The AIAS Game Maker's Notebook

Ted Price chats with Blizzard's President, J. Allen Brack, about his start in gaming and game development; Blizzard's diversity and inclusion initiatives and how it affects the company culture and its games; lessons for live ops and player feedback experiences; and best approaches to building effective leaders. J. Allen Brack is the President of Blizzard Entertainment. J. joined Blizzard in January 2006 and held multiple leadership roles prior to being named president in October 2018. Before joining Blizzard, he also held multiple roles at Origin Systems, Inc., working on the Wing Commander franchise, and at Sony Online Entertainment LLC, working on Star Wars Galaxies.

Ted Price chats with his long-time colleague at Insomniac Games, Marcus Smith. Together they discuss their history at Insomniac Games; his experiences on the Resistance series and Sunset Overdrive; his thoughts on being a creative director; how to build consensus and foster collaboration on big projects; and the challenges the team faced on the newest entry in the Ratchet & Clank series. Marcus Smith is a Creative Director at Insomniac Games, with his most recent title being this year's PlayStation 5 hit, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Previously he worked on several of Insomniac's best known titles including Marvel's Spider-Man, the Resistance series, and Sunset Overdrive. 

Ted Price interviews Harry Kruger, Game Director at Housemarque, about their recently released game Returnal. They discuss Housemarque's organic creative process, gameplay design decisions, procedural construction, combat, and the challenge of randomness in a roguelike. They also explore the nostalgic and magical experiences of arcade games, the evolution of roguelikes, changes for Housemarque post-pandemic, the concept of difficulty and the satisfaction of overcoming obstacles, designing off-screen enemy attack behavior, and the decision-making process behind allowing players to keep items after death in Returnal. They also touch on the marriage of design and narrative in the game.

Austin Wintory chats with Composer Brian D'Oliveira about his music "laboratory" and using its space as a tool for music creation, how he began his career as a composer and learned to have zero limitations, his unique improvisational approach to composing, creating the soundtrack of his childhood in Papo & YO, and about his most recent work on the Resident Evil franchise.  Brian is an award winning composer best known for his work on several best-selling titles including Papo & YO, Shadow of the Tomb Raider; Tearaway, Resident Evil 7, and the recently released Resident Evil Village. 

Ted Price chats with Josef Fares, founder of Hazelight Studios, about their focus on gameplay variety and two-player co-op experiences. They discuss the challenges of working from home and the importance of physical interaction in game development. The chapter explores creating moments in gaming, challenges faced by a small team, the importance of pacing in game design, and the success of Hazelight Studios in inspiring innovation in co-op games. They also discuss the significance of relatability and accessibility in game design, the value of taking risks, and the challenges and passion in the gaming industry.

Robin Hunicke chats with Arshea Bimal about her first big break into games; the journey of a producer in the industry; working on systems that help increase diversity and inclusion in design; making sure everyone on the team has a voice; and what she hopes to accomplish in the future.  Arshea is a producer at Funomena and was previously a software engineer trainee at Zynga. Arshea was also selected as an WomenIn Scholar by the AIAS Foundation. Follow us on Twitter @Official_AIAS, Facebook or visit us at interactive.org.

Austin Wintory chats with composer Lena Raine about starting her games career as a designer and not in music, the distinct lessons she learned from game design that helped her begin composing for games, stepping outside of games to release a personal solo album, how Celeste changed her career trajectory, and being yourself on social media while using it as a productive communication tool. Lena Raine is an award-winning & BAFTA-nominated composer most well-known for her work on Celeste, Minecraft, and Guild Wars 2. She also releases electronic music under the name Kuraine, as well as her own solo music such as her debut album Oneknowing.

Ted Price chats with Thomas Mahler and Gennadiy Korol from Moon Studios about the Ori series, remote development, workplace culture, and flat hierarchy. They discuss the impact of platformers, outsourcing in the industry, work-life balance, and gratitude in game development.

Chelsea Blasko, Co-CEO of Iron Galaxy Studios, chats about her journey into the gaming industry, organic growth and diversity in projects, the importance of feedback and support, and culture and values in a studio. They also discuss spreading joy with balloons during the pandemic, fashion and reflection, and the power of inspiration and supporting others.

Ted Price chats with David Cage about maintaining balance at an independent studio while juggling multiple responsibilities, his philosophy on writing and directing video games, Quantic Dream's new publishing arm, and what they look for when evaluating pitches from independent developers. David Cage founded Quantic Dream in 1997, with the ambition of using interactivity as a new means of expression. Quantic Dream has released several award winning titles including Detroit: Become Human, Beyond: Two Souls, and Heavy Rain. Recently, Quantic Dream began to publish titles such as Jo-Mei's Sea of Solitude.  Follow us on Twitter @Official_AIAS, Facebook or visit us at interactive.org.