Game Dev Advice: The Game Developer's Podcast The HP Video Game Podcast Network - John JP Podlasek

I welcome Ryan Douglas, the Co-Founder at DeepWell DTx, NeuFluent / Founder, Nextern to this episode. Learn how DeepWell DTx is working to meld medical professionals, scientists, and game developers to create mental health digital therapeutics through play and neuroscience. 
Hear about the power of gaming to improve mental health, citing games like Tetris and Animal Crossing that have shown mental health benefits. Ryan then shares the value of creating experiences that make players feel better without consciously realizing it, along with potential negative effects around boundary conditions in medicine.
We then get into the meteoric rise of the game industry, how it’s still immature at times, and the need for individuals to understand their motivations to be successful. Ryan then shares about the importance of building a culture centered on individual passions and shared purpose, how “crunch” isn’t unique to the industry, and work/life balance challenges.
Hear about Ryan’s diverse career journey, the mental health emergency, F2P issues, digital therapeutics, flow states, the problem with gamification, and finding the overlap between game mechanics and treatment mechanisms. We then go into his 5 Creator Keys, EQ, finding people you trust, social media, regulation, AI, and both the power and over-hype of VR and AR.
As we wrap up, we hear an unusual story about his career, life changes, excitement around their upcoming game, video game violence fallacy, working with the FDA, improving mental health, medicinal media, sharing on LinkedIn, finding your why, avoiding toxicity, and listening to your gut.

Bio:
Ryan Douglas is a renowned expert and innovator in mental health, artificial intelligence, and surgical robotics with nearly 20 years of experience. Ryan is the co-founder of DeepWell DTx, a video game publisher and developer focused on creating medically therapeutic games with compelling gameplay. He has commercialized over 20 medical devices, including treatments for depression, hypertension, breast cancer survivors, women's health, chronic pain, and neurological conditions. Additionally, Ryan holds pivotal patents in medical AI and robotics and has achieved FDA clearance for breakthrough therapies.

Show Links:
* Simon Sinek - Find Your Why YouTube
* Animal Crossing and Mental Health The Gamer
* da Vinci Surgical System Website
* Pistol Whip Oculus
* 1941: Counter Attack Wikipedia

Connect With Links:
* Ryan Douglas LinkedIn
* DeepWell DTx Website
* DeepWell DTx Twitter

Game Dev Advice Links: 
* Patreon - please help support the show if you find it useful!
* Twitter
* Website
* Email: info@gamedevadvice.com
* Game Dev Advice hotline: (224) 484-7733
* Level Ex Careers website
* Subscribe and go to the website for full show notes with links
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I welcome Jeff Linville, the Co-Founder and Sound Designer at Ritual Studios to this episode. We discuss topics like sound design, pitching your game to publishers, and the future of AR and VR. Jeff shares about the importance of your personal network, learning how to script and work in-engine, and maintaining a healthy mindset with the ups and downs of the industry. 
We then go into the importance of sound design, highlighting the transformative power of sound that enhances player experiences. Hear about the challenges faced by sound designers, such as time constraints and file size limitations, plus having content cut.
Jeff shares why he’s bullish on VR and thoughts around AR possibly replacing smartphones through spatial computing. We then get into the concerns about AI's impact on game development and copyright issues, along with ideas around the benefits.
Hear how the team pivoted their game pitch to get better results by focusing on bite-sized call-to-action prompts, plus using gifs and game audio to create the game experience. Learn the importance for sound designers to be able to work in-engine and script, plus having an engineer connection to help implement ideas and tech.
Jeff and I then talk about the importance of seizing opportunities, networking with peers, and maintaining a positive attitude through setbacks. We then wrap up discussing chance encounters, the abundance of good people in the industry, and the power of doing great work.

Bio:
Jeff Linville is Co-Founder of Ritual Studios, a Chicago based indie studio working on their first title, Fretless: The Wrath of Riffson. Jeff has been in the game industry for over 6 years as a Sound Designer and Composer working on various titles, including Fretless and Cardio Ex.

Show Links:
* Fretless: The Wrath of Riffson Reveal Trailer YouTube
* Cardio Ex Game Soundtrack on Spotify
* FMOD website
* Apple’s Vision Pro spatial computing Apple website
* Guild Wars 2 website
* Alien: Isolation App Store
* The 2023 Hollywood Strike for Dummies Vulture

Connect With Links:
* Fretless: The Wrath of Riffson Steam page
* Ritual Studios Twitter
* Jeff Linville Twitter
* Jeff Linville YouTube
* Playdigious home page
* Playdigious TikTok

Game Dev Advice Links: 
* Game Dev Advice Patreon - please support this work if you find it useful
* Game Dev Advice Twitter
* Game Dev Advice email: info@gamedevadvice.com
* Game Dev Advice website
* Level Ex Careers - we’re hiring for lots of roles!
* Game Dev Advice hotline: (224) 484-7733
* Subscribe and go to the website for full show notes with links
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I put this information together for a presentation at DePaul University in Chicago recently. The audience found it helpful, plus listener Chris Hardin thought it’d make a great episode. So I made some tweaks and recorded it solo as a short episode :) 
While it’s intended for folks looking to get their first job there are different ideas and strategies that should be helpful if you’re already working in the industry. I cover strategies around resumes, applying for jobs, doing due diligence, interviewing strategies, following up afterwards, the importance of your portfolio/website, and other areas.
It’s not meant to be extensive, but tips and ideas to help in your game development journey. (Plus if you’d like to go deeper my Gain Wisdom Patreon level has monthly private coaching included.)

