Dev Diary

It took his great enthusiasm for many of Blizzard's titles for Sanatana Mishra to find his way into game development. From there he's not looked back. Sanatana joins Paul in this new Dev Diary to talk all about his childhood love of Sega, going on to then join Sega, some of the controversies involving that time, and his more recent endeavours, starting Witch Beam and developing the fantastic title...

Welcome to Gamer School, a nostalgic look back at one of the gaming industries most beloved IP or developers. In our first entry, you'll be joined by our host, Paul James as he takes you through the Historical, Mechanical, Mathematical, Literary and Thematic aspects of the Tomb Raider IP. Follow Paul and submit your ideas for future guests on Twitter Visit the Player2 Website and the Player2 Youtu...

A brief Dev Diary update reflecting on the year that was while also casting an eye forward to what is to come in 2021 Follow Paul and submit your ideas for future guests on Twitter Visit the Player2 Website and the Player2 Youtube Channel where you can also follow his written and video exploits including reviews, feature pieces and shows such as Patched, The Insider and Gamer School Find out more...

After trying and not being especially successful on his first attempt at getting into game development, Dan Hindes went on to become one of Australia's most successful games media personalities with stints at PC Powerplay and Gamespot. Another opportunity emerged though and now Dan is best known for his work on Wildfire. Dan joins Paul for this latest entry of Dev Diary to discuss the highs and lo...

In a very short time, Meredith Hall has done it all in the industry. Development, funding, marketing, and an advocate for accessibility in games are all important careers to one of Australia's industry rising star. Meredith joins Paul to talk through them all in this latest entry of Dev Diary Follow Paul and submit your ideas for future guests on Twitter Visit the Player2 Website and the Player2 Y...

Biding her time and being courteous at every turn, Ngoc was just waiting for the right opportunity to make a splash in the Melbourne game development scene, and now that her opportunity has finally arisen, she's seized it and is doing exceptional work. Ngoc joins Paul for this new Dev Diary episode to talk all about the journey so far, developing Necrobarista, a game set in her own back yard of Me...

JW and Kitty are among the most acclaimed indie developers having had their hands in a host of the biggest name titles to come out of the scene - and they're not done yet! Having worked together on the likes of Minit and now Disc Room, on top of many other crossovers over the journey the duo talks all about their various adventures and what it's like each time their worlds collide Follow Paul and...

Bill has been in game development for many years, his wife Amanda, despite having a great love of games, was in fact a teacher. Yet it was their marriage, shared love of games and just the right combination of circumstances that lead them to form a studio together... and the rest is history. Both Amanda and Bill join Paul in the latest entry of Dev Diary to talk all about managing a family togethe...

Gwen Frey has walked all pathways in the industry, having been a part of small indie studios, huge AAA studios, and now works on solo projects. Having cut her teeth on the likes of Bioshock Infinite, Psychonauts 2, Marvel Heroes, The Flame in the Flood, Kine, and much more Gwen has seen the development scene from a host of different perspectives. Gwen joins Paul for this new entry of Dev Diary to...

The love of games for Kevin Van Ord fluctuated a bit through his early years with the medium, but when stuck in a career he didn't enjoy and the boom of games media on the internet began to take off, opportunities emerged. Since then Kevin hasn't looked back and has gone on to be one of the most renowned and beloved faces of Gamespot, and more recently has made the jump into game development. Kevi...

Though gaming is in his veins, game development wasn't on Colin Moriarty's radar until quite recently. Bred on the likes of Castlevania, Mega Man and JRPG classics Colin got his start in guides before transitioning to becoming a Senior Editor at IGN, before co-founding of Kinda Funny, and then striking out on his own with Colin's Last Stand. It's been in the following years that opportunties have...

Though still in the earliest stages of his career, Jared Trail has walked an intriguing path through game development. From forming a team with friends he met at uni, to his games being poster-children for the PlayStation Vita, he's done a lot in a short time. Jared joins Paul for this latest entry of Dev Diary to discuss all the ups and downs from the journey so far. Follow Paul and submit your i...

Wren Brier broke into the gaming industry at perhaps the worst possible time, and yet, in spite of arriving at an unfortunate time in the local scene, has gone on to be a part of some of Australia's most notable and acclaimed titles. Wren joins Paul for a new entry of Dev Diary to talk about the journey so far that culminates in her current work on Unpacking. Follow Paul and submit your ideas for...

