In this episode I speak with Shelby Moledina, co-founder and game director at Double Loop Games. A new mobile studio aiming to release their first game sometime this year.
00:00 – 2:00: Introductions
2:00 – 8:45 : We discuss their studios desire to make a game for people not self-identifying as gamers, and how trying to make a more friendly environment to better include them. We continue this discussion and talk about how you tailor this
8:45 – 24:45 : We discuss how Shelby got into developing video games and her history in the industry, skills, and experiences.
24:45 – 33:55 : Shelby shares her advice based on her experience for getting into the industry. She made a really interesting point about doing what you enjoy doing even if it is not entirely related to the process as you never know what skills will contribute to the process.
33:55 – 44:00 : We discuss Shelby’s favourite game as a child and what it is about that game she enjoyed. We then transition to getting to her current all time favourite game, Stardew Valley, and talking about what it is about that game, and Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons, that she finds enjoyable.
44:00 – 48:00 : Shelby brings up the a good point about how game design decisions, while may appear like they were made quickly or without thought, often have a lot of process behind them and are intentional and that it shouldn’t be attributed to a developer being lazy or incapable.
48:00 – 51:00 : We talk about how Shelby enjoys gaming now and what makes it enjoyable to her while also balancing a busy schedule, and just life in general.
51:00 – 55:00 : I ask Shelby if she’s the mom showing her kids how to install and run games, potentially inappropriate games in the same ways many fathers have in the past. She touches on how she introduces her kids to gaming as well as how to appropriately handle that.
55:00 – : Closing
Learn more about Double Loop Games at their website https://www.doubleloopgames.com/
Check out Shelby on Twitter at https://twitter.com/shelbymoledina