Trynn Check is an independent game designer from DePaul University. She works at iThrive Games that promote mental health and teen thriving. She also has her studio called Intrynnsic Entertainment. We talk about her journey of going to school, working, and breaking into the game industry. Breaking into the game industry is hard, and entry-level jobs pay low, and she needed to keep her corporate responsibility to pay off school. It did not stop her from investing in skills like in Udemy or implementing game design elements into her job. She also pointed out not to assume your game is not worth it because there might be people who will resonate. So take small steps, be self-motivated, and make your game. Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast for more inspiring content. Share it with your friends.

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Voice actor Ben Britton graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of Arts and has been behind the mic for more than 30 years. You can hear him in a variety of games such as Lamplight City, Spellforce III, The Occupation, and many more. You have to learn how to edit files, work on volume levels, create a functional space for consistent recording, and learn acting because you will be expressing a range of emotions. One important tip is to get the exact criteria for the voice-over recording to ensure it works with the game.

Support my work at patreon.com/gamedevloadout.

Vincent Michael is one of the founding directors of YHWH Games that teach students how to create video games and transform them into self-sustaining artists.

We discuss:

• Exploit your strengths and stop wasting time on your weakness
• Learn the different type of artists and stages of an artist
• There is no work/life balance, only work/life decisions
• Best investments: god, family, self, board, company
• Hammer in your value and do not sell your service for cheap

***

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Award-winning British voice actor, Jay Britton has done 50 titles and over 300 characters ranging from indie studios to AAA developers. Games include Divinity Original Sin 2, FIFA 17, Starcraft 2, and more.

We discuss:

• Voice actors should be experts in creating characters
• Get them involved in a project as soon as possible
• Table reads is a great way to establish characters
• 90% of having a successful voice acting career is what you do outside the booth
• Foster emotional agility because your lines will have an angry element to it, then the next line will be sad, then the next line will be happy.
• On your website, have a video game demo and an email on the front page
• Find people who will give you truthful criticism
• Use a clicker to create spikes during recording so it’s easier to find that particular point when editing

***

If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in ranking higher.

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Mikolai Stroinski is a music composer that has worked on the Witcher 3, Dark Souls 2 trailer, Vanishing of Ethan Carter, and much more.

We discuss:

• Think not just as a composer but as a video game maker as well. You don’t want to get too attached to your music because it might not fit the game.
• Trust your inner voice because it's a sign to either continue or stop composing.
• Study different music vocabularies and play lots of different games. Don't just study video game music.
• Be a good human being because good karma ricochets back to you.
• Don't think about just making money. Think about how you can contribute more and positively affect people's lives.
• The challenges of getting a visa in America.

***

If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in ranking higher.

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Jeremy Liu was the narrative design lead at NetEase Games, an intern at EA, and a technical designer at Rockstar Games. Titles include Red Dead 2, NBA Live Mobile, and Realm of Duels.

We discuss:

• How to get into technical design
• Why you need to study and plan ahead of time before taking action
• His worst moment of working on a game that was destined to not be a commercial hit
• Listening is a great quality of a leader
• Do power naps, 20 minutes
• How he becomes a walking exoticism in China because of his experience in the USA
• The culture shock of working in the USA and China
• Imagine ramming through a brick wall to join the game industry. You have to want it badly enough.
• Market yourself as niche as possible, show how different you are to everyone else
• Network with the people who you want to model

***

If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in ranking higher.

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Gary Kings of National Insecurities is a lead game designer, writer, editor that has worked on games such as Once Upon a Crime in the West and 2000:1 A Space Felony.

We discuss:

• Get a producer to optimize teamwork and productivity.
• Before choosing a university, make sure it has the courses you want and need.
• Get better at game design - play lots of games, have outside people play your games, figure out what’s have been done and what hasn’t been done before.
• How Gary overcome his worst moment of not getting his game funded and his granddad passing away. He still found the motivation to make plans and finish his games.
• Don’t get too excited if a publisher is excited about your game, it’s not a guarantee that they will fund you.
• Take a proportional break based on your project to go on vacations, events and relax.
• Keep making plans even when the last one fails. Keep a lookout for new opportunities.
• Have an editor on board to improve the quality of writing.
• Go to game jams to network and create quick games.
• When you network, focus on making friends instead of just networking.

***

If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in ranking higher.

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Ivy Dupler is a NYC-based voice actress who can be heard in video games, commercials, and cartoons. Her recent work includes voicing protagonist Special Agent Vera Englund in Whispers of a Machine (Clifftop Games/Faravid Interactive), as well as several roles in Unavowed (Wadjet Eye Games) and Lamplight City (Grundislav Games).

We discuss:

• Don’t get distracted by mistakes during voice recording. Take a deep breath and wait a few seconds then just go again. Focusing on the mistake can mess up future takes and use up the studio and the audio engineer time.
• Take Improv and voice acting class.
• BE ALERT. Don’t miss an opportunity or a deadline. Stay on top of your tasks.
• Change your mindset in the audition, the employer is not looking out to get you, they are looking to you as a solution to their problems. They want you to succeed to help them.
• Tips during recording: measure distance by putting your pinky on the mic and extending the thumbs towards your chin. Keep headphone volumes low to around 30 percent to avoid a sound leak.

***

If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in ranking higher.

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