The GameDev.tv Community Podcast was created to get the GameDev.tv Community involved in audio conversations and help give a voice to the community.

Welcome to the GameDev.tv Community Podcast (blog post). I'm your host K-B, and I would like to introduce you to the story of how the podcast got started. I hope you enjoy the podcast article and get useful tips that'll bring you closer to achieving your dreams. 🎙

We started out talking about game dev ideas and now have guests ranging from GameDev.tv students to Raphaël Colantonio, Liz Albl, Tim Ruswick and many many more. I never dreamt the podcast would grow into what it is today, let alone be awarded one of the top 20 game development podcasts in 2021.

Humble Beginnings

I started with GameDev.tv in 2015. I wanted to learn how to code so I could build an app for my food business idea. I started out with the Complete Unity Developer course and the rest, as they say, is history.

I connected with the community daily dropping in on conversations, posting my work and celebrating others for their work. The courses were very hard for me and I struggled with challenges so much that I wanted to just give up.

When I got involved with the Unreal Review group I started to gain wisdom and knowledge from more advanced developers. I got to the point where I thought to myself 'how many other industry professionals are out there with wisdom and tips to help other aspiring developers who are struggling like me?'. Their experiences and advice helped me to stay on track and kept me from getting stuck. Thus, my passion and drive to make the podcast started forming.

I started doing roundtable discussions with the fellow students in the Unreal Review group. We would meet each Tuesday at 12am ET to record the early podcast episodes. We would talk about different game development topics.

Then we started to do the podcast at a reasonable time when we interviewed our first guest Jakub Nieweglowski. This was a huge milestone for me. Ever since I wanted to start a podcast I imagined myself interviewing guests and reaching a larger audience. Since posting the interview with Jakub, we had over 900 listens. It was an amazing feeling.

Then we interviewed Matt Tovar. This was a pivotal moment for our podcast. It was the first Triple-A developer we got on the podcast. He originally worked at Naughty Dog.

Having someone from one of my dream studios was a huge for me. He worked on The Last of Us which is one of my favorite games. I was extremely nervous before the interview. I remember afterwards feeing happy and grateful for the opportunity to talk to an amazing animator who is also part of the UIW faculty directly from Sony Interactive.

Professor Tovar has worked on blockbuster films and games such as: Call of Duty: Ghosts, The Last of Us, The Amazing Spiderman, Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception, Resistance: Burning Skies, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time just to name a few. Matt is known as The Fastest Keyframer in the West!

From then on I started interviewing more developers from big companies and reached where we are today. It’s crazy to think how nervous I was then versus how I am today, when it comes to interviewing guests.

The Team
The podcast has lead to many lessons and ideas I never would have imagined. Friendships and bonds were created that I'm extremely grateful to have. My team is the heart of the podcast. They have been with me every step of the way. Thank you to Bryant Schaper, Ricardo Alvares Pereira Junior, Aaron Stackpole and Zoë Anderson.

Our Amazing Guests

The guests that have come on the show have shared so much that I can’t even describe in words what this podcast has done for me. I would have never believed in a million years what I have been blessed with. I get to wake up and talk to game developers from all over the world.

Here are some amazing quotes from the guests:

“As long as I’m having fun, I’m going to still do it.” - Sabine Rösgren

"To make great games you have to first go out there and experience life.” -Nicholas Sceusa

Q. Do I need to go to college to make games?

“Nope. Download an engine, like Unreal and just start making stuff. Keep doing it over and over and build a portfolio and then start applying to studios when you're ready.” – Tony “Carto” Morton

“It has to be the most important thing of your life.” - Raphaël Colantonio

“You will have a lot of struggles along the path, but being able to overcome is what will give you success at the end. So please, be motivated and reach your goals. ” – Bartlomiej Waszak

On the podcast I have programmers, artists, game designers, composers, writers, testers and CEOs come on the show. Their experiences are all unique and their lessons learned have been a hugely eye opening. The journey is never easy but the each guest has proved through time and time again if you are passionate about game development you will be able to achieve your goals.

One guest in particular stands out. His name is  Josh Loveridge. Here is a quote of his I love: "Remember your roots. Love what you do."

He has been a huge inspiration for me. He sacrificed many years to learn programming, Unity, Blender, drawing and music to be able to create games. He went on to start his own game studio called Stratton Studios. He's Managing Director of Stratton Studios & Loveridge Digital LTD, he's also an International speaker, Serial Entrepreneur and Media creation specialist. He was on episode 111, which has been the most inspirational and powerful episode for me so far.

Now all I need is to get my dream guest Hermen Hulst to come on the show. He is Head of PlayStation Worldwide Studios and doing exactly what I want to do. In time he’ll be on the list of the amazing guests I have had on this podcast. If any of you know him, please let him know I'd love to interview him 😁

Lessons Learned

I've learnt along the way that becoming successful is not about any special talent.

It's about putting in the work, day in and day out.

It's about making sacrifices even if you don’t want to.

It’s about putting in hours and hours to learn how to edit and design the description for the podcast.

It’s about listening to the episode over and over to find the good parts for quotes or time stamps.

It's about spreading the word by social media or word of mouth.

It’s about spending hours posting on different social channels to help the podcast grow.

It’s about reaching out to people you think are impossible to reach and reaching out anyways.

Sometimes it’s hard to get a hold of someone but with persistence you can find a way to reach the person you want. Also extreme patience. Game developers are busy and sometimes they have stuff going on and you just need to be patient. I promise you that as long as you are patient with the whole process, success will slowly grow.

I don’t look at the numbers as a measure of success but as a way to show myself that I’m actually creating something that is reaching out to people. It excites me and allows me to create more. I love the conversations and will continue to create content. In fact we have a surprise sub series come out soon. It’s in the works and I’m exciting to see what comes from that.

For anyone who wants to be successful in podcast, focus on what you are passionate about and share that to the world. You never know whose life you may impact. Even if it's one person, the podcast might mean the whole world to that one person. Do what you are passionate about and share on a consistent basis. People are always excited to come back each week to hear what you have to say and who you brought on the show.

Thank You 🙏

It means everything to me that Welp Magazine choose our podcast for one of the top 20 game development podcasts in 2021.  It really proved to me that hard work and dedication can get you so far.

I couldn’t believe that the podcast I started with nothing and no listeners  is now impacting lives and providing lessons that I use in my daily life. It's been very euphoric to see the podcast grow and also prove to myself that I am capable of making my goals a reality. I'm also now closer than ever before with the game development, and GameDev.tv, community.

Conclusion
The podcast is still growing. I'm constantly on the move so I'm working out how to bring the same amazing audio experience no matter where I go. I'm constantly pushing the boundaries of who I can get on the show and how I can bring the most value from the episodes.

We have a new segment called Game Dev Tea Time coming soon. It’s going to be a whole new experience that I hope the fans with enjoy. It 's focused on the games itself and what about the games we can learn from. I have a new co-host Sabine Rösgren joining me to bring this new amazing audio experience which I'm really excited for.

It's an honor and privilege to host the podcast. I'm extremely grateful. It wouldn’t have been possibly without the support of my co-hosts, the GameDev.tv team, Ben Tristem and Lucy Becker.

Thank you to Welp Magazine, everyone who has supported me in creating the GameDev.tv Community Podcast and all you folks for listening 🙏 You can find us on iTunes, YouTube, Spotify and anywhere else that hosts podcasts🎙