Author: Link S

Episode 44 – Conversation with Phil Giarrusso, Pixel Artist and Designer at Tako Boy Studios

Posted on | by Link S

In this episode I speak with Phil Giarrusso, Pixel Artist and Designer at Tako Boy Studios and creators of the upcoming title Cross Blitz and previously Candies ‘N Curses as well as Creatures of Aether. As well as a contributor to Flynn Son of Crimson and Shovel Knight Dig

0:00 Intro

05:35 How Phil got into working on games

10:00 Illustrator for pixel art

13:00 Advice for newcomers based on his own experiences

17:00 Favourite childhood games; Fate of Atlantis and other Point & Clicks

22:30 Follow up from point and clicks

25:00 Love of Kingdom Heart series

30:45 Outside hobbies; Working out, cooking, and a puppy

39:30 Cross Blitz and deck building games

48:00 Wrap Up and last thoughts

Check out Phil on Twitter at https://twitter.com/rephildesign

Check out Tako Boy Studio on Twitter at https://twitter.com/takoboystudios

Check out Cross Blitz on Steam at https://store.steampowered.com/app/1619520/Cross_Blitz/

Episode 43 – Conversation with Josh Sullivan, project lead at Awe Interactive and creators of Bullets per Minute

Posted on | by Link S

In this episode I speak with Josh Sullivan, Project Lead at Awe Interactive and creators of Bullets Per Minute

Start – 03:10 – Intro

03:10 – 6:45 – I ask Josh about a game he might have wanted to make as a child

06:45 – 14:00 – We talk about their BPM game and what looks like a newly blooming genre.

14:00 – 22:45 – Josh talks about what made him want to get into making games

22:45 – 31:45 – We talk about Josh’s favourite games when they were younger

31:45 – 40:00 – We talk about what makes gaming enjoyable to Josh and and what kind of games he might relax with after a hard day

40:00 – 44:00 – Josh talks about what kind of hobbies and things he enjoys outside of gaming

44:00 – End – Wrap up and discussion about their suggested build to help with BPM

Check out Awe Interactive on Twitter at https://twitter.com/AweInteractive

Check out Bullets Per Minute on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BPMGame

Check out Bullets Per Minute on Steam at https://store.steampowered.com/app/1286350/BPM_BULLETS_PER_MINUTE/

Episode 42 – Conversation with Trapp, programmer at Communion Games and currently making Iowa

Posted on | by Link S

In this episode I speak with Trapp, a programmer at Communion Games and currently working on their first commercial game Iowa

Start – 9:00 – Intro and a brief discussion his busy/packed life

9:00 – 27:30 – We talk about how Trapp got into developing and making games and advice they might wish to impart from their experiences

27:30 – 32:45 – We talk about Trapp’s favorite childhood games, and what makes the Halo and Starcraft series some of his favorites.

32:45 – 44:00 – We discuss RTS games more, as well as Halo Wars as it is the cross section of two genres Trapp enjoys.

44:00 – 01:05:00 – We talk about Communion Game’s upcoming game, Iowa.

01:05:00 – 01:10:00 – We talk about what other things Trapp enjoys doing outside of gaming

01:10:00 – End – Wrap up

Check Trapp out on Twitter at https://twitter.com/CommunionGames

Check out Trapp’s TikTok at

Check out the Communion Games Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQUKct7f7v2QB138B4PDDSw

Check out Elegant Crow, the other member of Communion Games at https://mobile.twitter.com/elegantcrowcg

Episode 41 – Conversation with Thomas Altenburger, game director at Flying Oak Games, makers of Scourge Bringer and NeuroVoider

Posted on | by Link S

In this episode I speak with Thomas Altenburger, game director at Flying Oak Games, creators of Scourge Bringer, and Neuro Voider.

Start – 08:45 – Intro and a discussion of game feel

08:45 – 22:15 – We talk about how and why Thomas got into making games and advice he can share to those looking to get into the industry based on his own experiences

22:15 – 32:45 – We talk about Thomas’s first introduction to gaming and what kind of games he enjoyed with his favorite game from that era being Super Metroid.

