24 episodes
Out of Play Area John R. Diaz
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- Leisure
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5.0 • 8 Ratings
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Out of Play Area is the video game developers podcast by video game developers for video game developers, from veteran to aspiring. We sit down with the people behind the games for your information & entertainment.
New episodes drop every other Monday, where we interview Video Game Designers, Animators, Artists, Producers, Engineers, Testers, Directors, Writers, and everything in between.
Hosted by veteran video game designer John R. Diaz @ElKingpin who started from very humble beginnings as 1st generation Dominican-American that went onto work for some of the most critically acclaimed games of our time in Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 1 & 2.
He now works at Electronic Arts while seeking to join the entire games industry through his podcast.
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Elaine Gomez | Game Designer @ Brass Lion Entertainment | Ep 22
Episode 22 of the game dev's podcast features Elaine Gomez a Game Designer at Brass Lion Entertainment based out of New York City.
Elaine Gómez is an award-winning game designer currently working at Brass Lion Entertainment with 5 years of experience in gameplay and systems design. She is one of the six co-founders of Latinx in Gaming and supports the non-profit organization with game development-related initiatives and resources. Elaine is passionate about mentorship and often lends her design knowledge and resources to serve young game developers across the globe.
Chapters:
(00:00) Episode Origin Notes
(02:57) Homeland Talk
(09:17) Elaine’s Roots & Hustling to Get On
(17:28) Design Portfolio
(26:03) Designing In The Pandemic
(32:57) Being Your Authentic Self
(45:16) Soft Skills Are Essential
(51:46) Emotional Intelligence & Self-Advocating
(01:08:14) Founding a Family in Latinx in Gaming
(01:14:42) Representation & Women in Design
(01:28:27) Academics & Graduate Programs
(01:39:09) Final Round Games
(01:52:26) UX in Beyond Blue
Links:
https://twitter.com/chulatastic
http://www.elaine-gomez.com/
https://brasslionentertainment.com/careers/
https://www.amazon.com/Games-Design-Play-detailed-iterative/dp/0134392078
https://www.pureref.com/ -
Angelica Baca - UX Designer @ Intercept Games | Ep 21
Angelica "Jel" Baca is a UX Designer at Intercept Games who found her way through QA for Glu Mobile, Bungie, PopCap, Card Kingdom, and King.
Listen to her journey through this industry and how she thrives today.
Chapters:
(00:00) Who is Angelica Baca?
(07:23) Customer Support @ Big Fish Games
(14:55) First Game
(22:28) QA Ground Floor
(30:45) Networking & Professional Relationships
(37:21) Stepping out of Games for Ads Colony
(45:29) Discovering UX at King
(56:15) Card Kingdom
(01:13:57) Final Round
(01:26:14) John's Closing Thoughts
Links:
Jel Baca on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jellbel
Jel Baca on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelica-baca-16518230/
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - Nes Playthrough
Connect with the host: https://linktr.ee/jkingpin
Follow the show: http://outofplayarea.com -
Ryan Paradis - Game Design Director @ Bungie | Ep 20
Ryan Paradis, Design Director at Bungie working on Destiny talks about his journey through Full Sail University, working at Rockstar Games in San Diego, to Bungie on Destiny, to 343 on Halo Infinite and more.
Chapters:
(00:00) Who is Ryan Paradis?
(10:39) Full Sail University Alliances
(16:49) Live Design Director Life
(26:30) Personal Sustainability
(33:40) Power of Cutting Content
(49:02) Wearing the Producer Hat
(1:01:31) Game Release Windows
(01:22:33) Team Play
(01:30:07) Minimum Viable Product
(01:40:43) John's Final Thoughts & Next Episode Teaser
Additional Links:
Ryan's Moby Games: https://www.mobygames.com/developer/brian-dumlao/credits/developerId,92531/
Connect with the host - https://linktr.ee/jkingpin
Connect with us: http://outofplayarea.com
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Testing Games Is Awesome with Brian Dumlao QA Analyst @ Jam City | Ep 19
Episode 19 of the game dev podcast Out of Play Area features Brian Dumlao a QA Analyst at Jam City in Carlsbad, CA with Philipinne roots hailing from Los Angeles, California.
We talk about how he used his sociology degree and experience at EB Games, to break in at Midway Games in San Diego and work on Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance, his journey through the industry at Disney, High Moon Studios on Destiny, to where he is today and what about your mindset makes the difference in thriving in this field and where he looks to grow even after 20+ years of experience.
Chapters:
(00:00) Who is Brian Dumlao?
