In this episode, Oscar is joined in his podquest to 'learn everything about #gamedev you never dared to ask' by behavioral game economist Catalin Alexandru. The two discuss the intersection of behavioral economics and game design, exploring how economic models influence player behavior and the challenges faced by mobile developers in the current landscape.
In this episode, Emily and Kyle will discuss updates and struggles they've faced whilst working on their upcoming game.
In this episode, Oscar is joined in his podquest to 'learn everything about #gamedev you never dared to ask' by veteran game designer Alexander Rehm, Director of LiveOps at People Can Fly. They discuss each step required to get a game ready for live and why LiveOps is more than 'just' seasonal updates.
In this episode of Growing Pains, GDL host and Games Strategy Consultant Jay Uppal sits down with Hei Man Chan. Heyman has had an interesting journey in games. Originally trained as a lawyer, Heyman first started off his games journey as a gaming content creator in Hong Kong. Over time, he was able to use this to transition into the industry as a Product Marketer at the UK-based Indie Publisher Slug Disco. So for everything from life as a content creator to his work in an Indie Publisher, tune i...
In this episode, Oscar is joined in his podquest to 'learn everything about #gamedev you never dared to ask' by veteran game designer Alex Moore, to explore the multifaceted world of game design. They discuss their extensive experiences in the industry and the importance of defining game design language. Alex also shares a tool he is developing to help visualize the process.
In this episode, Carina sits down to talk with Jarvs Tasker about her community management journey, some of her favourite indie games that inspire her, the gaming industry as well as advocating for more Accessibility within the Gaming Industry at Nothing Without Us.
In this episode, Nina is joined by the wonderful 2D/3D artist Hana Noelle, to talk about what it's like to be a queer, neurodivergent migrant in the industry and how we can create spaces and communities that support and consider the marginalized.
In this episode, Oscar is joined in his podquest to 'learn everything about #gamedev you never dared to ask' by gamedev legal consultant Myska Hattersley. In this episode, they talk about recent incidents of misogynistic content in games including materials which Sky News called disturbing and game advertising and and how complex it can be when bad actors create unacceptable content and the risks and regulation overreach adversely affecting legitimate game developmentPLEASE NOTE: The discussions...
In this episode of Growing Pains, GDL host and Games Strategy Consultant Jay Uppal sits down with Daniel Kim. Dan has spent most of his professional career working across the Korean Games Industry, working with giants like Kakao, Smilegate and XL-Games in the past. In this conversation, Jay and Dan dive into some of the nuances that are currently driving the Korean games Industry as well as gaining insights into the opportunity for external game devs looking into Korea. This will be an exciting ...
In this episode, Oscar is joined in his podquest to 'learn everything about #gamedev you never dared to ask by Graham McAllister, specialist in Game Vision and Team Alignment. We explore the underlying cause of too many game failures. A failure to properly define game vision and how this is a question of psychology. Do we accurately understand why the player will care about our game?
In this episode, Nina sits down with Marshall, a seasoned game designer whose career spans both F2P mobile and AAA titles like Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War. We dig into their journey into game development, uncovering the twists and turns that led them to the industry, as well as diving into their design philosophies, favorite tools, and learnings over time
In this episode, Oscar is joined in his podquest to 'learn everything about #gamedev you never dared to ask' by gamedev legal consultant Myska Hattersley. In this bumper episode they talk about the EUs investigation into the practices of Star Stable Online and Consumer Protection Principles released on 21/03/25. What the implications are and how this affects the games industry.PLEASE NOTE: The discussions are opinion, they do not constitute legal advice
In this episode, Oscar is joined in his podquest to 'learn everything about #gamedev you never dared to ask' by Simon Sparks, an expert in People, Talent, and Culture in games. We explore what 'culture' means in practice in games and how.
In this episode, we will discuss Friendly Fire Digital's experience on the Game Academy course and what we are currently working on with the team we have created since the course ended
In this episode, Zsuzsa, Head of People and Culture at Wushu Studios, joins us to chat about what makes the people at Wushu tick, and what spirit and values they aim for consistently
In this episode, Emily and Sadie will discuss the pros and cons of their University experience whilst also discussing and providing advice for Networking.
In this episode, Oscar is joined in his podquest to learn everything about #gamedev you never dared to ask by fellow #GDL Host and indie game legal consultant Myska Hattersley. They talk about her journey from growing up in South Africa with a focus on law (and Drones) into finding her place in the industry she had always aspired to.
In this episode, Oscar is joined in his podquest to learn everything about #gamedev you never dated to ask by fellow #GDL Host and producer at Climax Roni Yosko. They talk about the differences and challenges we face when making games in an AAA team verses indie - and what lessons can be learned on both sides.
In this episode, Nina is joined by Brendan Walker to dive deep into the evolving world of indie VR development. Over the last decade, the landscape of VR has shifted - so what does it take to survive as an indie VR dev today? Brendan shares his experiences navigating the highs and lows, from pitching prototypes to dealing with touch development decisions, and the challenges and considerations made in developing for multiple VR platforms.
In this episode of Growing Pains, GDL host and Games Strategy Consultant Jay Uppal sits down with Timofey Sugaipov, ex-Analytics Engineer at Trailmix Games to talk all things Data. Data has become one of the biggest keywords in the last decade in both the Games and Tech industries, but its role and function in studios is still a bit of a mystery to most. In this episode, we deep dive into the core functions of Data in a Studio; looking from setup and execution. Tim is definitely one of the exper...
In this episode of the Game Dev Local Podcast, host Oscar continues his ongoing podquest to uncover everything about game development that you never dared to ask. This time, he's joined by Game Dev Local founder Stuart De Ville for a deep dive into platforms, channels, and discovery—three key pillars of getting your game noticed in today’s competitive market.From choosing the right platforms for your game to understanding different distribution channels and the ever-evolving challenges of discov...
Success in game development isn’t just about making a great game—it’s about making the right decisions at every stage. From prototyping and team management to marketing and funding, indie developers need solid strategies to navigate an increasingly competitive industry. In this episode, GDL Director Tom Morgan and Founder Stuart De Ville break down key tactics indie devs can use to build sustainable studios and successful games. They’ll explore smarter prototyping, effective leadership, communit...
In this episode of Growing Pains, GDL host and Games Strategy Consultant Jay Uppal sits down with Rhys Elliott, Games Journalist and Games Analyst at MIDiA Research, together they discuss some of the biggest gaming trends that are impacting the industry today. Delving into everything from AI to Ads and the ever-elusive Switch 2. This episode covers our top takes for some of what 2025 holds in stake from a broader business perspective for the Games Industry. Growing Pains is a series focusing on ...
In this episode, Chris Gregory and Emily Inkpen from Alternative Stories, the team behind 'The Dex Legacy' join Oscar to explore what lessons we can learn from the writing and sound world-building from Audio Drama. Oscar was previously a guest on Alternative Stories and Fake Realities Podcast which can be found here: Alternative Stories: https://alternativestories.com/ Emily Inkpen: https://www.emilyinkpen.com/ You can find the full audio version of this episode by visiting: https://anchor.fm/ga...
In this episode, Nina and Jeff chat about the secret sauce in strong teams and the value of passion, perspective, and communication across all forms of design.
In this episode of Growing Pains, GDL host and Games Strategy Consultant Jay Uppal sits down with Teemu Haila, CPO and founder of Metaplay, they discuss Teemu's path in Games from the early days of mobile and live-service games to the behemoth the industry has become today. His journey in games has seen him found and lead several teams across various facets and regions within the industry. So tune in as he shares some of his learned insights from his time growing and building games as well as th...
The GDL podcast is back for 2025. In this special episode, the Founder and CEO of GDL is joined by Jay Uppal (host of the popular GDL Growing Pains series) to talk all things Games and beyond. Warning: Lot of tangents abound. So, if you want to hear more about The State of Play and where we’ve been, where we are going, and how we fit into the world, and hey if that’s not enough, then just tune in to hear two grown men complain about being British!
In this episode, GDL Host Laura Donohue Speaks to Jimmy Zhou, an Insights Manager at Riot Games, about the benefits of being a mentor and mentee, how to get the most out of a mentorship, and how to find your perfect mentor.
Gunnar Holmsteinn from Quest Portal joins Oscar on his Podquest to explore the influence of Dungeons and Dragons and his decision to make the next generation of Virtual Table Tops (VTTs) - we also talk a little about a positive use of AI to support the games master.
In this episode of Growing Pains, GDL host and Games Strategy Consultant Jay Uppal sits down with Kae Cheung, senior designer at Payload Studios, they discuss Kae's path into game design and the broader industry trends that impacted Payload Studios. Once a proud champion of UK's games industry, Payload is only one of a number of studios that has recently been brought to the verge of bankruptcy. Jay and Kae have a candid discussion about the time period leading up to the recent decision that has ...
