 125,000+ wishlists on Steam! Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat!* * * * * * * TIMESTAMPS:(00:00:00) Intro(00:05:50) Ben’s game development jo...

Vincent Adinolfi joins Marina Ryan to talk about the development of his survival horror game Heartworm. They delve into the inspiration behind the game, Vincent’s development journey, the game’s OST, visual identity, production, accessibility, and so much more. The episode is chock-full of great development and life advice. Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat!* * * * * * * TIMESTAMPS:(00:00:00)...

Rachel Heleva (Akupara Games, Spiral Up Games, Strange Scaffold) joins Marina to talk about her games publishing and development journey. They delve into how game publishers work, what it means to be a game scout, the importance of production, and Rachel gives tons of advice for up-and-coming studios seeking their next publishing deal. Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat! * * * * * TIMESTAMPS:(...

Kate Gray (Hello Kitty Island Adventure, Moonstone Island, Dimensional Double Shift) joins Marina Ryan to talk about her game development journey. They delve into what it’s like being a games writer and narrative designer, player agency and dialogue writing, the challenge of writing item descriptions, what it’s like working in VR, narrative procedural generation, Dragon Age, and more.  Grab a coff...

Anna C. Webster joins Marina Ryan to talk about her game development journey. They delve into what it’s really like being a games writer, how narrative design roles vary from studio to studio, their love of the Resident Evil series, and much more. Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat! * * * * * * *  TIMESTAMPS: (00:00:00) Preview  (00:00:40) Intro (00:04:30) How Anna got into game development (00...

David Kazi (Hollow Knight, ExoOne, Ember League) joins Marina Ryan to talk about his game development journey. They delve into what it was like working on Hollow Knight, the challenges that came with working on orbital physics for Exo One, and David’s journey in co-founding his own game studio, including what it means to bear the ever-changing role of Creative Director. Grab a coffee, and join us...

Terran joins Marina to talk about writing video game music. They delve into: how they start a new piece of music, overcoming writer’s block, talent vs. skill, iterating and acting on feedback, the importance of music theory, and more. Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat!* * * * * * * TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Intro(07:04) What games we’re playing (08:50) How Terran got into music composition(12:10) The...

Fletch joins Marina to talk about working on games, streaming, and community building. They delve into: the importance of creativity, getting into game development and streaming, building safe communities, and the importance of game vision, player experience, and accessibility. Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat! * * * * * * * TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (04:33) What is a Playdate? + Physical rel...

Paul Dean joins Marina to talk about working in creative roles within the gaming industry. They delve into: creative practices, habits, and techniques, what it’s like to work on a game dev team, the importance of feedback, following one’s curiosity, and time, privilege, access, and opportunity in the industry. Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat! * * * * * * *  TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (06:26)...

The Souls Squad is back! Sherveen, Jack, and Marina are back again to talk about the intersection between games and their disciplines in the gaming industry. They delve into misconceptions about their work, the importance of feedback and iterating, cohesion between music and game systems, some of their favourite things about what they do, and games they love. Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat!...

We’re back! Happy new year! Blue joins Marina once again to talk about the games they’re playing and what they’re looking forward to playing this year. They also delve into Blue’s area of expertise: video game localization, what it entails, and what game does it really, really well. Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat! *********** TIMESTAMPS: ( 00:00 ) Show intro ( 01:37 ) Blue’s intro ( 06:28 )...

The Souls Squad is back! Marina sits down with Sherveen and Jack to talk about Elden Ring’s DLC: Shadow of the Erdtree. They talk about the expanded lore of the Land of Shadow, their favourite narrative themes, their DLC builds, and their favourite bosses and music. Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat! To check out our prior Elden Ring episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KixVOo4TH0   * * *...

(Note that this episode was recorded back in August 2024) Marina sits down with Rachel - who’s worked as a producer at game studios and in game publishing - to talk about the games they’re playing, and what they want to play next. They talk about games of all sizes and genres, including beloved indies, new releases, and AAA classics. Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat! * * * * * * *  TIMESTAMPS...

Marina sits down with Myleah - Founder of Lumikha Cosplay Resale - to talk about Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. They chat about the game’s charm, sarcasm, and cheekiness, robots gaining sentience, and why Vivian is so amazing. Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat! * * * * * * *  TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro  (10:12) Story Overview  (12:57) Why this is Myleah’s favourite game (16:40) Cheeky, sa...

Marina sits down with returning guest Ren to talk about the games they’re currently playing.  They talk about collecting mermaid items in Animal Crossing, how the Elden Ring DLC feels like an entire sequel, Stardew Valley’s similarities to the original Animal Crossing, the cheekiness of Paper Mario, and our love for Final Fantasy XIV. Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat! * * * * * * *  TIMESTAMP...

Marina sits down with Xander from Xander’s Cut to talk about Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and 3.  They talk about the importance of foreshadowing, whether Xenoblade 2’s DLC was better than the base game, their thoughts on Xenoblade 3’s ending, and their favourite musical pieces.  * * * * * * *  TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro  (06:00) Overview of the games (11:37) Pyra and Mythra’s story  (16:55) Is Xenoblade...