(7:14) What is Quality Assurance in Games?
(17:44) 1st Midway Games Interview
(28:26) Gravity Games Bike Street Dirt Vert
(35:07) Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance on GameCube
(41:59) Unreal Tourney & MYST
(49:14) Final Midway Years
(01:01:16) Disney, TC Digital, & High Moon on Destiny
(01:12:09) Current Day at Jam City
(01:25:24) The Final Round
(01:32:09) John's Final Thoughts & Next Episode Teaser
Additional Links:
Brian's Moby Games: https://www.mobygames.com/developer/brian-dumlao/credits/developerId,92531/
Connect with the host - https://linktr.ee/jkingpin
Connect with us: http://outofplayarea.com
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Entrepreneur, Technologist, & Storyteller Matt Udvari | Co-Founder & CTO @ Aquifer Motion | Ep 18
Episode 18 features storyteller/technologist Matt Udvari the CTO and Co-Founder of Aquifer Motion in Austin, TX.
We talk about his journey through game development onto his path to build new technology to make it easier for content creators, media businesses, and brands to build interactive stories.
Chapters:
(00:00) Who is Matt Udvari
(13:23) Austin Texas Development
(21:29) UFC Fighting Games & IK
(31:58) Aquifer Motion's Origin
(41:49) Animation Cinematography Automation
(48:51) Matt's Background
(01:01:38) Game Development & Aquifer
(01:10:44) Fall Back into Games
(01:20:36) Work from Office vs Work From Home
(01:34:11) John's Final Thoughts
Additional Links:
Careers @ Aquifer - https://www.aquifermotion.com/jobs
Rising Startups To Watch With Diverse Founders 2020
Matt Udvari's Twitter
Matt's Moby Games: https://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,167075/
Connect with the host - https://twitter.com/ElKingpin
Connect with us: http://outofplayarea.com -
Being Authentic with Yesenia Cisneros | Lead Producer @ Brass Lion Entertainment | Ep 17
On Episode 17 of the Game Developer's Podcast Out of Play Area hosted by John R. Diaz we sit down with Lead Producer at Brass Lion Entertainment Yesenia Cisneros a Queens New York City Native with Chinese - Ecuadorian roots and we talk about what's it like breaking into games, working in eSports, transitioning into QA, and finally as a Producer at a place that she's so relieved she gets to bring her authentic self to work every day.
Chapters:
(00:00) Who is Yesenia Cisneros
(08:29) Welcome First Producer
(16:44) Code-Switching & Sneaker Shopping
(19:54) Day in the Life of a Producer
(33:12) How Did You Get Into Games?
(36:40) Halo 2 & PAX Throwback
(42:41) Xbox Live Enforcement Team Op
(48:07) Working in QA
(52:50) Pokemon Producer
(01:01:25) Production Tips & Networking
(01:07:21) Books, Games, Office & WFH Life
(01:19:58) John's Final Thoughts
More Info:
John's Twitter- https://twitter.com/ElKingpin
Yesenia's Twitter -
https://twitter.com/msyeseniac
Yesenia's LinkedIn -
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yeseniacisneros/
Brass Lion Entertainment Careers in NYC & Montreal -
https://brasslionentertainment.com/careers/
Book: Think Like a Game Designer by Justin Gary -
https://justingary.com/think-like-a-game-designer-book/
How to grow your gaming community - #71 - Game Dev London Podcast
Unidos 2020: Building Features: How to Get it Done and Make it Fun!
Interview with Yesenia Cisneros!
Connect with us: http://outofplayarea.com
Customer Reviews
Love the podcast
It’s so great hearing the content and the explanation of different kinds of games! Can’t wait for the next one!
Fills A Void - AAA Game Devs Having A Conversation!
As a 20 year AAA industry veteran (engine/rendering engineering), I’ve often found developer podcasts, insightful articles, and online communities to be full of new talent to the game. While these communities are usually fueled with enthusiasm and passion, more often than not it’s coming from a place of little to no real experience, or indie developer studios - because let’s face it - AAA companies make their employees sign agreements basically saying they can’t do anything online including sharing internal fun stories or tricks of the trade (to name just two items off the long list), and involving yourself in those communities isn’t worth risking your job.
This podcast hits the nail on the head - AAA experienced industry talent talking about their careers and trade in ways rarely found elsewhere, in the public domain. I enjoyed every minute of episode 1, and am stoked to hear more!! In some ways it just felt like a natural conversation - like I was having lunch with and getting to know a new coworker that’s also “been through it all.”
I hope this podcast is here for the long run! Great debut!