Out of Play Area By cover art

Out of Play Area

By: John R. Diaz
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  • Summary

  • A bi-weekly video game development podcast by John R. Diaz, a veteran game designer who goes 1:1 in candid conversations with the developers behind today‘s hit games where we discuss their journey and learnings in this wild industry with no punches pulled. John is a kid born to emigrants from the Dominican Republic in New York City, raised with lots of love, off of food stamps & welfare, where English was not his native language, who got lucky enough to find his passion in developing video games. It took him years in college before figuring out that video game development was something he could learn and do. It wasn‘t until 2007 when he got his lucky 1 in a million chance to get his foot in the door, which required him to move away from all of his family into a city that he knew no one in, Austin Texas to work on his first game Blacksite Area 51 with Midway Games. Since then he‘s gone on to work on some of the biggest games of our time including Grand Theft Auto V and both Red Dead Redemptions. However that road was long, exhausting, and expensive, and it didn‘t have to be. That‘s why he‘s making this show. The video game industry needs more people from all walks of life, beliefs, countries, cultures, languages, shapes, sizes, and origins to make the next big game the world wants to play. If John could do it so can you. This show is all about sharing the experiences of his network, the developers behind the games you love and play, including Game Designers, Animators, Artists, Producers, Engineers, Testers, Directors, Writers, and everything in between, sharing their stories and advice, to answer all those questions you have about how video games are made, and how do you even become a game developer. If you are making video games or want to make them this show is for you, the current & future video game developers where we discuss our art and motivations out of the lines, out of the play area. This is to help put you on to get the opportunity to make the video games you want to play, by hearing how they are made and how the people got here. http://outofplayarea.com Connect with us on Twitter @OutOfPlayArea & the host John R. Diaz. @ElKingpin
    Copyright 2021 All rights reserved.
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Episodes
  • Jason Knobler | Senior Staff Engineer @ Lightning Games | Ep 39

    Jason Knobler | Senior Staff Engineer @ Lightning Games | Ep 39
    Oct 17 2022

    Episode 39 features Jason Knobler, a Senior Staff Engineer at Lightning Games in Philadelphia. Jay’s a fellow Full Sail University alumni, who has worked as an Engineer on Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption, and is also writing his own Harmony Game Engine.

    Chapters:
    1. (00:00) John’s Life Notes
    2. (4:15) Who is Jason Knobler?
    3. (14:19) Origins
    4. (28:41) First Job Digital Embryo
    5. (40:38) Rockstar San Deigo & Red Dead Redemption
    6. (01:14:03) Going Back to Philly
    7. (01:17:05) Harmony Game Engine part 2
    8. (01:26:24) John’s Outro
    Links:

    Harmoney Game Engine GitHub: https://github.com/GameOverture/HarmonyEngine

    Jay’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Game_Overture

    Jay’s Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/game_overture

    Connect with the host: http://elkingpin.com

    Come On The Show: https://outofplayarea.com

    Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-play-area/id1550421307

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Da0qLAOBi6rV6ccSzx1gX?si=043f4ec5a6034bf0

    Follow @outofplayarea & @elkingpin on Twitter

    Check out Descript using my affiliate url: http://descript.com?lmref=john@outofplayarea.com
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    1 hr and 30 mins
  • Claude Jerome | Lead Gameplay Designer @ Firewalk Studios | Ep 38

    Claude Jerome | Lead Gameplay Designer @ Firewalk Studios | Ep 38
    Aug 16 2022

    Episode 38 features Claude Jerome, a Lead Gameplay Designer for Firewalk Studios part of the Probably Monsters family. Claude’s experience has led him from Vicarious Visions, 1st Playable, to Microsoft on Project Spark, and Bungie on Destiny to where he is today. We talk about how he got where he is, where he’s trying to go, and everything in between.

    Chapters:
    1. (00:00) John’s Life Notes
    2. (2:56) Who is Claude Jerome?
    3. (17:23) Island Mates
    4. (24:26) Firewalk Studios & Probably Monsters
    5. (46:08) Building Culture
    6. (50:18) Bungie
    7. (01:09:32) Project Spark at Microsoft
    8. (01:19:45) East Coast Dev
    9. (01:27:33) Origin
    10. (01:38:07) Final Round
    11. (01:49:19) John’s Outro
    Links:

    Claude’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Claude_Jerome

    Claude’s LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/claudejerome/

    Game Devs of Color Expo 2020: Advanced Game Feel: https://youtu.be/EABa8X3lEPM

    Project Spark E3 Demo: https://youtu.be/m37sVEgJrOA

    Connect with the host: http://elkingpin.com

    Come On The Show: https://outofplayarea.com

    Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-play-area/id1550421307

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Da0qLAOBi6rV6ccSzx1gX?si=043f4ec5a6034bf0

    Follow @outofplayarea & @elkingpin on Twitter

    Check out Descript using my affiliate url: http://descript.com?lmref=john@outofplayarea.com
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    1 hr and 54 mins
  • Chris Cole | Senior Technical Artist @ Amazon Game Studios | Ep 37

    Chris Cole | Senior Technical Artist @ Amazon Game Studios | Ep 37
    Jul 25 2022

    Episode 37 features Chris Cole a Senior Pipeline Technical Artist working at Amazon Game Studios as of the debut of this episode. We discuss his time at Survios working in VR, breaking in on Blacksite Area 51 at Midway Austin, life at Blizzard working on World of Warcraft, and we discuss ways to better manage and retain your talent.

    Chapters:
    1. (00:00) John’s Intro
    2. (2:10) Who is Chris Cole?
    3. (13:15) Amazon Game Studios
    4. (25:39) Breaking in at Midway Austin
    5. (41:03) Leadership Style
    6. (52:47) Neuro-Divergence & Superpowers
    7. (01:15:07) Activision Blizzard
    8. (01:24:05) Pay Transparency
    9. (01:38:47) Final Round
    10. (01:44:09) John’s Outro
    Links:

    Chris’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/overlorddagon/

    Electric Nodes UE Plugin: https://unrealengine.com/marketplace/en-US/product/electronic-nodes

    Connect with the host: http://elkingpin.com

    Come On The Show: https://outofplayarea.com

    Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-play-area/id1550421307

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Da0qLAOBi6rV6ccSzx1gX?si=043f4ec5a6034bf0

    Follow @outofplayarea & @elkingpin on Twitter

    Check out Descript using my affiliate url: http://descript.com?lmref=john@outofplayarea.com
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    1 hr and 50 mins
Science Fiction
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