32:45 – 45:40 – We talk about what Thomas finds enjoyable about gaming

45:40 – 53:00 – Thomas discusses non-gaming related hobby and pineapple pizza.

53:00 – End – Wrap up

Check Thomas out on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mrhelmut

Check out Flying Oak Games on Twitter at https://twitter.com/FlyingOakGames

Check out all things Flying Oak related at their linktree https://linktr.ee/flyingoak

Check out the Global Game Jam https://globalgamejam.org/

And the BBQ Game Jam https://www.bbq.extra-coin.org/

Episode 40 – Conversation with Stephen Frost, Head of Production at Digital Eclipse

Posted on | by Link S

In this episode, I speak with Stephen Frost, head of production at Digital Eclipse, formerly Senior editor at PSM, and formerly producer at Sega.

Start – 17:00 – Intro and how they got into the industry

17:00 – 25:30 – Stephen shares some advice based on his experiences for those that might be looking to get into the industry

28:30 – 43:00 – We talk about Stephens favorite game(s) from his younger years. Starting with the Sierra games and other point and click/adventure style games, leading to platformers and action adventure platformers from the N64-era in his high-school days. Eventually leading to the fighters of his later high-school and college years.

43:00 – 48:00 – We talk about what it is that Stephen finds enjoyable about games

48:00 – 58:00 – We talk about what kind of things Stephen does and enjoys outside of making and playing games.

58:00 – 1:27:00 – We drift into talking about Digital Eclipse does

1:27:00 – End – Wrap up

Follow Stephen on Twitter at https://twitter.com/frostman007

Check out Digital Eclipse on Twitter at https://twitter.com/digitaleclipse

Check out the Digital Eclipse website at https://www.digitaleclipse.com/

Check out Digital Eclipse on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/DigitalEclipseSoftware

Episode 39 – Conversation with Jason Mojica, part of the Prodeus team

Posted on | by Link S

In this episode I speak with Jason Mojica, part of the two man team working on the upcoming Prodeus game, formerly a level designer at Irrational Games and Raven Soft. Contributor to Black Out Club and Pay Day 2.

Start – 17:30 – Intro and talking about Prodeus

17:30 – 32:30 – Jason talks about how he got into making games, and what advice he might share based on his experiences

32:30 – 45:15 – We talk about what Jason’s favorite game[s] as a child were.

45:15 – 53:00 – We talk about what Jason does outside of gaming and what other kinds of things he enjoys doing.

53:00 – End – Wrap up

Check out Jason on Twitter at https://twitter.com/generalvivi

Check out Prodeus on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ProdeusGame

Check out the Prodeus website at https://www.prodeusgame.com/website/index.php

Grab Prodeus on Steam at https://store.steampowered.com/app/964800/Prodeus/

Episode 38 – Conversation with Rubeki, creator of upcoming Lorn’s Lure

Posted on | by Link S

In this episode I speak with Rubeki, developer of the upcoming Lorn’s Lure, and previously Kill The K.O.T.H, DUE, Hatch, and Hollow Head.

Start – 4:45 – Intro

4:45 – 26:00 – Rubeki talks about how he got into the industry and what advice he might give to those looking to get into making games

26:00 – 39:45 – We talk about why Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time is Rubeki’s favorite childhood game. As well as other games such as Mario 64, Resident Evil 2, and Jet Force Gemini.

39:45 – 45:30 – We talk about what Rubeki enjoys in games, and what makes them enjoyable to him

45:30 – 50:00 – We talk about what Rubeki does outside of making and playing games.

