Indie Game Guildhall

In this episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with Theresa Duringer, the brilliant mind behind Temple Gates Games. As the owner and CEO of this esteemed digital boardgame development studio nestled in San Francisco, Theresa and her team have gained recognition for their remarkable work in bringing beloved board games like Dominion, Race for the Galaxy, Roll for the Galaxy, and Ascension into t...

In this episode, we sit down with Macey McCuller, a talented Technical Artist whose expertise lies in Tool Building, Level Generation, and Procedural Asset Creation. Having recently completed her degree in Visualization at Texas A&M University, Macey shares insights from her educational journey and discusses her upcoming role as a Technical Artist at renowned game development studio Bluepoint...

Get ready to embark on an exhilarating journey as we dive into the captivating world of Gwen C. Katz, an extraordinary author, talented artist, and innovative game designer based in vibrant Pasadena, California. Join us as we unravel the enigmatic stories brought to life by her independent studio, Nightwell Games, where dark narratives take center stage. But Gwen's passions don't end there! When s...

Get ready for an exhilarating episode of Indie Game Lunch Hour as the dynamic Renee takes the spotlight! Join us as we dive into the captivating world of indie game development with the unstoppable force behind "Stumbling Cat" , an innovative studio based in Seattle. With a remarkable skill set encompassing business operations, software engineering, and creative direction, Renee brings a vibrant e...

Meet Bobby White, a seasoned game designer with a knack for creating immersive experiences. As a vendor contractor for an indie studio, he's worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, including the renowned Roblox Experience creators, Gamefam. With four years of experience under his belt, Bobby's had the privilege of designing for iconic IPs like Hot Wheels, He Man, Sonic, and now Spon...

In this episode, we sit down with Blair Erickson, a seasoned technologist and creative director, whose impressive portfolio includes work in various entertainment fields. From film to television, video games, and interactive virtual worlds, Blair has left his mark on the industry. We dive into his unique experience writing and directing the groundbreaking virtual reality feature film, "Banshee Cha...

Ah marketing. The bane of any sol-dev or indie dev team. Actually getting your game discovered is by far one of the hardest parts of game development. For the ✨ 50th episode✨ of the Indie Game Lunch Hour we brought in our friends at Next Level Web to help us out with that! Join Andrew Lowen and Sean Bradford in a discussion about marketing indie games and more. Learn more about Next Level Web Le...

We all know managers who suck. But a big part of the reason they suck is because being a manager is actually really hard. Being somebody who can simulatenously listen, and direct. In this week's episode of the Indie Game Lunch Hour we talked with Eli Delventhal, an engineering manager at Meta working on the Horizon Project. Eli gave us tips and tricks on how to be a good manager in games, and so m...

An Environmental Artist is the person who creates those beautiful scenic views and dark dangerous forests from our favorite video games. They are often the person manually building the worlds we explore, and the ones making them beautiful. This week we are joined by Lulu Neel, a highly exeprienced Environemntal Artist, to hear how one gets started in the field, and what an environmental artist act...

Writing is one of the oldest and noblest artforms. The written word is a powerful communication technique that allows writers to leave emotional impacts on their readers and players for decades after the last period is put on the page. But unfortuantely, it's also one of the hardest fields to break into in games! This week on the Indie Game Lunch Hour, we are joined by Sangita Nuli, a features wri...

The world needs our help! And what better way to help it than with... video games? This was the thought process of Lukas Hammarström, the founder of Bottel. Bottel is a fascinating new Games Marketplace where the only way to purchase video games and other goods is via recycling real world bottles. Is this straightforward technique the secret to saving our natural world from plastic polution? Learn...

Many of us dream of starting our own Indie Game Studio one day, but we're not quite sure where to start! Today we welcome Dan Mellott and David Doane, the co-founders of Left Turn Studios for their second appearance on our humble podcast. Dan and David have some wonderful thoughts and perspective on how to start your own indie game studio, and many lessons learned after one year of their own journ...

We all have the same story. We were young, and some glossy new video game got released. We begged our mom and dad for it, or perhaps snuck away to a friend's house, and eventually finally got to play. And then our whole lives changed, and we decided we had to work in the game industry. In this week's episode of the Indie Game Lunch Hour we talk about our favorite video games and do out best to cut...

