games industry insights - devcom podcast

#36 Mental Health in the Games Industry with Andy Barker, Brian Cooley from Mind Fitness

Working in the games industry is a dream for many. But such a dream can quickly become a burden. If the pressure at work isn't already hard enough, living in a pandemic is an additional burden. It is therefore particularly important to recognize the first signs of mental illness. Our host Lars Jansen talks about this with Andy Barker and Brian Cooley from Mind Fitness.

#035 Raising Attention with PR - Liana Murphy - COO Vicarious PR

Today it is really easy to release a game. But the number of competitors is immense and you need attention to sell your game. So good PR is important. In this episode Liana Murphy, Chief Operating Officer at Vicarious PR, joins us and we talk about PR for video games and about the changes that take place.

#034 The Past and Future of VR Games - Alex Silkin - Co-Founder & CTO at Survios

Most of you will probably remember your first VR moment – but the challenge often lies in getting people back after the initial “wow factor”.

Alex Silkin, Co-Founder and CTO at Survios, has been working in the field of virtual reality for about a decade and has certainly helped to push the boundaries of what’s possible, thereby defining the VR experiences of today.

Alex and our host Lars Janssen will take a look at the evolution of VR hardware and what game designers have learned in recent years, so you can take away some valuable insights for your own VR project or simply feed your curiosity.

#033 De-mystifying blockchain, crypto, and NFTs - Stephan Vogler and Ben Zuckerer

There’s a controversial set of topics everyone – not only in the games industry – seems to be talking about at the moment: blockchain, crypto, and NFTs. Oftentimes using all these terms synonymously, some think it’s going to revolutionize our industry, others condemn it as the biggest plague since the beginning of time. As always, reality is more complex than black or white, so we thought it makes senses to lift the curtain a little and take a look behind the scenes.
I’ll be talking to two guests from the German online games company CipSoft today – Stephan Vogler and Ben Zuckerer, both Managing Directors at the company. They have recently done some substantial work with blockchain technology and can shed some light on the topic to help us understand the value for gaming as well as the boundaries

 

#032 From Finland to California. A personal ”Call of Duty” - Pauliina Törnqvist

In this episode of "devcom podcast" our host Lars (he/him) welcomes Pauliina Törnqvist (she/her). Pauliina is producer for one of the biggest franchise in the gaming industry, "Call of Duty". She talks about her journey through the industry starting from her home country Finland over Germany to USA and give us some insights about her colourful history in the industry.

#031 How Code Coven Helps Developers Tell Their Stories - Karla Reyes and Tara Mustapha

Code Coven is the first global games industry accelerator for underrepresented talent. Equality, diversity, and inclusion is embedded into their DNA. With Tara Mustapha (She/Her) and Karla Reyes (She/Her), Lars (He/Him) talks about  what Code Coven offers to help marginalized developers succeed through the structured programs and further initiatives they offer. We also take a look at some exemplary stories of people they supported over the years.

#030 How Two Online Games Pioneers Helped Shape Our Industry - Jess Mulligan and Don Daglow

Jess Mulligan and Don Daglow are online games pioneers with a combined total experience of over 80 years in making games. They both helped shape our industry as we know it today and in this special episode in advance of our devcom Developer Conference 2021, we talk about why they can call themselves "true citizens of online gaming". We take a look at their personal journeys and how online games in general and player expectations in particular have evolved over the past decades.

#029 Mimimi Games – From a Student Team to the Best Studio in Germany - Johannes Roth

Mimimi Games at its core has been around for more than 10 years and is well-known for titles like Shadow Tactics or Desperados III. They recently won the German Computer Games Award for Best Studio 2021.
In this episode, Founder & Managing Director Johannes Roth gives us some insights into the studio's journey and what they learned over the years to now be in a position to self-publish their latest project codenamed "Sweet Potato".

#028 Crowdfunding and Self-Publishing - Thomas Bidaux

In this episode, we welcome Thomas Bidaux, CEO at ICO Partners. In a conversation with our host Lars Janssen, he shares his thoughts about the current state of crowdfunding and self-publishing. What has changed over the past few years? What do you need to know if you want to get your game funded? How do you self-publish within the current ecosystem? 

00:00:00 Welcome
00:00:33 Introducing Thomas Bidaux
00:06:26 Moving from developing to coaching/consulting
00:09:52 What changed in crowdfunding
00:18:39 The importance of presentation in a crowdfunding campaign
00:28:02 Self-publishing is not scary (when is it the right thing?)
00:36:07 The new role of a publisher
00:40:35 Increase your chances to get a publisher
00:47:04 The perfect platform for your game
00:50:00 It's all about influencers?!
00:53:10 Create a perfect company culture
01:03:46 Changes in hiring after the pandemic
01:11:09 Working as a board member for Women in Games
01:14:34 Goodbye

#027 From developer to CEO - Shaun Rutland

Shaun Rutland is the CEO and Co-Founder of Hutch Games Ltd. After more than five years working for PlayStation at Sony, he left the company to found his own.
In this episode, our host Lars Janssen talks with Shaun about the risks and the challenges of setting up a new company and making the switch from being a developer to becoming a CEO.