Building Better Games

Benjamin Carcich
  • 5.0 (11)
  • Video Games
  • Updated Biweekly

Leadership in game dev is hard. I can't make it easy, but I can make it a heck of a lot better. My name is Benjamin Carcich, and this podcast helps leaders in game dev who feel stuck, ignored, and out of options find their path to success. I've spent the last several decades studying and leading in environments ranging from the U.S. Army through to game development. I want to share what I've learned. Better leadership is a huge opportunity in the games industry. Let's make it better together. Better leaders build better games.

  1. E131: The Efficiency Trap That's Killing Your Game

    May 26

    E131: The Efficiency Trap That's Killing Your Game

    Level up your leadership: https://forms.gle/nqRTUvgFrtdYuCbr6 Are you running your game studio fast, or are you actually moving it forward? In this episode, we break down one of the most destructive traps in modern game development: confusing efficiency with effectiveness. It's incredibly easy to measure velocity, count assets, or point to a rising graph on your screen. But if your team is flawlessly hitting its milestones and the game still isn't any fun to play, your chosen metrics are a farce. We explore why game dev is uniquely unsuited for pure manufacturing efficiency, how localized optimizations choke your pipelines, and why real organizational value requires the courage to slow down, leave room for messy learning, and build a clear, shared North Star. What You'll Learn in This Episode: The difference between efficiency and effectiveness How busy work and overproduction happen when teams execute without clear goals Ways to identify and eliminate bottlenecks through better cross-team collaboration Why prototyping, failing fast, and retrospectives drive long-term success If you're a leader in game dev who is tired of watching your team burn out to clear massive backlogs, only to realize the core game loop still isn't landing with players , this episode is for you. Connect with us: 🔗Ben's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-carcich/ 🔗BBG's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/building-better-games/ 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg 🔗YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@buildingbettergames If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: info@valarinconsulting.com #GameDev #StudioLeadership #AgileGameDevelopment #GameProduction #ProductivityVsValue

    37 min
  2. E130: Why Releasing More Often Actually Takes Less Time

    May 19 ·  Video

    E130: Why Releasing More Often Actually Takes Less Time

    Level up your leadership: https://forms.gle/nqRTUvgFrtdYuCbr6 Is your release schedule a desperate race or a smooth commute? If every quarterly milestone feels like chaos and stress, you don't have a talent problem, you have a Bus Problem. In this episode, Ben explores "The Bus Problem," a concept inspired by the unpredictable transit systems of Egypt 20+ years ago versus the reliable cadences of the London subway. He breaks down why infrequent milestones actually create more work and higher stakes, and explains why the counterintuitive secret to a calmer studio is actually releasing more often. What you'll learn in this episode: What the "Egyptian Bus Problem" is and how scarcity drives risky decisions Why infrequent releases take longer and create more breakage and tech debt How frequent releases reduce stakeholder pressure and "big reveal" anxiety Why "no time for feedback" actually increases workload long-term How to apply the bus principle to reviews and retros for better feedback How to spot if your team is overloading milestones If you're a leader in game dev who is tired of the "last-minute jam" and feels like your team is constantly redlining just to hit a single, high-stakes milestone, this episode is for you. Connect with us: 🔗Ben's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-carcich/ 🔗BBG's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/building-better-games/ 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg 🔗YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@buildingbettergames If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: info@valarinconsulting.com #GameDevLeadership #BuildingBetterGames #GameProduction #AgileDevelopment #StudioCulture

    15 min
  3. E129: 6 Lessons from the Worst Failure of My Game Dev Career

    May 12

    E129: 6 Lessons from the Worst Failure of My Game Dev Career

    Level up your leadership: https://forms.gle/nqRTUvgFrtdYuCbr6 What happens when your dream job becomes a political nightmare? Making games is hard, but leading the people who make them can be even harder, especially when you realize that "doing the right thing" isn't always going to get you accolades or even support. In this episode, Ben shares the raw details of his biggest game dev failure, a career-defining moment where he was ejected from a team after trying to fix systemic leadership issues. He breaks down the painful lessons learned about dehumanization, organizational politics, and why your self-worth should never be in the hands of your boss. What You'll Learn in This Episode: What it actually looks like to fail as a leader, even when your intentions are 100% about helping the team and the product Why "dehumanizing" your opponents—even the ones you think are the problem—is a dangerous path How to identify the "delta" between a company's explicit culture and its implicit reality Why you must stop "outsourcing your self-worth" to the studio to start leading with true confidence instead of leading scared If you're a leader in game dev who feels like you're bearing the burden of a struggling team alone and wondering if your "dream job" is starting to feel like a trap, this episode is for you. Connect with us: 🔗Ben's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-carcich/ 🔗BBG's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/building-better-games/ 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg 🔗YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZpMT-dUwQR-R4Mb4uub6Sw If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: info@valarinconsulting.com #GameDevLeadership #GameIndustryCulture #LeadershipFailure #GameProduction #BuildingBetterGames