Sometimes working on teams is hard. Strike that. A lot of the time, working on teams is hard. There are so many personalities to manage, so many opinions to hear, and so much bull poo to wade through! This episode, learn the fundamentals of being a good teammate from Brendan Milos, visual designer at Brilliant! Learn more about Brendan Learn more about us Join the next episode of the Indie Game Lu...

We all dream of starting our own video game studio one day. We all want to build our own games, and make money doing it. Well, in this week's exciting episode of the Indie Game Lunch Hour we are joined by Luther Patenge, a guy who did just that! Luther founded Joy Manufacturing Co, the indie studio behind the infamous game Ambition: a Minuet in Power. Luther has a lot to say on starting your own i...

How do you market your indie game? Can you market your game with streaming? How do you even attract influencers to cover your game? Get these questions answered and more on this exciting episode of the Indie Game Lunch Hour! Today we talked with Erik Kovac, the head of marketing and co-founder at TILT games, a marketing and publishing company for indie games. Erik, an ex-streamer and all around st...

A Systems Engineer is one of those unicorn roles where you think you probably know what they do, but half their job sounds like black magic and witchery. This week in the Indie Game Lunch Hour we chat with Matt Molanare (for the second time!) a Systems Engineer in the game industry as well as a board game startup founder. Matt helped us understand what Systems engineers actually do, and gave us so...

Let's face it, creating a visual style for your game that is recognizably unique is HARD. So many different games are out there and so many different art styles have been done. Come to this week's Lunch Hour to learn from Yuriy Ternovski, cofounder of Smoke Spot Games and the creative mind behind their unique avatar based fighting game Dropcult. Yuriy had a lot to say about starting your own studi...

Audio Designers add a magical flair to your games that just makes them sparkle! But how do you get started as an Audio Designer, and how do you find one to work with on your game? Mario Godoy, a composer, teacher and Audio Designer in the game industry gives us perspective on this! Stop by and listen. Listen to Mario's Composition Learn More About Mario Hire Mario Learn more about us Come to the n...

What is Narrative Design? How do you get started in Narrative Design? What does a Narrative Designer even do? All of these questions and more are answered by our magnificent guest of the week, Sybil Collas! Sybil has worked on a number of projects from Ubisoft to a freakin theme park and has a lot to say about both Narrative Design and Game Design in general. Sybils Website Learn More about Sybil...

Ever wondered if you are doing everything wrong at your indie studio and the government is going to come after you? Yeah, so are we now and then, isn't it fun!? In this episode of the Indie Game Lunch Hour we invite on Sam Castree, the owner and Lord High Executioner of Sam Castree Law, LLC. Sam comes on to teach us the basics of indie game law! Learn more about Sam Sam's Legal Practice Learn more...

Many people who are just getting started in games are intimidated by programming. They think it's this big complicated system that they can't hope to learn. No need to fear! Programming, just like anything else, simply takes time. This week we were joined by Evan Leider who told us about Gameplay Engineering and so much more. Learn more about Evan Learn more about us Come to the next IGA Lunch Hou...

The process of getting a degree in video games is a relatively new one. For the longest time video games weren't taken seriously enough to warrant dedicated University Courses, but that has changed! This week on the Indie Game Lunch Hour we're joined by Masaya Heywood, the cofounder of Outfox Games, who recently graduated with a degree in game design. We pick his brain about the process of getting...

Do you know what your professional niche is in the gaming industry? Is it procedurally generated levels? Or perhaps 8-bit art? Or is it gaming audio? Join us this week with guest of honor George Alistair Sanger. George has worked in gaming since the beginning on a ridiculous number of famous titles and really set himself up with a professional niche in game audio. He has a lot to say about breakin...

Building a community surrounding your game is an invaluable tool for your indie studio. Not only do you have people who may purchase your game, but you also have people to champion the game for your, give you feedback and support, and to share the energy and love as you build. This week we were joined by Jessica Rowley, the Chief Wizard of Community at the Indie Game Academy who shared her thought...