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PODCAST

Building Better Games

Benjamin Carcich

Leadership in game dev is hard. I can"t make it easy, but I can make it a heck of a lot better. My name is Benjamin Carcich, and this podcast helps leaders in game dev who feel stuck, ignored, and out of options find their path to success. I"ve spent the last several decades studying and leading in environments ranging from the U.S. Army through to game development. I want to share what I"ve learned. Better leadership is a huge opportunity in the games industry. Let"s make it better together

leisure video games

All Episodes

42:55

E49 How to Solve Communication Problems at Your Game...

Building Better Games ·

2023/11/07

Communication challenges are a common concern in game development studios, but are they the real root issue? In this episode, Aaron and Ben argue that the crux lies in collaboration and the intended outcomes of communication. It's not just about relaying information; it's about the response and actions it triggers. The hosts caution against an excess of documentation and unproductive meetings and advocate for game development leaders to truly understand their teams' needs to foster effective

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42:12

E48 Why Agility in Game Dev Is Failing Your Team

Building Better Games ·

2023/10/24

In this episode, Aaron and Ben address the prevailing frustration and cynicism within the game development industry concerning Agile methodologies. They stress the importance of acknowledging the evolving landscape, characterized by a shift from defined to empirical work methods. To facilitate this transition, they introduce the concept of the Six Parameters: Innovation Needed, Uncertainty, Rate of Change, Cost of Change, Controllability, and Impact of Failure. These parameters serve as invaluable

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41:49

E47 The 3 Skills You Need to be a World-Class Game...

Building Better Games ·

2023/10/10

In this episode, Aaron and Ben delve into their winning model for exceptional game production, highlighting the skills that define successful production. Their perspective: leadership, influence, and systems building are the pivotal yet often overlooked skills to acquire for the “Game Producer” role. Discover the essence of production, which extends beyond mere planning, focusing on force multiplication, empowering teams to make sound decisions, and crafting, enhancing, and sustaining human

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43:03

E46 The 3 Ways Game Producers Fail and How YOU can...

Building Better Games ·

2023/09/26

In this episode, Ben and Aaron delve into the critical role of game production and shed light on common misconceptions and pitfalls often encountered by producers. The discussion uncovers three distinct categories of production traps: suboptimizers, unskilled supporters, and the actively dangerous. Ben and Aaron underscore the importance of steering clear of these pitfalls and emphasize the significance of effective leadership in driving both team and project success. They explore how leadership in

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45:04

E45 How to Become an S-Tier Manager in Games

Building Better Games ·

2023/09/12

Aaron and Ben discuss the challenges of poor management practices in the gaming industry. They explore the lack of transparency, the flawed promotion system, and the need for managers to prioritize their role as people managers. They introduce four principles of being a good boss: growth, integrity, accountability, and advocacy. They emphasize the importance of investing time and effort into effective management and advocate for creating a system that supports the growth and success of employees.

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40:56

E44 How to Build Your Game Better in a Live Service...

Building Better Games ·

2023/08/29

Ben and Aaron discuss the importance of understanding where your game falls on the live service spectrum and how that impacts your development process. They emphasize the need to build live service stewardship into the culture of your teams and train new employees to think about the live service. They also stress the importance of setting clear expectations with players and communicating openly with them. Overall, they provide valuable insights and advice for running a successful live service game

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43:45

E43 Why You're Struggling with Collaboration with Jim...

Building Better Games ·

2023/08/14

“Most of the failures in any project that I've ever been on have been due to lack of communication, lack of coordination, lack of respect for other people, overemphasis on procedure, as opposed to being able to react elegantly to changes in the situation that you're in.” - Jim Benson This quote is from our guest on today’s episode Jim Benson, who has extensively studied why people struggle to collaborate and is the author of Personal Kanban and The Collaboration Equation. Jim joins our hosts Ben

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41:26

E42 Why You Should (And Shouldn't) Use Unreal, Unity,...

Building Better Games ·

2023/08/01

When it comes to saving money, working efficiently or creating value for players, what should take priority in game dev? No matter what your opinion is, tools are a possible solution to all of these problems. In this episode, we’re joined by Jean-Eric Khalife, product manager at Hypixel Studios, to talk about what happens when tools are overlooked or used poorly, and when they shouldn’t be used. Formerly a tech artist, he’s a pro at solving problems and has plenty of examples to prove his ability

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40:22

E41 How a Toxic Relationship Between Publishing and...

Building Better Games ·

2023/07/17

There was an unusually high number of low-quality games released in 2022, and we think we know why. The disconnect between the money and development sides often lead to rushed deadlines and games that don’t live up to their promises, resulting in an oversaturated market and subpar products in competition with each other. That’s why we have Joel McGinnis on this episode to help us discuss this topic, and why business and creative need to start communicating better. Joel shares his ideal

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38:14

E40 How to Make Tough Decisions Fast in Game Dev with...

Building Better Games ·

2023/07/04

Is your organization struggling with making decisions, from a lack of consensus or clarity on who the key decision makers are, or something else entirely? The RAPID decision-making framework might be your solution. Joining us on this episode to discuss the RAPID Decision-Making Matrix is Linda Fane, a consultant, coach and organizational expert in games. We start by going over the scale of decision making, including the two extremes of the spectrum and which model is the most effective, and the

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40:49

E39 How to Drive Real Change as a Game Producer with...

Building Better Games ·

2023/06/20

Having opposing views from your team or struggling to communicate with senior leaders and stakeholders are just a couple of common issues game producers have when trying to make changes to improve the game dev process. That’s why it’s crucial for leaders to understand what it takes to drive change in a positive direction, and to make sure everyone is on board. First up in this episode, senior game dev leader Leslee Sullivant shares her definition of a producer, and how her ideal role lends itself

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38:56

E38 How AI Can Help You Lead Game Dev with Bill...

Building Better Games ·

2023/06/06

AI is on the tip of everyone’s tongue right now. You’ve probably seen headlines in the news, on social media, maybe even heard conversations in the workplace. So, what’s the big deal with AI, and how does it affect game dev? In this episode of Building Better Games, AI expert Bill Frischling defines AI and what it’s currently capable of doing. He also explains the limitations of artificial intelligence, generative AI’s completion model, and offers a ton of tips to get started using AI in your

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35:42

E37 How to Stop Cheaters in Video Games with Paul...

Building Better Games ·

2023/05/23

What defines cheating in games? Is it exploiting existing bugs, using automation or macro tools? What about installing third-party mods that unlock special features in the game? Building Better Games is joined by game developer and anti-cheat expert, Paul Chamberlain, on this episode to discuss cheating and creating an anti-cheat strategy. Cheating is inevitable, but there ARE ways to mitigate its effects and keep competitive integrity in games. Paul outlines the importance of understanding your

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41:04

E36 Work Systems: How to Build Process that Leads to...

Building Better Games ·

2023/05/09

Things like meetings, reports and team structure are in place to help the game dev process go smoother, and create cohesion among team members. But are these work systems actually having a positive effect? If not, you probably have an alignment issue. In this episode, we dive into this topic and offer tips to build a system that inspires autonomy, creativity, and effective decision making. You’ll hear about the benefits of defining goals and sharing this vision with your team, understanding how

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40:56

E35 How to Create a Reliable Game Roadmap: Managing...

Building Better Games ·

2023/04/25

The truth is, most people underestimate how long a task will take. This is especially true in game dev, where new developments and problems are inevitable even with the guidance of a roadmap. During this episode, the hosts of Building Better Games dive into the misuse of roadmaps and 5 key areas leaders should focus on more. We discuss prioritization, rate of discovery, managing expectations of key stakeholders, blindspots like team readiness and more. Our tips will help producers better

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38:41

E34 Why You Need to Be Aware That Games Are Big...

Building Better Games ·

2023/04/11

“It's cheap to have opinions. It's hard to have informed opinions. It's really, really hard to be an expert who's researched something.” This episode of Building Better Games concludes our two-part series on Web3, wrapping up our conversation with game dev leaders Susan Cummings and Ryan Scott. Along with hosts Ben and Aaron, they highlight the importance of exploring the value of Web3 for games, including how leaders can stay on top of tech trends while not losing focus of player value. We also

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34:40

E33 How to be a Master of Web3 Gaming Debates: Susan...

Building Better Games ·

2023/03/28

Web3 is the next generation of the internet, and it’s already having an effect on the gaming industry. There’s a lot of opinions floating around, but one thing the hosts of Building Better Games and today’s guest can agree on is that player value needs to be leading the conversation. Joining Ben and Aaron on the show today to discuss Web3 is Susan Cummings, CEO of Petaverse, and Ryan Scott, a veteran senior design leader. Susan’s experience working in VR and Web3 gives her firsthand knowledge of

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37:54

E32 How to Convince The Leaders Above You to Support...

Building Better Games ·

2023/03/14

What does it mean to really drive change? How do you effectively bring up problems with leadership? How do you say no when others want too much from you? What do you do when no one cares about the issues you bring up? Get answers to these questions and MORE in today’s episode! In addition, you’ll hear our advice on being an active leader, rather than a passive leader that lets problems go unsolved. Plus, expect to learn how you should handle problems at every level, no matter your title.

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40:30

E31 How to Keep an Open Mind During Difficult Times...

Building Better Games ·

2023/02/28

Choose any issue, and you'll find people with differing perspectives. This is inevitable but yet, in the gaming industry, having an opinion that's not in line with current workplace trends is condemned. But why can there only be one way to do things? Discussing this topic with us today is Joseph Kim, a longtime gamemaker and leader with a resume that includes Sega and Leila Games. He shares his philosophy surrounding the nuances in game development, including modern working methods, work-life

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39:21

E30 How to Estimate Accurately Without Burning Trust...

Building Better Games ·

2023/02/14

Game development is defined by creative work, and for leaders, sometimes that means ditching the old framework and coming up with nuanced approaches to common issues. This is especially true when it comes to estimations. During this episode, we’ll answer these key questions on this topic: How do you explain estimation to your team, and give them confidence that it's actually useful? How do you know which estimation tools to use in different circumstances? What can you do as a leader when someone

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129 results

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