096 - Producing Video Games with Trent Kusters

This week, it’s all about Producing Video Games, and we're jazzed to say that we’re joined by the masterful Trent Kusters.

Trent is the co-founder and production director of Melbourne-based game developers League of Geeks, responsible for digital role-playing strategy board game and international success story, Armello. He is also on the board of Freeplay (Australia's largest and longest running independent games festival), the chair of RMIT's Program Advisory Committee, a former lecturer at the Victorian College of the Arts, and an industry advisor to DiGRA Australia. A frequent name on the numerous 30 Under 30 lists — by the likes of MCV, Develop, Triple J, the Melbourne Writers Festival, and (the big one) Forbes — Trent is heavily invested in the future of video games as a medium; fostering and mentoring young and under-represented developers, and contributing to the community wherever possible. To cap things off, he’s also currently gamerunner on the studio’s ambitious next game, which is set to be one of Australia's largest game productions ever.

Remember! We are now an ENHANCED podcast. That's right - If you listen to our podcast in Overcast or Pocket Casts, or Castro, you can get super special images, links, and chapter breaks in your player while you listen.

Featured links from our discussion - Want to get these in your inbox every Friday? Sign up for our text-only tinyletter at tinyletter.com/jackywinter

Intro

League of Geeks

https://leagueofgeeks.com/

Armello

https://armello.com/

Melbourne International Games Week 

http://gamesweek.melbourne/

Interview with Trent Kusters

Taurus Games studio 

http://www.torus.com.au/

Unity 

https://unity.com/

Unreal 

https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/

Trello

https://trello.com/en-AU

MDA framework

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MDA_framework

No Man’s Sky 

https://www.nomanssky.com/

Creativity Inc. 

http://www.creativityincbook.com/about/

Criterion studios

http://criteriongames.com/

Autonomy, mastery, purpose. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvEbDzg6EhQ

Jira

https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira

Confluence 

https://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence

Slack

https://slack.com/intl/en-au/

Untitled Goose Game

https://goose.game/

The AIAS Game Maker’s Notebook podcast

https://www.interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.asp

Tone Control podcast 

https://www.idlethumbs.net/tonecontrol

Open Tabs

Youtube book reveals – Jeremy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXqOrBHZrNI

Popsockets – Lara

https://popsockets.com.au/

How To Build A Healthy, Happy Video Game –