Best John R Diaz Podcasts (2025)

1
Jason Knobler | Senior Staff Engineer @ Lightning Games | Ep 39 1:29:33

2+ y ago1:29:33

1:29:33

Episode 39 features Jason Knobler, a Senior Staff Engineer at Lightning Games in Philadelphia. Jay’s a fellow Full Sail University alumni, who has worked as an Engineer on Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption, and is also writing his own Harmony Game Engine. Chapters: (00:00) John’s Life Notes (4:15) Who is Jason Knobler? (14:19) Origins (28:41) Fir…

1
Claude Jerome | Lead Gameplay Designer @ Firewalk Studios | Ep 38 1:54:24

3y ago1:54:24

1:54:24

Episode 38 features Claude Jerome, a Lead Gameplay Designer for Firewalk Studios part of the Probably Monsters family. Claude’s experience has led him from Vicarious Visions, 1st Playable, to Microsoft on Project Spark, and Bungie on Destiny to where he is today. We talk about how he got where he is, where he’s trying to go, and everything in betwe…

1
Chris Cole | Senior Technical Artist @ Amazon Game Studios | Ep 37 1:50:09

3y ago1:50:09

1:50:09

Episode 37 features Chris Cole a Senior Pipeline Technical Artist working at Amazon Game Studios as of the debut of this episode. We discuss his time at Survios working in VR, breaking in on Blacksite Area 51 at Midway Austin, life at Blizzard working on World of Warcraft, and we discuss ways to better manage and retain your talent. Chapters: (00:0…

1
Leon Kuperman | CTO @ Cast.AI | Ep 36 1:28:36

3y ago1:28:36

1:28:36

Episode 36 features Leon Kuperman, who gets his gamedev cred from text based Zork style adventures, and is a Co-founder and CTO at CAST AI. Formerly Vice President of Security Products OCI at Oracle, Leon’s professional experience spans across tech companies such as IBM, Truition, and HostedPCI. He founded and served as the CTO of Zenedge, an enter…

1
Shawn Alexander Allen | Founder @ NuChallenger | Ep 35 2:04:50

3y ago2:04:50

2:04:50

Episode 35 of Out of Play Area the game developer's podcast, we sit down with the creator of Treachery in Beatdown City and discuss founding his company NuChallenger, alongside his time working in the Game Devs of Color Expo, as well as his journey from NYC and the games industry. Chapters: (00:00) Who is Shawn Alexander Allen? (11:14) Sneakerhead …

1
Henry Golding | Principal Software Engineering Lead @ Xbox Game Studios | Ep 34 1:42:35

3y ago1:42:35

1:42:35

Henry Golding is a Principal Software Engineering Lead at Xbox Game Studios currently spreading the significance of Test Driven Development and Automated Testing in Game Development. He's a native of the UK who has programmed for Sea of Thieves, Minecraft, Disney Universe, and Dead Space: Extraction for the Wii. We talk about his latest endeavors a…

1
Kent Hudson | Designer Director @ Brass Lion Entertainment | Ep 33 2:28:19

3y ago2:28:19

2:28:19

Kent Hudson is a fellow Midway Austin colleague who now serves as a Design Director for Brass Lion Entertainment. We talk about his start at Ion Storm on Deus Ex in Austin TX, then his jump to 2K Marin on Bioshock 2, and end with his indie hit The Novelist and everything in between. Chapters: (00:00) Who is Kent Hudson (15:38) Ion Storm (24:12) Shi…

1
Zach Mumbach | Producer & Designer @ The Wandering Band | Ep 32 1:58:51

3y ago1:58:51

1:58:51

Zach Mumbach is a designer & producer at the Wandering Band who spent 17+ years at EA as a producer on Dante's Inferno, Dead Space, Battlefield: Hardline, Godfather 2, Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel, the Simpsons and more. We talk about his journey in and out of games and more. Chapters: (00:00) Who is Zach Mumbach (07:21) Visceral Games & Ragtag …