50:00 – 58:30 – We talk a little more about Rubeki’s games

58:30 – End – Wrap Up

Check Rubeki out on Twitter at https://twitter.com/_rubeki

Check out the Lorn’s Lure demo at https://store.steampowered.com/app/1417930/Lorns_Lure/

Want to support Rubeki through his development? Check out his Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/rubeki

You can also join his Discord via https://discord.com/invite/dQj9DUD

You can also check out his website at https://rubeki.com/ and his Itch IO page at https://rubeki.itch.io/

Episode 37 – Conversation with David Bocek, Sr.Game Designer at Gravity Well, prev Apex Legends and Destiny 2

Posted on | by Link S

In this episode I speak with David Bocek, Senior Game Designer at Gravity Well and previously worked on Apex Legends and Destiny 2

Start – 3:00 – Introductions

3:00 – 20:30 – David talks more about what he did as a weapon designer at Respawn while working on Apex Legends

20:30 – 31:00 – We talk about how David got into the industry and any advice he can share based on his experiences so far

31:00 – 37:15 – We talk about why David’s favorite childhood games included Silent Hill 2, the Zelda series, Mario series, as well as horror-genre games. Which eventually lead to online shooters being what set him on the path to wanting to work on shooters.

37:15 – 39:30 – We talk about what it is about gaming that David enjoys

39:30 – 47:00 – We talk about the concept of flow state and what games David can feel that in

47:00 – 59:00 – We talk about what David does outside of gaming… Which often includes more video games. We also discuss what kind of comfort games David enjoys to relax

59:00 – End – Wrap up

Check David out on Twitter https://twitter.com/AmusedApricot

Check out the studio David works at Gravity Well on Twitter https://twitter.com/gravitywell

David occasionally streams on Twitch, check him out there at https://www.twitch.tv/Amused_Apricot

As David suggested, everyone should check out the Moss devs, Polyarc, on Twitter https://twitter.com/polyarcgames

Episode 36 – Aaron Clark, co-founder Glove Box Games, creators of Beard Blade

Posted on | by Link S

In this episode I speak with Aaron Clark, co-founder of Glove Box Games, creators of Beard Blade

Start – 3:45 – Intro

3:45 – 10:30 – Aaron answers how and why they landed on a magical beard wielding protagonist named Branson

10:30 – 18:15 – I ask Aaron about the current climate of educational games

18:15 – 30:25 – We talk about how Aaron got into making games, and what kind of advice he can share based on his experience

30:25 – 51:30 – We talk about Aarons favorite game, Super Mario World, and why. We then float through a bunch of other games that Aaron enjoyed and I ask about whether he ever played any of the SNES Capcom games due to his art reminding me of their fantastic designs

51:30 – 54:30 – We talk about what makes gaming enjoyable to Aaron

54:30 – 1:01:00 – We talk about what Aaron enjoys doing outside of playing and making games

1:01:00 – End – Wrap Up

Check Beard Blade out on their Steam page at https://store.steampowered.com/app/1546940/Beard_Blade/

Check Beard Blade out on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BeardBladeGame or check out Glove Box Games on Twitter at https://twitter.com/gloveboxgames

Check Aaron out on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ac2Dart

For you hold outs, you can also check them out on Tumblr at https://beardbladegame.tumblr.com/

Check out their Instagram at www.instagram.com/beardbladegame/

Episode 35 – Conversation with Bruno Beaudoin, creator of Nightmare Reaper at Blazing Bit Games

Posted on | by Link S

In this episode I speak with Bruno Beaudoin from Blazing Bit Games, creator of Nightmare Reaper

Start – 6:45 – Intro

6:45 – 16:00 – We talk about how Bruno got into the gaming industry

16:00 – 31:00 – We talk about Bruno’s favorite game as a child, Blood. As well as his revisiting of an old favorite Daggerfall.

31:00 – 37:30 – We talk about what it is that make games enjoyable to Bruno

37:30 – 47:30 – Bruno talks about kind of games he enjoys or plays to relax such as Subnautica and Vampire Masquerade

47:30 – 53:00 – We talk about what Bruno likes to do outside of playing and making games

53:00 – End – Wrap Up

Check Nightmare Reaper out on Steam at https://store.steampowered.com/app/1051690/Nightmare_Reaper/

Check out Nightmare Reaper on Twitter at https://twitter.com/NightmareReape4

Check out Nightmare Reaper on the GOG store at https://www.gog.com/en/game/nightmare_reaper

Join the official Discord at https://discord.gg/u2pdcGY