Bio:
John Podlasek is the Director of Talent Acquisition at Level Ex, bringing over 30 years of experience in the video game & technology sectors. He is known for recruiting top game development talent and has played key Production roles in successful game franchises such as Mortal Kombat and Marvel Avengers Initiative. With a deep background in team organization and growth, John’s worked at companies like Midway Games, Disney, Zynga, Viacom, and others, plus is the host of the popular Game Dev Advice podcast with a global following.

Resources:
* Joe Hobbs Game Development Advice Contact List, also follow him on Twitter: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/e/2PACX-1vRYveFAl_GuvBo0iuy3EvgPm0fWAGci-Z8e5CZ6hoYz9n8gcoK4dgE0RML-x0pWqRNjGqte-V7phtqB/pubhtml 
* GrackleHQ: www.gracklehq.com 
* GameDevMap: www.gamedevmap.com  
* Game Developer (formerly Gamasutra): https://www.gamedeveloper.com/ 
* GDC YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UC0JB7TSe49lg56u6qH8y_MQ 
* Unity blog: https://blog.unity.com/ 
* Unreal Engine blog: https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/feed/blog 
* 80lv: https://80.lv/ 
* Designer Notes: http://www.designer-notes.com/ 
* GameIndustry.biz: http://gamesindustry.biz 
* Game Industry News: https://www.gameindustry.com/ 
* Breaking the Wheel - Producers: https://www.breakingthewheel.com/ 
* VentureBeat’s GameBeat: https://venturebeat.com/category/games/ 
* YouTube Why Level Ex? https://youtu.be/GsWoygM_r3Q 
* My interview about the TurboGrafx 16-bit gaming days and other things: https://youtu.be/U4BP-3GX2kc 
* My YouTube presentation Careers Beyond Traditional Game Development mentioned earlier: https://youtu.be/ib_MegZm5-4

Game Dev Advice Links: 
* Game Dev Advice Patreon - please support this work if you find it useful
* Game Dev Advice Twitter
* Game Dev Advice email: info@gamedevadvice.com
* Game Dev Advice website
* Level Ex Careers - we’re hiring for lots of roles!
* Game Dev Advice hotline: (224) 484-7733
* Subscribe and go to the website for full show notes with links
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I welcome Steve Anichini, the CTO and Co-founder of Disbelief to this episode. We start off discussing programming at a young age, taking a job after college, and then deciding to pursue a game development career with his first job at Jellyvision. Hear about working at Midway Games and Irrational Games and then starting Disbelief after layoffs. Learn advice about developing patience with yourself, others, project timelines, and not freaking out over deadlines.
Steve then shares ideas for getting a first job, including the importance of debugging skills and learning more languages and game engines. We then discuss advancing as a programmer, including the importance of communication skills.
Hear about some of his favorite projects, including Borderlands 3 and BioShock Infinite. We then dive into rendering and graphics technology, including real-time ray tracing and Unreal Five's Nanite. Hear about the threat and opportunity he sees in the industry, along with benefits and numerous concerns around AI. 
Steve then shares a funny story about a John Woo’s Stranglehold press event, some games he’s playing, the company's journey towards an anti-crunch culture, along with strategies for not getting into bad situations. At the end he shares advice about never being too late to strike out on your own, giving yourself enough runway, and getting in touch with him online. 

Bio:
Steve Anichini has worked on many titles throughout his 24 year career, including Borderlands 3's PS5/XSX ports, Gears 5, BioShock Infinite, and John Woo Presents Stranglehold. He worked on tools and systems used in Blitz: The League, Psi-ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy, and Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. At Disbelief, Steve focuses on systems and graphics programming, training, recruiting, and company strategy

Connect With Links:
* Disbelief website
* Disbelief Career Page website
* info@disbelief.com email
* @solidangle@mastodon.gamedev.place Mastodon
* Solid Angle blog

Show Links:
* Debugging: The 9 Indispensable Rules for Finding Even the Most Elusive Software and Hardware Problems Goodreads
* Google Technical Writing Courses website
* Nanite Virtualized Geometry in Unreal website
* Lumen Global Illumination and Reflections in Unreal website
* Midway’s 2007 Game Event in Vegas website
* Pentiment Xbox

