Building games is a challenge, but Pocket Worlds is taking a unique approach with their social platform Highrise. As CEO Anton Bernstein explains, the goal is to connect users through shared experiences. Rather than traditional models, Highrise focuses on rapidly iterating based on frequent and direct user feedback.

Anton conducts weekly interviews to gain a deep understanding of how players engage which informs Pocket World’s priorities. The team also empowers creators within the community to design their own games and worlds. Through tools like Highrise Studio, creators can build experiences that keep users engaged. By allowing community members to shape the platform, Pocket Worlds is building a truly social and collaborative gaming world. Their fast-paced culture of autonomy and experimentation has led to ongoing evolution of Highrise to best serve users and creators.

0:00 The route to Pocket Worlds

7:57 Founding and running a gaming-focused social platform

18:19 Iterating, learning, and building for users and creators

23:01 Company culture, speed, and gaming development

To learn more about Pocket Worlds and Highrise, head to https://www.pocketworlds.com/

To discover the next step in your gaming career, head to https://www.gamelogicrecruitment.com/

Welcome to Game Logic where gaming industry expert Myke Parrott interviews top-class Gaming professionals from some of the world’s most respected Games Studios. These conversations unveil the business side of the gaming industry and reveal insights from some of the people who make the world’s best video games possible.

This show discusses everything from launching new titles, game development, streaming, UX and UI through to eSports, Free To Play Mobile Gaming and even Web3 Crypto innovations. Each episode pulls back the curtain on the creative processes, challenges, and triumphs from CTOs, engineers, developers, art directors, designers, animators and producers offering an immersive journey into the heart of the gaming universe.

What games sparked a lifelong passion for development? For Zach Hooper, director of production at ProbablyMonsters, it was early PC titles like Morrowind and Wolfenstein that first drew him into gaming. As a kid modding those classic games, he discovered a knack for tinkering under the hood and learning development tools. That hands-on experience eventually led Zach to pursue a career in the industry. He tells his story from those early modding days up through roles at studios like Monolith Productions and Microsoft. Zach also discussed his current work producing games at ProbablyMonsters and why the studio's culture of work-life balance is such a good fit. Even with many responsibilities now, Zach still makes time to play the latest roguelikes. His passion for gaming continues to drive his work helping others pursue their own careers in development.

0:00 Intro 2:20 Career progression in the gaming industry, from QA to production roles. 11:35 The differences between working at a large company and a startup. 17:03 Work-life balance and culture at Microsoft and ProbablyMonsters. 20:51 Production roles, culture, and teamwork in game development. 24:41 Mentorship and career growth in the gaming industry. 28:38 Job search strategies and gaming recommendations.

To discover the next step in your gaming career, head to https://www.gamelogicrecruitment.com/

Welcome to Game Logic where gaming industry expert Myke Parrott interviews top-class Gaming professionals from some of the world’s most respected Games Studios. These conversations unveil the business side of the gaming industry and reveal insights from some of the people who make the world’s best video games possible.

This show discusses everything from launching new titles, game development, streaming, UX and UI through to eSports, Free To Play Mobile Gaming and even Web3 Crypto innovations. Each episode pulls back the curtain on the creative processes, challenges, and triumphs from CTOs, engineers, developers, art directors, designers, animators and producers offering an immersive journey into the heart of the gaming universe.

Why has voice direction become more important in the games industry in recent years? There are many ways to get into voice direction, as the skills needed have only recently been recognized as a special job. Kirsty Gilmore's journey began with experience in theatre and sound engineering, leading to work at the BBC before realising voice direction in games was an option.

There is a growing appreciation for voice acting as her job requires her to translate between developers and actors to help bring characters to life. Kirsty works with many game studios, from small indie teams to big publishers and on games like Baldur's Gate 3. If you have a passion for both performance and games, pursuing voice directing can provide an engaging career guiding stories.

To discover the next step in your gaming career, head to https://www.gamelogicrecruitment.com/

Welcome to Game Logic where gaming industry expert Myke Parrott interviews top-class Gaming professionals from some of the world’s most respected Games Studios. These conversations unveil the business side of the gaming industry and reveal insights from some of the people who make the world’s best video games possible.

This show discusses everything from launching new titles, game development, streaming, UX and UI through to eSports, Free To Play Mobile Gaming and even Web3 Crypto innovations. Each episode pulls back the curtain on the creative processes, challenges, and triumphs from CTOs, engineers, developers, art directors, designers, animators and producers offering an immersive journey into the heart of the gaming universe.

0:00 Intro 0:47 Voice acting and performance direction in the gaming industry. 6:35 Career path in game audio direction and casting. 11:50 Voiceover professionals in the gaming industry, and the growing importance of acting and performance in games. 15:25 Voice directing for video games, including awards and responsibilities. 19:17 What does a Voice Director do? 24:20 Directing games with sensitive content, including mental health and trauma. 28:21 Upcoming indie games and the challenges of game development.