youtube.com/watch?v=MrqyTV… #GameDevdigestai #TheHouseOfTheDev #Podcast #GameDev #GameIndustry #PassionInGames #BusinessModel #CreativeVision NAME: Create games from passion again. The House of The Dev Podcast S2E9 CHANNEL: The House of The Dev BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Final episode of the second season of The House of The Dev podcast. Guest Rafael K Antonio, game developer, one of the founders of Arkane Studios. Host - P Sikov. They discuss the current state of the gaming industry, game development challenges, and industry changes over the past 20+ years. SUMMARY: 1. (00:00) The podcast wraps up its second season, which lasted two years. The hosts discuss how the process of announcing games has changed over the past 20 years - from magazine publications to modern promotion methods, noting that the main thing remains unchanged: it's important to reach the audience through genuine passion for your work. 2. (07:32) Game development itself remains a wonderful thing, but the surrounding processes (finding a publisher, financing, marketing) are becoming increasingly complex and tedious. The speakers note that the industry has evolved from a small community of enthusiasts to a huge system with established development paths. 3. (38:36) The current crisis in the gaming industry is discussed: during COVID-19, there was a large influx of investments, the market was overheated, and after the pandemic, a correction period began. Many large companies have abused microtransactions and repetitive sequels. 4. (42:16) According to Rafael, the main problem in the industry is that most games are now created not out of passion and desire to implement an idea, but from business considerations - based on Excel spreadsheets and marketing plans. This leads to decreased quality and uniformity of projects. 5. (54:47) The final part discusses the Game Pass subscription model. Concerns are expressed that this model could negatively impact the industry, especially independent developers, and change the ways games are monetized towards maximizing player engagement time. USEFUL IDEAS: 1. Instead of following trends and spreadsheets, focus should be on creating a game from genuine passion for the idea (03:33). This increases the chances of creating a truly memorable project. 2. During development, it's important to maintain honesty regarding storytelling and characters, without artificially trying to conform to trends or quotas (49:27). This makes the story more natural and interesting for players. 3. In an oversaturated market, it's important to find a way to stand out through quality and uniqueness, not through marketing gimmicks and microtransactions (40:30). 4. Pay careful attention to the monetization model - it's necessary to find a balance between profitability and respect for players (1:02:22). 5. When developing a game, it's important to understand that the path from idea to release can take years, so you need complete confidence in the project and readiness to go through this entire journey (13:36). QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Games need to be made from passion again. That's how it all started, and it's unimaginable that it's not like that now, but unfortunately, many games are made without passion." (44:29)