How do you juggle working on multiple games at a time? It's the question that rattled through Paul's brain constantly as Liz Fiacco discussed the many projects that she was simultaneously working on. It's an incredible feat and has been rewarded by working with some of the most acclaimed studios in the industry including Obsidian and Naughty Dog. Fresh from the release of The Last of Us: Part II a...

From the moment he was introduced to games as a 3-year-old, it seemed destined that Jordan Lemos was going to be a part of the gaming industry. Combining his love of games and skills as a writer he has ascended to write for some of the most acclaimed titles of recent years including Assassin's Creed: Odyssey and Ghost of Tsushima. Jordan joins Paul in this new episode of Dev Diary to discuss how t...

Growing up in Sri Lanka, Chandana "Eka" Ekanayake didn't know of the world of video games until he moved to the United States. Once there, his passion of art and his new passion for gaming collided to produce one of the most successful careers in the industry. Eka joins Paul in this latest episode to talk about how he came to be in the industry, his many hits so far, and how he endeavours to repre...

Though their experiences in the industry began at vastly different spots, the lives of Terri Vellmann and Adam 'Dose' Drucker collided and the brilliant games have flown thick and thin since. The pair join Paul for this new Dev Diary to discuss how they came to work together, their very different histories in the industry and their current works, Sludge Life and Disc Room. Follow Paul and submit y...

DS Choi fell in love with the likes of Mario Kart at a very early age, so it's not necessarily a massive surprise that after making the move from Korea to the United States that a Kart riding game is right up there amongst the games he was most eager to develop. DS joins Paul for the latest entry of Dev Diary to talk KartRider Drift, the gaming scene in Korea, and packing it up all to expand his c...

To begin your career in the games industry with Star Wars and Grim Fandango might corrupt the inexperienced minds of some, but not Mark Cooke. After a phenomenal start to his career, there's been no taking the foot off the accelerator since, leading to work with prominent studios like Grasshopper Manufacture and Nihilistic Software. Mark joins Paul to talk all about the ups, downs and crazy events...

Kindness and a positive attitude can carry you a long way in this business, Ashley Ringrose of Australia's own SMG Studio can attest to that. SMG has exploded in popularity in recent years and in the shadow of the release of their newest title Moving Out, Ash has joined Paul to talk all about his impressive journey through the games industry so far. Follow Paul and submit your ideas for future gue...

Not content with simple sound design and engineering, Robin Arnott wanted more from the games he made. Sound design, along with games that featured those design approaches, followed a specific template, and Robin wanted to try something different, and so a wonderful career blossomed from that moment. Robin joins Paul to discuss the ups and downs of his career so far culminating in Soundself. Follo...

Having worked at some of the most acclaimed studios in the industry, Moo Yu has learned a thing or two about how to make games. His exploits are most recently represented in Knights and Bikes but he joins Paul to talk all about the journey that got him to that point including stints at Insomniac Games and Media Molecule in this new entry of Dev Diary Follow Paul and submit your ideas for future gu...

Matt Trobbiani is considered one of the great minds in the Australian Game Dev ecosphere, but like everyone, the adventure starts somewhere and is riddled with bumps on the road. Matt joins Paul for the latest episode of Dev Diary to talk all about his journey, Hacknet, Game Jams, and the road ahead for himself and the upcoming Wrestledunk Sports! Follow Paul and submit your ideas for future guest...

Lee May has experienced a bit of turbulence in his time in the games industry thus far, but it hasn't deterred him in the slightest. Lee joins Paul for a new Dev Diary to talk Hand of Fate, Defiant Development, his many other career paths, and the road ahead! Follow Paul and submit your ideas for future guests on Twitter Visit the Player2 Website and the Player2 Youtube Channel where you can also...

It's rare that you have the opportunity to get a gig in the games industry, let alone working on games that you grew up loving. That's the story of Eric Jensen though, and he joins me to talk all about it in the latest entry of Dev Diary. Follow Paul and submit your ideas for future guests on Twitter Visit the Player2 Website and the Player2 Youtube Channel where you can also follow his written an...