Game Dev Advice Links: 
* Game Dev Advice Patreon - please support this work if you find it useful
* Game Dev Advice Twitter
* Game Dev Advice email: info@gamedevadvice.com
* Game Dev Advice website
* Level Ex Careers - we’re hiring for lots of roles!
* Game Dev Advice hotline: (224) 484-7733
* Subscribe and go to the website for full show notes with links
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I welcome Roger Sharpe, President and CEO of Sharpe Communications, and the star of the new movie - PINBALL: The Man Who Saved the Game. Hear about his marketing agency and how the idea to turn his story into a movie started back in 2020. We then discuss how pinball used to be illegal in New York City, discovering pinball in college, working at GQ, being challenged to write a book, and testifying at City Hall it was a game of skill, not a game of chance.
Learn about life choices, working in advertising, how others got their start in pinball, plus ideas how you could get into the industry now. Hear about home enthusiasts being a huge boost, going international, and thousands of events, tournaments, and leagues happening every year. 
We then dive into some of his favorite games and projects, including the ones he designed, along with his licensing work on Elvira, NBA Jam, Mortal Kombat, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Terminator 2, Arctic Thunder, and other games. Learn about the growth of barcades, the explosion of the industry, the difference to video games, and cooperative play. Hear about his concern on the recent pricing of pinballs, not going too hardcore on the game design, and thoughts on licensing. 
Towards the end he shares a great story about Gary Stern, the legendary Harry Williams, his pinball book, and some current games he’s playing or interested in. Learn about websites you can check out, the March 17th, 2023 release date, the irony of making pinballs in Chicago but not being legal years ago, and how this little indie movie is winning awards (go check it out). 

Bio:
Roger Sharpe’s demonstration of pinball as a skill-based game overturned New York City’s thirty-five-year ban on pinball machines in 1976. His story, now a film, “PINBALL: The Man Who Saved the Game” came out March 17th, 2023. Roger is also the former Director of Marketing and Licensing at Williams Bally/Midway, a pinball historian, a player, and former pinball designer at Stern, Williams, and Game Plan.

Show Links:
* Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game website
* Apple TV Movie link (U.S.)
* YouTube Movies and TV link (U.S.)
* Moving Picture Institute website
* Vertical Entertainment website
* Stern Pinball website
* Jersey Jack Pinball website
* IFPA website
* Midwest Gaming Classic website
* Texas Pinball Festival website
* Scorebit website
* James Bond 007 website
* Bally Midway Wikipedia

Game Dev Advice Links: 
* Game Dev Advice Patreon - please help support the show if you find it useful
* Game Dev Advice Twitter
* Game Dev Advice email: info@gamedevadvice.com
* Game Dev Advice website
* Level Ex Careers - we’re hiring for lots of roles!
* Game Dev Advice hotline: (224) 484-7733
* Subscribe and go to the website for full show notes with links
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I welcome Ray McCaffrey, Executive Producer at Steel Wool Studios. Hear how he got started in the game industry through a friend by joining a band with some NetherRealm artists who later encouraged him to apply for a short-term Assistant Producer contract job. Learn about his transition from IT, working with industry legends, and wishing he’d known to be more quiet and listen better.
We then discuss advancing your career in Production, the importance of documenting feedback and results, and providing context to the team to build trust. Hear about the value of being calm and centered for others and the value it brings to the team and a company.
Learn about the critical skill of being comfortable being uncomfortable, accepting change in the search for fun, along with the role of acting as a confidant to team members. Hear about being honest with yourself about your flaws, putting constructive feedback into practice, plus sharing feedback without being a jerk. Listen about how insufferable it is working with jerks, ways we avoided it, and what a relief it is not to.
We then dive into the uncanny valley of console hyper-realism, go deep into God of War Ragnarök, how accelerated technology is now, and some thoughts on ChatGPT, AI art, and the futility of trying to predict the future. Hear why he’s bearish on AR, and bullish on VR for the entertainment value, plus the way it’s changed how we interact with each other at times.
Towards the end we talk about a game cancellation that taught him how to be a compassionate leader, the importance of an open dialogue with your team when in a position of authority, the genius of The Last of Us, other game licensed content, Halo 2 Double Team, pizza, and accepting that nothing is ever final. 

Bio:
Ray McCaffrey is the Executive Producer at Steel Wool Studios, an independent studio based in Oakland, CA. Ray’s been in the game industry for almost a dozen years and has worked on games like Injustice: Gods Among Us, Batman: Arkham Origins, Mortal Kombat X, WWE Immortals, Cardio Ex, Pulm Ex, Five Nights at Freddy’s and more. 

Show Links:
* God of War Ragnarök website
* ChatGPT website
* TRIPP VR website
* The Room VR: Dark Matter website
* STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor website
* The Last of Us website
* Halo 2 Double Team Fandom

Connect Links:
* Ray McCaffrey Twitter
* Steel Wool Studios website

Game Dev Advice Links: 
* Game Dev Advice Patreon - please help support the show if you find it useful
* Game Dev Advice Twitter
* Game Dev Advice email: info@gamedevadvice.com
* Game Dev Advice website
* Level Ex Careers - we’re hiring for lots of roles!
* Game Dev Advice hotline: (224) 484-7733
* Subscribe and go to the website for full show notes with links
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices