LATEST · EP 153 · No AI Doesn't Mean What You Think It Does
Player Driven
Player Driven Podcast
──LONG-FORM CONVERSATIONS

One hour,
two operators.

153 EPISODES
NEW EVERY TUESDAY
Building Indie Dreams: From Children's Books to Game Design with Michael Csokas
46:28
EP_077· VIDEO MISSING

Building Indie Dreams: From Children's Books to Game Design with Michael Csokas

SummaryThis episode of the Player Driven podcast features Michael Csokas, founder of Iron Octopus Productions, and focuses on his journey from working in the oil field to becoming an indie game developer.

PLAYER DRIVENDEC 31, 2024
ENCORE: From Call of Duty to Marvel Rivals: Balancing Risks and Fun in Game Direction with Thad Sasser
48:24
EP_079· VIDEO MISSING

ENCORE: From Call of Duty to Marvel Rivals: Balancing Risks and Fun in Game Direction with Thad Sasser

Episode Description: In this episode, we dive into the world of game development with Thaddeus Sasser, Game Director of Marvel Rivals at NetEase.

PLAYER DRIVENDEC 24, 2024
Revolutionizing Gaming with UGC: How Mod.io Leads the Way with Scott Reismanis
54:20
EP_078· VIDEO MISSING

Revolutionizing Gaming with UGC: How Mod.io Leads the Way with Scott Reismanis

User-Generated Content (UGC) has become a transformative force in the gaming industry, revolutionizing how players interact with games and how developers approach content creation. In this exploration, we'll dive deep into the world of UGC, uncovering its remarkable potential to reshape gaming experiences, drive community engagement, and create new opportunities for developers and players alike. The journey of UGC is a testament to the incredible creativity and passion of gaming communities. From humble beginnings in early modding scenes to today's sophisticated content creation platforms, UGC has evolved from a niche hobby to a critical component of modern game development and player experience.

PLAYER DRIVENDEC 17, 2024
Taking the Leap: From Chemistry to Indie Game Development with Mondae Atughonu
41:11
EP_075· VIDEO MISSING

Taking the Leap: From Chemistry to Indie Game Development with Mondae Atughonu

Summary: Mondae Atughonu, co-founder of Leap of Faith Studios, shares his journey from being a chemist and hospital manager to leading an indie game studio.

PLAYER DRIVENDEC 10, 2024
ENCORE Christine Dart on Navigating Marketing in Gaming and Beyond
48:27
EP_074· VIDEO MISSING

ENCORE Christine Dart on Navigating Marketing in Gaming and Beyond

Episode SummaryOn this episode of the Player Driven, Greg sits down with Christine Dart, the global head of marketing at Helpshift and a driving force behind the podcast itself.

PLAYER DRIVENDEC 3, 2024
Reviving Game Masters: How Pearl Abyss Brings Player Engagement Back to Life
44:26
EP_073· VIDEO MISSING

Reviving Game Masters: How Pearl Abyss Brings Player Engagement Back to Life

Episode Overview: In this episode of Player Driven, Greg talks with Gareth Weatherley, the Senior Customer Relations Manager at Pearl Abyss.

PLAYER DRIVENNOV 26, 2024
Blending Community and Social Media: Insights with Fiene Ziegler of InnoGames
44:46
EP_071· VIDEO MISSING

Blending Community and Social Media: Insights with Fiene Ziegler of InnoGames

Episode Overview: In this episode, Greg Posner interviews Fiene Ziegler, Senior Community Management Specialist at InnoGames.

PLAYER DRIVENNOV 19, 2024
Leading with Vision: The Challenges of Balancing Creativity and Strategy with Mark Sample
47:46
EP_070· VIDEO MISSING

Leading with Vision: The Challenges of Balancing Creativity and Strategy with Mark Sample

Introduction: In this episode of Player Engage, Greg Posner sits down with Mark Sample, the Studio Creative Director at Sumo Digital, who brings an extensive background in game development, having worked with studios like King, 2K, IOI, Ubi…

PLAYER DRIVENNOV 12, 2024
Midwest Rise Up and Prep for MDEV with Ben Kvalo
16:53
EP_071· VIDEO MISSING

Midwest Rise Up and Prep for MDEV with Ben Kvalo

MDEV is a fast-growing gaming conference taking place on November 7-8 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Now in its sixth year, MDEV has doubled its audience year after year under the leadership of Ben Kvalo, founder of Mid…

PLAYER DRIVENNOV 5, 2024
Scaling for Success: Ryan Burnett on Building and Leading Respawn Madison
43:50
EP_069

Scaling for Success: Ryan Burnett on Building and Leading Respawn Madison

In this episode, Greg sits down with Ryan Burnett, the Studio Director at Respawn Madison, to talk about his journey in building a new studio from scratch, his leadership philosophy, and the growing game development hub in the Midwest.

PLAYER DRIVENOCT 29, 2024
Game Development, Midwest Values: A Chat with Pyramid Lake's Josh Garity
41:27
EP_068· VIDEO MISSING

Game Development, Midwest Values: A Chat with Pyramid Lake's Josh Garity

Summary: Greg interviews Josh Garity, the founder and CEO of Pyramid Lake Games, to discuss the ins and outs of indie game development.

PLAYER DRIVENOCT 22, 2024
Exploring the Power of Educational Games and the Growing Midwest Game Development Scene with Jennifer Javornik
45:00
EP_067· VIDEO MISSING

Exploring the Power of Educational Games and the Growing Midwest Game Development Scene with Jennifer Javornik

Introduction: In this episode, Greg Posner welcomes Jennifer Javornik, the Chief Partnerships Officer at Filament Games, to discuss the impact of educational gaming and the thriving Midwest game development community.

PLAYER DRIVENOCT 15, 2024
Combating Toxicity and Cheats in Gaming with Intorqa's Andrew Hogan
43:04
EP_066· VIDEO MISSING

Combating Toxicity and Cheats in Gaming with Intorqa's Andrew Hogan

Summary: In this episode, we sit down with Andrew Hogan to explore the growing problem of cheating in online gaming. Andrew shares his journey from brand strategy at Barclays to co-founding Intorqa, a company dedicated to combating cheating…

PLAYER DRIVENOCT 8, 2024
From Call of Duty to Marvel Rivals: Balancing Risks and Fun in Game Direction with Thad Sasser
48:32
EP_065· VIDEO MISSING

From Call of Duty to Marvel Rivals: Balancing Risks and Fun in Game Direction with Thad Sasser

Episode Description: In this episode, we dive into the world of game development with Thaddeus Sasser, Game Director of Marvel Rivals at NetEase.

PLAYER DRIVENOCT 1, 2024
Boosting Your App's Success with ASO and Feedback Management with Yaroslav Rudnitskiy
43:22
EP_064· VIDEO MISSING

Boosting Your App's Success with ASO and Feedback Management with Yaroslav Rudnitskiy

Episode Description:In this episode, we sit down with Yaroslav Rudnitskiy, ASO expert and Head of ASO at AppFollow, to explore the power of App Store Optimization (ASO) and the importance of feedback management in app development.

PLAYER DRIVENSEP 24, 2024
Player-Owned Servers and the Future of Multiplayer Gaming with James Zinn
43:16
EP_063· VIDEO MISSING

Player-Owned Servers and the Future of Multiplayer Gaming with James Zinn

Episode Summary: In this episode, we’re joined by James Zinn, Partnership Manager at Shockbyte, to dive deep into the world of server hosting, multiplayer game experiences, and player-owned game servers.

PLAYER DRIVENSEP 17, 2024
Encore - Inside the World of Game Development with Snowed In Studios
1:11:18
EP_062· VIDEO MISSING

Encore - Inside the World of Game Development with Snowed In Studios

In this episode, we are joined by Nigel Franks and Kristie Dale from Snowed In Studios, a distinguished studio within the Keywords family.

PLAYER DRIVENSEP 10, 2024
Flow, Feedback, and Fun: The Pillars of Great Level Design with Jack Burrows
47:57
EP_061· VIDEO MISSING

Flow, Feedback, and Fun: The Pillars of Great Level Design with Jack Burrows

Episode Description: In this episode, we sit down with Jack Burrows, a talented level designer at NetEase Games, who has worked on some of the most iconic titles in the gaming industry, including Call of Duty and Marvel Rivals.

PLAYER DRIVENSEP 3, 2024
CityVerse Tycoon: How Tomer Pascal is Bringing Real-World Assets into the Gaming World
45:04
EP_060· VIDEO MISSING

CityVerse Tycoon: How Tomer Pascal is Bringing Real-World Assets into the Gaming World

Greg chats with Tomer Pascal, the co-founder and CEO of Own Play, about their innovative project, CityVerse Tycoon. This episode dives into the integration of Web3 technology in gaming, the challenges of using blockchain and NFTs, and how C…

PLAYER DRIVENAUG 27, 2024
From Neopets to Now: Catherine Litvaitis on Community Management
48:43
EP_059· VIDEO MISSING

From Neopets to Now: Catherine Litvaitis on Community Management

Greg sits down with Catherine Litvaitis, a seasoned community manager with experience at Mouldbreaker Interactive, Armor Games Studios, and Paradox Interactive.

PLAYER DRIVENAUG 20, 2024
Transforming Player Support: A Deep Dive with Dang and Conor
48:08
EP_058· VIDEO MISSING

Transforming Player Support: A Deep Dive with Dang and Conor

Episode Description: In this episode of Player: Engage, Greg chats with Dang-Stefan La Hong from Playa Games and Conor McGinley from Bytro.

PLAYER DRIVENAUG 13, 2024
Innovative Gaming with Mike O'Connor: Building a Social Sandbox with AI and Web3
49:03
EP_057· VIDEO MISSING

Innovative Gaming with Mike O'Connor: Building a Social Sandbox with AI and Web3

Description: In this exciting episode of the Player: Engage, Greg is joined by Mike O'Connor, CEO of Mr. Kite and the visionary behind Today The Game.

PLAYER DRIVENAUG 6, 2024
Beyond the Code of Conduct: Trust and Privacy in Gaming
1:07:47
EP_056· VIDEO MISSING

Beyond the Code of Conduct: Trust and Privacy in Gaming

Episode Description: In this episode of Player: Engage, Greg hosts a panel with three distinguished guests from GDC's Community Clubhouse: Mike Pappas, CEO of Modulate; Kieran Donovan, CEO of KID; and Tess Lynch, a privacy and IP attorney a…

PLAYER DRIVENJUL 30, 2024
Strategies for Safer Gaming Environments with Sharon Fisher
42:56
EP_055· VIDEO MISSING

Strategies for Safer Gaming Environments with Sharon Fisher

Episode Description: In this episode of Player: Engage, Greg interviews Sharon Fisher, the Head of Trust and Safety at Keywords Studios.

PLAYER DRIVENJUL 23, 2024