Game Dev Advice: The Game Developer’s Podcast
Business:Careers
I welcome Jon Radoff, CEO of Beamable who shares his inspiration behind starting the company. Hear how D&D and computer programming got him hooked on games, and the companies he’s created along the way. Learn how he began his entrepreneurial journey as a kid, along with advice for others who love games and have a passion to create.
We then discuss his thoughts around entrepreneurship, who to listen to, and who not to listen to. Hear why it’s important to have a portfolio, along with strategies for interviewing. Learn the value of having humility, a beginner's mind, not being afraid to throw things away, and getting player feedback.
Hear stories on the development of huge IP games like Star Trek Timelines, Game of Thrones Ascent, and his very first game, Legends of Future Past. Learn about his passion for understanding what makes shipping games so hard, different business models, and how big and diverse the industry really is.
Towards the end we discuss the lack of skilled people to fill roles, optimizing around creativity and reducing complexity, his broad definition of the metaverse, VR, AR, and making things more accessible. Hear a funny story about a party, his current favorite games, and wanting to hear from other developers. We then wrap up talking about how to reach out online, and doing research on new business models instead of being too cynical.
Bio:
Jon Radoff is CEO of Beamable, a Live Services platform for game developers. He is also the author of the "Building the Metaverse" blog, where he open-sources his thinking about the future of the internet. Jon is a lifelong entrepreneur who started making online games as a teenager before going on to build one of the first multiplayer commercial games on the Internet: Legends of Future Past. Since then, he's built businesses in Web publishing, ad networking and mobile games reaching tens of millions of consumers.
Show Links:
* Beamable
* Disruptor Beam
* Legends of Future Past
* Star Trek Timelines
* Game of Thrones Ascent
* Building the Metaverse
* Omni (Magazine)
* Stellaris
* The Office Somehow We Manage
Connect Links:
* Jon Radoff Twitter
* Jon Radoff YouTube
* Jon Radoff LinkedIn
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 page - we’re hiring for engineers and other roles
* Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733
* Subscribe and go to the website for full show notes with links
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Giving Back, Diversity, Self-Promotion, Cultural Revolution, People Skills, Immersive Experiences, and Game Jams with Renee Gittins of the IGDA
Work with Meaning, Unity, Treating PTSD, Magic Leap, AI, Healthcare Heroes, GDC, and the Future with Skip Rizzo from the USC Institute for Creative Technologies
Game Dev People, Starting a Studio, Discord’s Power, Send the Resume, Steam’s Dead for Indies, and Dota 2 with Dan Nikolaides from Studio369
Working on Uncharted, 4-Day Work Week, Crunch, XTC, Psychology in Design, Sustainable Game Development, and the USC Games Program with Richard Lemarchand
Marathon Not A Sprint, ArtStation Is Key, Seizing Opportunities, Virtual Boy, Paying It Forward, Working In Mexico, Personal Projects, and My Origin Story with Glenn De Leon Garza
Startup Principles, Working on StarCraft II and Fortnite, Burnout, Empathic Design, UI is Key, Tools Development, VC Ecosystem, Mental Health, and Crossplay with Matt Schembari
Creativity is a Business, LotR’s Inspiration, Toxic Workplace Cultures, Using Agents, Defining Your Terms, Twitter For Connecting, Asking For Advice, and Creating Friendships with Marta Svetek
Battlefield Mobile, Gratitude, Getting Sh*t Done, Marvel XP, Bad Interview, Pareto Principle, Game Dev Identity, and Surviving a Layoff with Justin Fischer of Industrial Toys/EA
Horror Games, Career Strategies, What Publishers Want, Capital Is King, Poland and Israel’s Game Dev Scenes, and Finding Your Own Way with Scott Millard of Feardemic
Self-Taught Coding, Importance of Tools, Crunch, NLP, Snow Crash, Ageism, GitHub, Toastmasters, and Quake’s Elegance with Norman Morse of Perforce Software
Halo 2, Steve Ballmer, IGDA, Gamergate, Star Wars, Diversity and Inclusion, Networking, Going Solo, Cloudpunk, and Developer Leverage with Kate Edwards of Geogrify and the Global Game Jam
Stack the Job Deck, Canada, Iron Galaxy, PSX Conference, Recruiter Horror Stories, Dot-com Bubble, LT, and Wisdom From Perspective with Adam Boyes of Iron Galaxy Studios
Interviewing Tips, Global Teams, NY Comic Con, Running LiveOps, Crunching, Mentors, Mass Effect, Austin Game Dev, QA Life, and Relationships Matter with Patrick Moran of Kongregate
SXSW, Keys to Kickstarter, Smash TV, Editing Challenges, Ready Player One, Games Are Harder Than Film, Persistence, Magic Leap, HoloLens, and Film Festivals with Joshua Tsui of Insert Coin
Artist Turned Indie Filmmaker, Layoff Transition, New Artist Tools, Actor Types, E3 Stories, Key Skills For Getting Hired, and LA Traffic, with Mehran Torgoley of Cult Cinema
Creative Directors, Diversity and Inclusion, Level Ex, Your Mutant Ability, Van Halen, Making For Honor, Mythic Quest, Player Motivation, and Hades with Jason VandenBerghe of Level Ex
Successful Original IP, Design Challenges, Global Teams, Portfolio Matters, Industry Parties, Retro Consoles, GDC Indie Games, and Online Privacy Laws with Clark Stacey of WildWorks
Travis Scott, Activision Pitches, Good Vs. Bad Producers, EQ, Social Networks, MicroProse, Steve Jobs, Taking the High Road with Chris Hewish
Making Warcraft II, Breaking Crunch, Disney Infinity, Pitching Investors, Diablo, Animal Talking, Industry Stories, and Parting Advice with Bill Roper
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