    38 min
  4. E128: Why Some Games Never Die

    May 5 ·  Video

    E128: Why Some Games Never Die

    If you're a leader in game dev who feels stuck there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: https://forms.gle/nqRTUvgFrtdYuCbr6 In a world where 5-year AAA production cycles often crash into 5-day culture cycles, shipping a great game is no longer the finish line. It is the opening bell of a survival race. In this episode, Ben sits down with Shahar Sorek, the Chief Marketing Officer at Overwolf, to talk about why the "ship and pray" model is broken and how User-Generated Content (UGC) has become the industry's most powerful "immortality engine." Shahar brings over 15 years of experience as a studio founder, technology leader, and even a Hollywood creative producer to the table, offering a unique perspective on the convergence of media, tech, and community. Together, they dive deep into the "Four Horsemen of the UGC Apocalypse"—the specific market pressures making traditional development obsolete—and why the creator has replaced the game itself as the new "atomic unit" of gaming relevance. What You'll Learn in This Episode: What the "Four Horsemen of the UGC Apocalypse" are and why they are forcing a total rethink of game business models Why the creator has replaced the game itself as the primary "atomic unit" of industry relevance How to build a "Holy Trinity" between the gamer, the creator, and the studio to drive compounded growth Why small indie teams should actually ignore UGC until they have mastered their core experience How to manage the "chaos" of opening your IP to the public while maintaining brand safety and quality If you're a leader in game dev who is tired of betting years of work on a market that changes before you ship, this conversation on building games that last is for you. Learn more about our guest: 🔗LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%90%B0-shahar-sorek-83ab299/ 🔗 Imdb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1245854/ 🔗 Medium: https://medium.com/@shaharsorek 🔗 Media360: https://media360.campaignlive.co.uk/shahar-sorek 🔗 Show Summit: https://www.show-summit.com/shahar-sorek/ 🔗Rocket Reach: https://rocketreach.co/shahar-sorek-email_243056931 🔗 Design Rush Feature: https://news.designrush.com/gamers-hate-ads-overwolf-cmo-cracks-the-code-to-changing-this Connect with us: 🔗Ben's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-carcich/ 🔗BBG's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/building-better-games/ 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg 🔗YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZpMT-dUwQR-R4Mb4uub6Sw If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: info@valarinconsulting.com #GameDev #UGC #CreatorEconomy #GamingIndustry #Overwolf  #BuildingBetterGames

    46 min
  5. E127: Game Dev's Leadership Problem: Too Many Managers

    Apr 28

    E127: Game Dev's Leadership Problem: Too Many Managers

    If you're a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: https://forms.gle/nqRTUvgFrtdYuCbr6 If you're making progress but losing the goal, you aren't leading. You're optimizing for stagnation. In this episode, Ben deconstructs the often-confused synonyms of authority in the games industry. Drawing from a GDC talk he was a part of, he explores why game development is currently "over-managed" and under-led. He provides a clear framework for deconflicting the roles of Leader, Manager, and Boss, while introducing five specific "stances" that allow you to develop your team's capacity and navigate the ever-shifting landscape of player preferences and market trends. What You'll Learn In This Episode: Leader vs Manager vs Boss: change driver, system optimizer, org advocate Why game dev's "management bias" leads to stagnation The 5 development stances: Directing, Teaching, Advising, Mentoring, Coaching How to choose the right stance based on urgency vs growth Why professional coaching is an underused (and powerful) tool If you're a leader in game dev who feels like you're constantly "chopping down trees" only to realize you might be in the wrong forest, this episode is for you. Connect with us: 🔗Ben's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-carcich/ 🔗BBG's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/building-better-games/ 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg 🔗YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZpMT-dUwQR-R4Mb4uub6Sw If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: info@valarinconsulting.com #GameDevLeadership #GameDesignManagement #BuildingBetterGames #StudioCulture #LeadershipDevelopment

    42 min
  6. E126: Why Game Designers Fail (and How to Help Them)

    Apr 21

    E126: Why Game Designers Fail (and How to Help Them)

    If you're a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: https://forms.gle/nqRTUvgFrtdYuCbr6 Is Game Design a Science or Just "Making an Omelet"? Everyone has a "great idea" for a game, but having an idea is a far cry from the professional discipline of game design. In this episode, Ben sits down with veteran designer Alexander Brazie (World of Warcraft, League of Legends) to explore why being a designer is less about having all the answers and more about the rigorous process of turning ambiguity into action. We dive into how leaders can diagnose a struggling design process and some helpful analogies that help teams find the deepest fun without drowning in limited resources. What You'll Learn In This Episode: The difference between a real designer and a person with gameplay opinions Why great designers ask better questions instead of forcing solutions How to apply a Player-Centric Framework to every system How to tell if a designer is stuck or just in the creative process How to support a designer's mental health beyond work Learn more & connect with our guest:  🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-brazie/  🔗 Mastering Game Mechanics Bootcamp: https://gamedesignskills.com/courses/mechanics-bootcamp-scale-depth-alexander-brazie/  🔗 Wowpedia: https://wowpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Alexander_Brazie  🔗 Game Design Skills: https://gamedesignskills.com/author/alexander-brazie/  🔗 Moby Games: https://www.mobygames.com/person/257453/alexander-brazie/ Connect with us: 🔗Ben's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-carcich/ 🔗BBG's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/building-better-games/ 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg 🔗YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZpMT-dUwQR-R4Mb4uub6Sw If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: info@valarinconsulting.com #GameDevLeadership #GameDesignSkills #AIinGames #StudioManagement #BuildingBetterGames