1
Ben Retan | Lead AI & Encounter Designer @ Hangar 13 | Ep 31 1:34:43

3y ago1:34:43

1:34:43

Episode 31 features Ben Retan, a Lead AI & Encounter Designer at 2K’s Hangar 13 Studio out of Novato California. Ben is an old Midway Austin homie as well as a fellow Full Sail University alumni whose credits include Star Wars the Force Unleashed 1 & 2 for his days at LucasArts. We talk about Quantum Computing, Game Design, Dream Week, and more. Ch…

1
Chris Bourassa | Design Director @ Polyarc | Ep 30 1:44:25

3y ago1:44:25

1:44:25

Episode 30 features Chris Bourassa, a Design Director at Polyarc working out of Seattle. Chris is a fellow Full Sail University of Alumni with over 15 years of game design and engineering experience having worked on Midnight Club LA & Red Dead Redemption at Rockstar San Diego and Carnage Racing at Tiny Giant on Mobile, to his last game Moss 1 & 2. …

1
Jason Jurecka | Lead Software Engineer @ Visual Concepts | Ep 29 1:50:48

3+ y ago1:50:48

1:50:48

On episode 29 we sit down with Jason Jurecka, a Lead Software Engineer at Visual Concepts, who just released WWE 2k22 laying the smack down on the competition. He’s a fellow Full Sail Alumni who I had the pleasure to work with at R* San Diego on Red Dead Redemption 1 and GTA V, and who has worked with damn near all the heavy hitters in the game fro…

1
Alan Blaine | Principal Tech Designer @ Bungie | Ep 28 1:53:07

3+ y ago1:53:07

1:53:07

Episode 28 is dedicated to the people of Ukraine. We sit down with Alan Blaine, a Principal Technical Designer for Bungie on Destiny, and a former Rockstar Designer for Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto V. We talk about the latest release of the Witch Queen, his upcoming GDC 2022 talk, and the craft of being a Technical Designer and a good m…

1
James Kane | QA Manager & Designer @ Raccoon Logic | Ep 27 1:18:17

3+ y ago1:18:17

1:18:17

Episode 27 of Out of Play Area the game developer's podcast features James Kane, a Game Designer & QA Manager at Raccoon Studios in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He's an old WB Games Montreal buddy in arms during our time on Metallica & Gotham Knights, who has gone on to do major things in the industry coming up through QA and studying Game Design at D…

1
Marie Mejerwall | Consultant Game Director | Ep 26 1:43:45

3+ y ago1:43:45

1:43:45

Marie has a long career in game development, where she has worked on several AAA titles such as Batman Arkham Origins, Dead Rising, RollerCoaster Tycoon and Deus Ex. She worked for a number of well-renowned studios such as Ubisoft, Capcom, Warner Bros and Eidos, eventually making her way up to Game Director. Nowadays, she is a consultant who offers…

1
Mauro Fiore | Studio Design Director @ EA Firemonkeys | Ep 25 2:59:45

3+ y ago2:59:45

2:59:45

On Season 2’s premiere episode we surf the waves of change with Mauro Fiore, Studio Design Director at EA Firemonkeys in Melbourne, Australia. Mauro has spent 20+ years navigating the ever evolving gaming landscape - from console to casual to mobile and beyond. Join us as we discuss his journey from Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Techno…

1
2021 Retrospective | John R. Diaz | Tech Designer @ Electronic Arts | Ep 24 35:57

3+ y ago35:57

35:57

This bonus episode features your host John R. Diaz, a Senior Technical Designer for Electronic Arts Frostbite Engine. In this 1:1 we look back on the podcast and the inaugural year, where we've been, and where we hope to go in 2022. Season 202(2) will kick off at the end of January / early February. See you all then! Feel free to connect with John …

1
Johnny Wu | QA Director @ Riot Games | Ep 23 1:41:27

3+ y ago1:41:27

1:41:27

Johnny Wu is a QA Director at Riot Games in Santa Monica who has worked for Respawn on Apex Legends, King, Zynga, and King. Chapters: (00:00) Who is Johnny Wu? (07:34) A Toast with Johnny (15:43) What is a QA Director? (25:20) Getting into Games (32:37) Learning the QA Craft (39:52) Working at King (51:10) Canada to London (59:13) L.A. L.A. Land (0…

1
Elaine Gomez | Game Designer @ Brass Lion Entertainment | Ep 22 2:01:30

3+ y ago2:01:30

2:01:30

Episode 22 of the game dev's podcast features Elaine Gomez a Game Designer at Brass Lion Entertainment based out of New York City. Elaine Gómez is an award-winning game designer currently working at Brass Lion Entertainment with 5 years of experience in gameplay and systems design. She is one of the six co-founders of Latinx in Gaming and supports …

1
Angelica Baca | UX Designer @ Intercept Games | Ep 21 1:30:20

3+ y ago1:30:20

1:30:20

Angelica "Jel" Baca is a UX Designer at Intercept Games who found her way through QA for Glu Mobile, Bungie, PopCap, Card Kingdom, and King. Listen to her journey through this industry and how she thrives today. Chapters: (00:00) Who is Angelica Baca? (07:23) Customer Support @ Big Fish Games (14:55) First Game (22:28) QA Ground Floor (30:45) Netwo…

1
Ryan Paradis | Game Design Director @ Bungie | Ep 20 1:45:23

3+ y ago1:45:23

1:45:23

Ryan Paradis, Design Director at Bungie working on Destiny talks about his journey through Full Sail University, working at Rockstar Games in San Diego, to Bungie on Destiny, to 343 on Halo Infinite and more. Chapters: (00:00) Who is Ryan Paradis? (10:39) Full Sail University Alliances (16:49) Live Design Director Life (26:30) Personal Sustainabili…

1
Testing Games Is Awesome with Brian Dumlao QA Analyst @ Jam City | Ep 19 1:36:33

3+ y ago1:36:33

1:36:33

Episode 19 of the game dev podcast Out of Play Area features Brian Dumlao a QA Analyst at Jam City in Carlsbad, CA with Philipinne roots hailing from Los Angeles, California. We talk about how he used his sociology degree and experience at EB Games, to break in at Midway Games in San Diego and work on Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance, his journey thro…

1
Entrepreneur, Technologist, & Storyteller Matt Udvari | Co-Founder & CTO @ Aquifer Motion | Ep 18 1:39:02

4y ago1:39:02

1:39:02

Episode 18 features storyteller/technologist Matt Udvari the CTO and Co-Founder of Aquifer Motion in Austin, TX. We talk about his journey through game development onto his path to build new technology to make it easier for content creators, media businesses, and brands to build interactive stories. Chapters: (00:00) Who is Matt Udvari (13:23) Aust…

1
Being Authentic with Yesenia Cisneros | Lead Producer @ Brass Lion Entertainment | Ep 17 1:23:50

4y ago1:23:50

1:23:50

On Episode 17 of the Game Developer's Podcast Out of Play Area hosted by John R. Diaz we sit down with Lead Producer at Brass Lion Entertainment Yesenia Cisneros a Queens New York City Native with Chinese - Ecuadorian roots and we talk about what's it like breaking into games, working in eSports, transitioning into QA, and finally as a Producer at …

1
Creative Director @ Rovio Montréal Stephan Carmignani | Ep 16 1:19:49

4y ago1:19:49

1:19:49

Episode 16 features Stephan Carmignani Creative Director at Rovio in Montreal. We discuss diversity, hiring in the pandemic, VR arcade design at Minority Media, UGC in the metaverse, and more. Chapters: (00:00) Who is Stephan Carmignani (01:47) A Toast (15:03) Hiring Practices in the Pandemic (26:02) VR Arcade Design (38:29) Level Design Roots (43:…

1
Solve Cutting Edge Game Design Problems with Sylvain Dubrofsky - Product Designer @ Oculus | Ep 15 1:38:02

4y ago1:38:02

1:38:02

In episode 15 of the game dev's podcast Out of Play Area we sit with Sylvain Dubrosky a product & game designer for Facebook's Oculus Virtual Reality, where we go through his journey breaking into game development as a programmer and then transitioning in game design in San Francisco at Shaba, 3DO, and Factor 5, then moving to Harmonix for Rock Ban…

1
Combat Design Deep Dive with Nicolas Monteilhet-Laboissiere - Advanced Game Designer @ WB Games Montréal | Ep14 1:29:17

4y ago1:29:17

1:29:17

John dives into Melee Combat Game Design with Nicolas Monteilhet-Laboissiere an Advanced Games Designer at WB Games Montreal. We talk about how he approached extending Free-Flow Combat in Arkham Origins, after going through the chronology of Melee Systems dating back to Zelda Ocarina of Time, God of War 1, onto the Batman Arkham series. He also tal…

1
A Game Character Artist's Portfolio - Corinne Scrivens - Art Director @ Polyarc | Ep 13 2:09:47

4y ago2:09:47

2:09:47

In episode 13 of Out of Play Area, we sit down with Corinne Scrivens who is an Art Director at PolyArc in Seattle Washington. She's worked as an artist at Arena Net, at Bungie on Destiny 1 & 2, and lets you know as an artist, your portfolio is everything. Chapters: (00:00) Who Is Corinne Scrivens? (08:04) Learning New Tools (14:46) It's all about t…

1
Inspired by Pixar to Animate Video Games | Chris Torres - Animation Director @ Bluepoint | Ep 12 1:37:49

4y ago1:37:49

1:37:49

In episode 12, Chris Torres, video game animation director for Bluepoint in Austin, TX discusses what led him to get into video game animation, his love of technical animation, and what led him to become a director and more. Chapters: (00:00) Who is Chris Torres? (06:35) Animation Inspiration Pixar's Toy Story (13:33) Midway Games Broke Me In (27:5…

1
Freelance Game Developer The Dream Job | Grant Shonkwiler - Commander & Shonk @ Shonkventures | Ep 11 1:34:30

4y ago1:34:30

1:34:30

In episode 11 of Out of Play Area the Game Dev podcast, Grant Shonkwiler, a freelance game developer aboard his own company Shonkventures, talks about being an audio programmer, to a game designer, and finally a producer at ID on Rage, and for Epic Games on Fortnite. We also discuss dealing with burnout, how to negotiate your salary and the power o…

1
Open Your Own Studio with Empathy, Risk, & Trust | Danny Bulla - Design Director & Co-Founder @ Polyarc Games | Ep 10 1:38:01

4y ago1:38:01

1:38:01

In milestone episode 10, Danny Bulla, a co-founder and Design Director at Polyarc Games in Seattle, WA shares what it takes to leave the comfort of Bungie to open your own VR game dev studio with trusted friends. We talk about the power of empathy to be the best designer, giving objective feedback, and the hub for game development and music that Se…

1
The Power of Stories & Community Building | Juan Vaca - Narrative Designer @ Netflix | Ep 9 1:47:28

4y ago1:47:28

1:47:28

On episode 9 of Out of Play Area we sit down with one of the co-founders of the Latin X In Gaming Organization Juan Vaca an El Salvadorian / Ecuadorian American currently working as a Narrative Design Lead at Netflix. We'll go through his journey breaking into the industry, shifting from production to narrative design while at TellTale Games workin…

1
Designing & Directing Video Game Sound | Kristen Quinn - Audio Director @ Polyarc Games | Ep 8 1:27:35

4y ago1:27:35

1:27:35

In episode 8, John gets to learn all about game audio design from Kristen Quinn an Audio Director for PolyArc Games in Seattle, WA. Her credentials include FEAR & Condemned (Monolith), Fable 2 & 3 (Lionhead), Sunset Overdrive (Insomniac), and Legends of Runeterra (Riot). She talks about how she got into games, how she approaches hiring and building…

1
Come Correct if You Want to Design Free to Play Mobile Games | Jeff Junio - Lead Game Designer @ Jam City | Ep 7 1:32:27

4y ago1:32:27

1:32:27

In episode 7, Jeff Junio, a Lead Game Designer for Jam City in Carlsbad, CA, talks about what's it like building major free to play mobile games, how he approaches hiring and managing, how to sustain for over 30 years in this industry, and working at Rockstar San Diego on Midnight Club L.A, and more. Chapters: (00:00) Who is Jeff Junio? (04:07) Stu…

1
Build Open World Game Systems On Any Game Engine | Nicholas Zippmann - Senior Systems Designer @ Sony Bend Studio | Ep 6 1:19:21

4y ago1:19:21

1:19:21

In episode 6, Nicholas Zippmann, a Senior Staff Systems Designer for Sony's Bend Studio talks about his career working in the industry on Rockstar Games' Red Dead Redemption, Guerrilla Games' Horizon Zero Dawn, Days Gone, and more. He talks about how to approach game systems design, where he got his start, and we both admire open world systems desi…

1
Animate Faces & Bring Life to Video Games with John Geiger - Senior Animator @ Eidos Montréal | Ep 5 1:12:42

4y ago1:12:42

1:12:42

In episode 5, our first animator on the show, John Geiger a Señior Animator for Eidos Montréal talks about his career working on iconic characters such as Lara Croft and on Deus Ex Mankind Divided & Human Revolutions. We discuss lifting heavy things, bringing your best self to work every day, and more. Chapters: (00:00) Who is John Geiger? (01:32) …

1
Going Full Circle in the Video Game Development Industry | Jameson Durall - Director of Esports Operations @ Full Sail University | Ep 4 1:32:07

4+ y ago1:32:07

1:32:07

In episode 4, Jameson Durall, Director of eSports for Full Sail University's Team Armada in Winter Park FL falls Out of Play Area and talks about studying game design & development at Full Sail University, playing D&D with Dave Arneson, breaking into the industry thanks to Gamasutra, working at Oddworld, EA, Volition, and coming back to return the …

1
Play Video Games Together, Better | Mayling Tan - Senior Game Designer @ Google Stadia Montréal | Ep 3 1:12:10

4+ y ago1:12:10

1:12:10

In episode 3, Mayling Tan, a Senior Game Designer at Google Stadia in Montreal falls Out of Play Area and talks about the bombshell news that Google Stadia announced to their game studios. She candidly walks through her mindset to move forward, while reaffirming her passion for what she does as a Social Designer and everything that entails. Of cour…

1
The Origin of Rockstar Presents Table Tennis | Mr. Benja - Founder of The 8Bit Cubist | Ep 2 1:58:43

4+ y ago1:58:43

1:58:43

In episode 02, we sit down with Benjamin Johnson, or Mr. Benja as he’s known online, who is a designer and creative living in SoCal best known for being the lead designer on Rockstar Games Presents: Table Tennis and being a prominent open-world scripter for Red Dead Redemption. Early on, he was introduced to the arts, but when he came across video …

1
Design Memorable Video Game Puzzles | Douglas Burton - Senior Game Designer @ Polyarc | Ep 1 | Acapella 1:15:32

4+ y ago1:15:32

1:15:32

In the acapella version (no background music) of the inaugural episode, we sit down with fellow Full Sail University Alumni, dear friend, Detroit’s own Douglas Burton currently working as a Senior Designer for PolyArc in Seattle, WA. Doug has worn various hats in game development riding the full spectrum between Game Design & Coding to refine his s…

1
Douglas Burton - Senior Game Designer @ Polyarc | Ep 1 1:15:41

4+ y ago1:15:41

1:15:41

In the inaugural episode, we sit down with fellow Full Sail University Alumni, dear friend, Detroit’s own Douglas Burton currently working as a Senior Designer for PolyArc in Seattle, WA. Doug has worn various hats in game development riding the full spectrum between Game Design & Coding to refine his specialty in Puzzle Design. I got to work with …

1
Out of Play Area Video Game Development Podcast | Trailer | Ep 00 1:25

4+ y ago1:25

1:25

Out of Play Area is a bi-weekly podcast series where video game developers open up about their craft, themselves, and their motivations, for the benefit of other game devs both veteran and aspiring. Hosted by Game Designer John R. Diaz. I come from humble beginnings from 2 parents who emigrated from the Dominican Republic and gave birth to me in 19…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

John R Diaz Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide