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. E134: Why "Don't Rock the Boat" Fails Game Dev Teams

    12h ago

    E134: Why "Don't Rock the Boat" Fails Game Dev Teams

    Level up your leadership: https://forms.gle/nqRTUvgFrtdYuCbr6 Is keeping your head down killing your game? Many game dev leads survive by following a simple, unwritten rule: don't rock the boat. But staying silent when you see a broken system isn't "playing it smart," it's dodging your responsibility. True leadership isn't about having a perfect record or a flawless game plan; it's about having the courage to stand in the public square, plant a flag, and risk being wrong for the sake of your team. In this episode, Benjamin Carcich breaks down the uncomfortable reality of what it actually means to lead in an agency-based industry like game dev. He exposes the two primary traps leaders fall into when trying to avoid vulnerability - hiding in plain sight or forcing absolute compliance - and shares a personal story of failure that forced him to choose between self-preservation and the work. What You'll Learn in This Episode: What genuine leadership looks like when the deck is stacked in your favor, and why it demands courage rather than structural power Why game development inherently requires an "agency-based" framework instead of a "compliance-based" model to thrive A simple question to check if you're acting out of fear and failing to lead What the two extreme survival traps look like and how both destroy team trust How to build comfort with the unknown so you can confidently tell your team, "I don't know, let's figure it out." If you're a leader in game dev who is tired of fighting change resistance, feels caught between the demands of senior stakeholders and the needs of your developers, or is endlessly worried that your next big decision might miss the mark and make you look dumb, 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 #GameIndustry #ProducerLife #GamingStudio #BuildingBetterGames

    27 min
  2. E133: Everyone Said Dispatch Would Fail. 4 Million Players Disagree.

    Jun 9

    E133: Everyone Said Dispatch Would Fail. 4 Million Players Disagree.

    Level up your leadership: https://forms.gle/nqRTUvgFrtdYuCbr6 Can you defy the industry experts by refusing to compromise on your creative vision? When the entire gaming industry declares a genre dead and claims nobody is buying narrative-driven games anymore, most studios pack up and pivot. But the team at Adhoc Studio did the exact opposite; they stuck to their guns, bet on their passion, and shattered every single expectation. Their debut game, Dispatch, blew past the skeptics to achieve a 97% overwhelmingly positive rating on Steam and over four million copies sold worldwide. Bridging the gap between two fiercely distinct creative worlds, Nick Herman (Co-founder and COO) and Natalie Herman (Head of Production) joined Ben to break down how they pulled off this "magic trick" of a launch. Bringing a masterful blend of creative grit and operational expertise, Nick and Natalie pull back the curtain on what happens when you dare to build a studio on an original IP. In this conversation, they share the raw reality of navigating intense launch crises, managing the brutal push-and-pull of high-fidelity pre-rendered animation, and evolving from hands-on individual contributors into leaders who empower their team to shine. What You'll Learn in This Episode: How to combine a game development pipeline with a TV animation pipeline—even when the two systems were never designed to work together. Why putting story ahead of gameplay can create stronger emotional connections and make players care more about your characters. The secret to building a thriving remote studio culture without micromanaging your team. What happens behind the scenes when a major release gets hit by massive leaks—and how to keep your team focused through the chaos. How to identify hidden talent, give people real ownership, and build a team that stays with you for years. The biggest lessons learned from creating story-driven games that challenge conventional design rules. Why trust, autonomy, and creative freedom often outperform rigid management processes. The leadership principles that helped scale a studio while maintaining a strong creative culture. If you're a leader in game dev who is tired of copy-pasting the same safe mechanics and is ready to fight for an unconventional vision despite what the publishers say, this episode is for you. Learn more about Dispatch: 🔗 Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2592160/Dispatch/ 🔗 Imdb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt34996965/ 🔗 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl0lwcDCTPL2LALusiS_xmw AdHoc Studio: 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-adhoc-studio/ 🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theadhocstudio/ Learn more about our guests: Nick Herman: 🔗LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-herman-2b370b28/ 🔗Imdb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2550705/ 🔗Mobygames Profile: https://www.mobygames.com/person/255829/nick-herman/ 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_nickherman_/ 🔗X: https://x.com/nickherman?lang=en Natalie Herman: 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-a-herman/ 🔗 Imdb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6048997/ 🔗Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/funkthefake/ 🔗X: https://x.com/funkthefake 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 #StudioCulture #NarrativeDesign #IndieGameDev #BuildingBetterGames

    1h 32m
  3. E132: Why Helping Every Team Is Making Your Game Studio Worse

    Jun 5

    E132: Why Helping Every Team Is Making Your Game Studio Worse

    Level up your leadership: https://forms.gle/nqRTUvgFrtdYuCbr6 Is your calendar a graveyard of back-to-back "team rituals" for 4 different orgs while your actual strategic work gathers dust When you are a game dev leader straddling multiple layers of a studio, it is incredibly easy to fall into the "comfort trap" of doing what you already know how to do: running local team meetings, fixing immediate processes, and trying to play hero for every unstaffed team underneath you. But when you try to be everything to everyone, you aren't actually helping—you are stretching yourself to a breaking point and starving your organization of the high-level leadership it desperately needs to survive. In this episode, Benjamin Carcich breaks down why doing less direct work for your teams is actually the ultimate force-multiplying move. You'll learn how to shift your mindset from a localized team manager to a scaled "team of teams" leader, how to ruthlessly audit your calendar, and why learning to hold a firm "no" will build more trust with your studio than any standup ever could. What You'll Learn in This Episode: The "serve everyone all the time" trap that keeps leaders from scaling their impact Why great team leads often fail when promoted to higher leadership roles A simple 4-step audit to align your time with what matters most When to empower devs - no matter their discipline - to run processes without you How to grow your leadership influence through solving broader problems than your team If you're a leader in game dev who is drowning in cross-team meetings, covering unstaffed producer slots, and feeling too exhausted to actually steer the ship, 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 #ProducerLife #GameIndustry #StudioManagement #ForceMultiplier

    44 min
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. 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
  8. 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
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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
    154
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    Building Better Games ©2024
  • Show Website
    Building Better Games

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