Game Dev Unchained

Epic Games is giving away 5 million dollars to game developers, no strings attached. This wee we talked with veteran game developer Leo Gonzalez and talk about how he applied for and won an Unreal Dev Grant for $10k. He explains the process, the requirements, the waiting time, and what's he did and what he's currently doing with the grant money.

Unchain yourself! This week we explore the true costs, benefits and best practices for pursuing your own personal interests after you 9-5 and finding the ways to ensure the success of your after hours startup.

Talking with Marcus Montgomery this week about diversity issues and solutions in the gaming industry. We share some stories, and ideas all before ending it on a very positive note as he explains his involvement in gameheadsoakland.org www.wearegamedevs.com www.gameheadsoakland.org

No school, no problem! Ben Seto takes us through his unique experiences as a self taught artist in the game industry and how he achieved so much success. We then go over finding time to pursue your passions outside of work and running a Kickstarter campaign! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1998128541/the-art-of-usagi-jane-and-the-skullbunnies-volume

Jay Wilson, Game Director for Diablo 3 sits with us to go over his experiences working at Blizzard, Directing a game for 8 years and most importantly how he handled burnout. Lastly we get a sneak peek at what he's up to now!

Randy Forsyth gives us his true family and parenting stories as a stay at home professional full time game developer. The Dev Dad himself lays out what you'll expect and need to do in order to function both as an employee and a parent simultaneously from the comfort of your own home.

There's a mighty storm called the game industry and this week we talk to Matthew Brown on exactly how he handles the volatility and what you should be doing to survive.

This week we sit down with the very talented concept artist Dawn Carlos and discuss the source of her very contagious drive for her craft. She explains her decision to go through a Atlier with no loans, working full time in the industry while finishing her education, and tips on how to maintain momentum as a passionate artist. dawncarlosart.com/ sketchpadgallery.com/

This week we do a round table discussion with Alden Filion, Leo Gonzalez, and Fisa Castellanos about game development in Texas. We go over everything from mortgages, dating, and and how much you can save from taxes! If you are thinking of moving to Texas any time soon then give this a listen and prepare yourself!

Brian Yam, opens up and gives us a great look at the life of a Concept Artist in the game industry today. Survival tips, best practices, and improvement methods of a certified and industry proven concept artist.

So what should you do if you're about to graduate or recently graduated? We answer questions from the student audience this week on entering the game industry for the first time. Advice and tips galore, with some pitfalls to avoid as well.

Andrew Risch owner and founder of Polycount gives us every single detail of how Polycount came to be and where he even got the idea from. Along the way we chat about early Quake modding days, and everyone's favorite topic, VR gets discussed as well. Andrew dropped more historical knowledge bombs in this podcast than any guest has yet. Lastly, Larry and Andrew find they have a very early connection...

Sit by the campfire with us as we tell scary stories about the future of gaming! It's our annual E3 episode! We break down how good it's been so far and what to expect from here on.

Excited about Augmented Reality, we sat down with an early owner of the Microsoft Hololens and seasoned game developer Ron Alpert from Headcase Games, to find out exactly what we should be looking forward to about the project and VR in general.

Frankie DeRosa gives us his tips and techniques on modeling, and texturing his characters. We go over his workflow and processes while also discussing his take on Johannes Helgesons's concept. Also, tons of career advice for budding Character Artists as well!

What exactly do producers do? Seriously. We finally had a talk with a competent producer to explain what the job entails, why it's needed and how you can get into that line of "work". Also... CONTEST! GIVEAWAYS! PRIZES! :P

What's it like being a western developer living in Japan designing Maximo for Capcom? Yeah, it was a lot to handle... Here we sit with Scott Rogers and talk about the life of a game designer from the states living and working in Japan with Capcom.

Rosie gives us the blueprint on how she designed levels for both Call of Duty Advanced Warfare and Deadspace! Press (x) to podcast.

The episode we've all been waiting for, the virtual reality podcast. Sr. Graphics Programmer Scott Anderson gives us every detail and scoop on VR. He takes us through all the newsworthy info, explains whats on the horizon and gives us his predictions on platform viability!

500,000 copies sold in it's first month and counting... Firewatch is indeed a hit, and we had to have a sitdown with Chris Remo to learn exactly how this came to be. This week, we talk development, marketing, Kickstarter and the music side of developing Firewatch!

It's hard to eat right and work out in the game industry, we're not denying that... But we did find someone who has some clear cut and simple to follow workarounds for dieting, working out and staying fit while being a professional game developer... Ladies and gentleman, Nelson Plumey!

E. McNeill sits with us to go over how Reddit helped his game reach over $800,000 in sales and what he does now to promote and market his independent games. http://www.emcneill.com/

Steve Gaynor, known for Bioshock 2 and Gone Home explains the path he traveled after leaving 2K games to pursue game development at his own company. We talk about what it's like and also what's next for Fullbright. @fullbright on twitter http://stevegaynor.com/ https://tacoma-game.com/ http://www.gonehomegame.com/

The meteoric rise of E-Sports games and Competitive Gaming alike broken down and explained by a professional commentator and Street Fighter expert Paul Meyd. Sprinkle in some lets play controversy and future industry predictions and you got yourself a podcast! https://www.twitch.tv/doctorstantz/profile

Collin Fogel lets us take a look at what he did with an incredible bonus from working on Skylanders and what he's doing now after that big payday. Hear his thoughts on the practice of bonus payments and things to look out for if you currently work for a studio with a Bonus Plan. http://collinfogel.com/