The Sandbox.Space Weekly Podcast by GDEX

Chatting with local legend Jarryd Huntley about all kinds of topics, including Playstation's move to digital-only, price increases across the console world, the destructive effects of short-term profit-maximizing, and how the games industry can navigate these stormy seas by supporting one another. Jarryd Huntley is a game developer based out of Cleveland, Ohio. He co-authored the book Game Program...

Catching up with our good friend Wes as we discuss Playstation committing to fully-digital games, and the generally-rising prices across the industry. We dig into the history of game distribution and the relationship between players and publishers. Wesley Adams is a former partner and lead designer at Multivarious / GDEX . You can find him helping with administrative support with the Central Ohio...

Nathan Wooten of Wooshido joins us on the 'cast, discussing many things, including the day-to-day of being a published indie dev fighting for exposure, what it's like to have a rival game's release timing overshadow your game, different strategies for games to engage with their communities and monetize, and the pros and cons of story-driven games vs. "endless" games. Nathan Wooten is the owner of...

Claire Molitors has 10 years of experience in literacy education and curriculum development and has earned a BFA in Creative Writing and MA in Applied Linguistics. Currently she is a doctoral student in Instructional Design, with a focus on Game Development and researching women in collegiate competitive esports. You can visit her Weebly or check out Turtle Burger Gaming on YouTube or TikTok . htt...

Andrew Czarapata joins us this week, with Tom as special guest host standing in for Chris. Andrew is the owner and founder of Chiaroscuro Entertainment, currently developing Odyssey of Dremid'ir , which released last month! Check out their YouTube for gameplay videos, developer streams and vlogs. Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/260603 W...

Today's guest is Adam Keith from Tekkou Studios. #gamedev Adam Keith is Director and Developer at indie studio Tekkou Studios . They have made Stitched Together on Steam and are planning to debut their new game QURIOUS at GDEX 2026. Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/260527 Watch the show live on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thegdex

The team from Creation Mode Studios joins us to talk about their game Violets of Amicus. Daniel and Kennedy Jewett run Creation Mode Studios together. They have been working on The Violets of Amicus since 2018, and recently made the jump to being full-time game developers. Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/260520 Watch the show live on Tw...

Special Guest A.J. Caimi from ajtoons joins us on this week's episode. A.J. Caimi is an indie dev and is the founder and solo developer of a studio called ajtoons , working on a visual novel called SIS and BRO: The Cyborg Siblings . Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/260506 Watch the show live on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thegdex

Friend of the show Caleb Eno is this weeks special guest to discuss the new changes to #xbox #gamepass pricing. #oregontrail. And the continual layoffs in the tech space. Caleb Eno is one of Ohio's most devoted and passionate developers and is a core admin of the Central Ohio Gamedev Group . He has been building web and application software since at least 2015 and knows a thing or two about cybers...

Adam Bankhurst from IGN is our guest today.  @IGN  Adam Bankhurst is a news writer, reviewer, and features writer for IGN , where he also helps manage the homepage. Having joined in 2018, he has written thousands of articles and covers major gaming and entertainment events like E3 and PAX. Before IGN, Bankhurst gained experience in a variety of roles, including co-founding the website an...

Chris Kuhn is our special guest talking about his latest game. Chris Kuhn runs Casey Jones Labs and plans to present a new game called SkyChart: Airline Executive at GDEX 2026. Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/260415 Watch the show live on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thegdex

Jeff Stevens joins us this week to talk about the exciting world of ASCII art and creating a cult simulator. Jeffrey Stevens is founder of Bucephalus Studios (Website) and creator of CultGame ( Steam , Itch.io ) Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/podcast/260408 Watch the show live on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thegdex

Associate Professor Chris Totten from Kent State University is our special guest today and wow what a conversation! Chris Totten is an Ohio-based 3D artist and indie dev with a studio called Pie for Breakfast . He has been in the industry for over 17 years. He is an Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator of the Animation Game Design program at Kent State University and has authored several bo...

Founder & CEO of Midwest Games is our guest today. Enjoy our excellent conversation on the future of GDC as well as other regional shows and how the industry might look in the future.  @GDCFestivalofGaming  #videogames #indiedev Ben Kvalo from Wisconsin is the Founder and CEO of Midwest Games and the President of the Wisconsin Games Alliance . He is an experienced manager and markete...

Garrett Davis, Managing Director of the ShawneeXP gaming accelerator joins us for a post  @GDCFestivalofGaming  and the changing landscape for #indiegame. #gamedev #videogames Garrett Davis is a game developer, serial entrepreneur, and startup accelerator director with a deep passion for building and scaling gaming companies, consulting firms, and startup ecosystems. He is the Managing D...

Friend of GDEX, Senior Engineer and long time #gamedev Duke Paulus is our special guest for this week! Duke Paulus is an extremely talented programmer and indie game developer who has been building software since 1998, running Smiling Cat Entertainment since 2009, and currently works as Senior Engineer for Cold Iron Studios. https://www.linkedin.com/in/duke-paulus-86982620/ https://www.smilingcate...

Mike Geig from @unity joins us today with some really insightful conversation. This is a good one, don't miss it! Mike is Unity Technologies' leader of Advocacy and Community (formerly their Technical Evangelist), he hails from Canton Ohio and has championed Ohio game development for over a decade. He even penned a book, "Unity Game Development in 24 Hours" for the "Sams Teach Yourself" serie...

Professor Roger Crawfish from The Ohio State University ( @theohiostateuniversity ) joins us to discuss educational games for good, creativity, and creating great code. As both a professor of computer science and a founder of a game-focused start-up, Professor Roger Crawfis bridges academia and industry—mentoring the next generation of developers while continuing to innovate in productio...

Good friend Chris Bergman from Gylee Games joins for a wild conversation about #gamedev, #ai and #life! Chris Bergman is CEO and Founder of Gylee Games . He is based in Cincinnati where he is General Partner at the Midwest branch of The Fund of Everywhere Ventures . (He also co-owned Highball Cincy until 2026.) Visit this episode's page and watch the video version at https://www.thesandbox.space/p...

Friend Renee Gittins joins us for this weeks podcast to talk about #gamedev and non-gamedev things alike. Renee Gittins is former Executive Director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) and currently Creative Director at her indie game studio, Stumbling Cat , which made the game Potions: A Curious Tale . Website: https://www.reneegittins.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in...

Our friend IzzyDojo joins us today. We're talking #gamedev, #GDEX, #indiegames and a load more.  @izzydojo  #videogames #indiedev Mike Schmittle is a content creator and the founder of IzzyDojo. Hailing from Ohio, he is on a mission to cultivate a thriving gaming community. When he's not immersed in virtual worlds, you can find him constructing intricate models and engaging in lively dis...

Boundary Condition developer and long time @thegdex guest Andrew Groot join us. We talk about the nature of #indiedevelopment and #indiegame. Andrew Groot is a very talented indie dev under the moniker TheSquareGroot, and most recently won our Independent, Student & Experimental (ISE) Award at GDEX 2025 for his game The Boundary Condition, which is coming soon on Steam! Check out his page at t...

Justin Kogge, Founder of Game Arena and Esports Foundry, joins us to talk about the world of Esports and where he thinks it's going. Justin Kogge has been the Managing Principle of Esports Foundry and Owner of Vanguard Esports Team for over 6 years and Owner/Cofounder of Game Arena for over 13 years! He helps build our GDEX Underworld gaming space and has a ton of insights on the Esports scene, no...

Esteban from Unity joins us this week for a great conversation about supporting communities and the power of game dev tools to bring your ideas to life. Originally from Puerto Rico, Esteban Enrique Maldonado Caban is a passionate gamer and geek with a lifelong love for video games, which he uses now to spread the word about Unity solutions. With a background in tools development for designers and...

Our Thanksgiving episode with Tom and Chris. Lots of great topics covered in #gamedev and #ai. Ubisoft AI: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/ubisofts-ai-npc-project-can-now-deliver-sarcastic-gms-helpful-team-mates-and-hidden-lore-and-is-being-playtested-now Embracer: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/embracer-sells-off-arc-games-and-cryptic-studios To The Moon: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/to-the-moon-ex...