    57 min
  7. E125: 4 AI Threats That Matter More Than Skynet

    Apr 16

    E125: 4 AI Threats That Matter More Than Skynet

    If you're a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: https://forms.gle/nqRTUvgFrtdYuCbr6 Is your "AI First" strategy actually a house of cards waiting to collapse? While CEOs are busy pumping the hype train, the practical reality of LLMs is looking a lot less rosy. In this episode, Ben explores why the current AI trajectory might be a "subprime crisis" in the making. We move past the Skynet fantasies to look at the four existential and human threats that LLMs pose to the games industry, from the "logarithmic curve of effectiveness" to the dangerous atrophy of our own ability to think deeply. What You'll Learn In This Episode: What the "subprime AI crisis" is and why the current investment stack might be unsustainable. Why relying on "generative slop" leads to a generational decline in the value of information. How to identify when AI is capitalizing on your own cognitive biases and "sycophantic" needs for ego validation. How to balance using AI as a force-multiplier without atrophying the "slow thinking" required for high-level game production. Reference Links: 🔗 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aec8352 🔗 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11324722-the-righteous-mind 🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p22QeLNHvlc 🔗 https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-subprime-ai-crisis-is-here/ 🔗 https://metr.org/blog/2025-07-10-early-2025-ai-experienced-os-dev-study/   🔗 https://medium.com/@webteam.ybsvp/when-ai-gets-it-wrong-the-deloitte-scandal-and-the-question-of-reliability-86940bc9017a 🔗 https://tech.yahoo.com/ai/articles/mit-created-duplicate-ai-workers-185644013.html 🔗 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2604.01363   🔗 https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/06/google-microsoft-meta-amazon-ai-cash.html 🔗 https://www.fastcompany.com/91417492/deloitte-ai-report-australian-government 🔗 https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/24/model-collapse-scientists-warn-against-letting-ai-eat-its-own-tail/ 🔗 https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/0374533555 🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDL3Ch7Nz8c Connect with us: 🔗Ben's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-carcich/ 🔗BBG's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/building-better-games/ 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg 🔗YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZpMT-dUwQR-R4Mb4uub6Sw If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: info@valarinconsulting.com #GameDev #ArtificialIntelligence #StudioLeadership #TechBubble #BuildingBetterGames

    50 min
  8. E124: AI Can't Replace Game Producers. So Why Are They Getting Cut?

    Apr 7

    E124: AI Can't Replace Game Producers. So Why Are They Getting Cut?

    If you're a leader in game dev who feels stuck, able to spot problems but struggling to make a real difference, there is a path forward that levels up your leadership and accelerates your team, game, and career. Sign up here to learn more: https://forms.gle/nqRTUvgFrtdYuCbr6 Is your job being replaced by an LLM, or are you just doing the wrong job? The claim has been made that AI can handle 85% of management tasks. For game producers, this sounds like a death knell, but only if you believe your value lies in shuffling Jira tickets and taking meeting notes. In this episode, we break down the fundamental misunderstanding of "productivity" in game dev. We explore why LLMs are masters of the "passing high school grade" and why the most vital, indirect value a producer provides remains entirely out of reach for even the most sophisticated AI. What You'll Learn in This Episode: Why "being busy" can actually hurt your career How to find the invisible value you uniquely bring The risk of using AI without real expertise Why producers must evolve beyond task tracking Connect with us: 🔗Ben's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-carcich/ 🔗BBG's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/building-better-games/ 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# 🔗Website: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg 🔗YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZpMT-dUwQR-R4Mb4uub6Sw If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: info@valarinconsulting.com #GameProduction #GameDevAI #ProjectManagement #StudioLeadership #BuildingBetterGames

    23 min
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5
out of 5
11 Ratings

About

Leadership in game dev is hard. I can't make it easy, but I can make it a heck of a lot better. My name is Benjamin Carcich, and this podcast helps leaders in game dev who feel stuck, ignored, and out of options find their path to success. I've spent the last several decades studying and leading in environments ranging from the U.S. Army through to game development. I want to share what I've learned. Better leadership is a huge opportunity in the games industry. Let's make it better together. Better leaders build better games.

Information

  • Creator
    Benjamin Carcich
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    151
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    Building Better Games ©2024
  • Show Website
    Building Better Games

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