Steve Kent, Author at Gamesauce: Global Inspiration for Game Developers

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USA 2015 Video Coverage

Capturing Creativity with Game Designer Rodolfo Magallon | Casual Connect Video

November 2, 2015 — by Steve Kent

'A game is a collaborative product and the result is the souls of the developers.' - Rodolfo MagallonClick To Tweet

Rodolfo Magallon is a game designer at Kaxan Games. He has worked on many games for mobile and console, including El Chavo for the Nintendo Wii and Taco Master for iOS, Android and Windows Phone. Rodolfo is convinced that a good game comes from the feel and innovative gameplay. During his talk at Casual Connect USA, he offered tips on how to make your game engaging. “Building a good character is very important because it gives you transmedia material, it gives you a way for your game to have an identity”, he explained. The importance of the tutorial was shown when they moved from a long one that was very boring to one that was only 30 seconds long. This was much more effective. Rodolfo believes that teaching the player how to play quickly is one of the most important things for mobile developers.

Exclusive Interviews

Chipping Away: Studio Works 1 Day a Week for 6 Years on Breakout-Style Caromble

October 27, 2015 — by Steve Kent

Opening your indie game studio only one day a week may not be the most productive way to run things, but these days it comes with a clear advantage.

“You hear lot of talk about the ‘indie apocalypse.’ Well, we really don’t care about that, because we have a steady income,” says Peter Heil of Crimson Owl Studios. At this, co-worker Pascal van Beek laughs and adds: “I do care about it, because I do want to make a lot of money.”

Exclusive Interviews

An Underserved Niche? Muv-Luv Kickstarter Crushes $250K Goal in 24 Hours

September 29, 2015 — by Steve Kent

“The fact that many mainstream gaming sites still refuse to cover visual novel titles is shocking.”

While many game developers are getting disenchanted with Kickstarter, crowdfunding successes are still popping up often enough to make it a tempting option. Late last week, Muv-Luv rocketed past its $250k goal to hit $350k in less than 24 hours. Unlike the prototypical video game projects on Kickstarter, however, Muv-Luv isn’t a new game offering a fresh take on a classic genre. Quite the opposite, it’s an English-language localization of a visual novel trilogy, an example of a genre obscure in most parts of the world.

USA 2015 Video Coverage

Peleg Israeli Adapts to Bidalgo’s Growth, Marketing Innovations | Casual Connect Video

September 17, 2015 — by Steve Kent

'It’s all about understanding when you need to act fast and seize the moment.' - Peleg IsraeliClick To Tweet

“For a slots player that has seen a thousand ads, things start to look the same so we need to have something that will grab their attention. A lot of things are happening around us. If we can take our content and make sure it is relevant to the different seasonality or things that are happening in current events, we can personalize”, explained Peleg Israeli, General Manager of Bidalgo at the Casual Connect USA conference last August. Social Casino gaming market is something worth going all in. There is strategy there and as a leading Facebook Marketing Partner and the creator of ADaptation (personalized video solution), Bidalgo is there to show you the way. Peleg presented case studies, examples, tips and “How To’s”, derived from Bidalgo’s vast experience with the biggest social casino gaming clients.

Exclusive Interviews Studio Spotlight

Game Artists Hope New Tech & Fresh IPs Break Clone Fever

September 14, 2015 — by Steve Kent

An illustration of Venerable Kawn, Master of Frost that CAH did for Kabam's Spirit Lords. — An illustration of Venerable Kawn, Master of Frost that CAH did for Spirit Lords.

From a contract game artist’s point of view, the next few years in the video game industry may look a little more interesting creatively — and a little lighter on the clones — than the previous decade.

“I think things are going to change a lot more in the next year or two than they did in the last three or four years. Even four years ago, mobile was still big,” said Jason Park, Concept Art House VP of operations, during a recent studio tour in San Francisco. “It feels actually exciting for the first time 10 years. It reminds me of the old days, where I actually want to be on the show floor.”

Asia 2015 Video Coverage

Henrik Johansson & Mediocre Stick to Small-Studio Atmosphere | Casual Connect Video

September 5, 2015 — by Steve Kent

'What I enjoy most is to be able to create freely.' – Henrik Johansson, indie game devClick To Tweet

Henrik Johansson, co-founder of Mediocre, took a look back at five years of game development and shared what his studio has learned in his recent speech at Casual Connect Asia. “I love the creative freedom of working in a small studio,” he says. “We can just work on the ideas we believe in.” For his insights on design and the development process through games like Smash Hit and Does Not Commute, see the video below.

USA 2015 Video Coverage

Entrepreneur Le Xu Aims to Disrupt Casino Games | Casual Connect Video

August 25, 2015 — by Steve Kent

'What constitutes a good game today will not even make it to first base soon' - Le XuClick To Tweet

What do you do when you have a new company but little success? You shift gears. At Casual Connect USA, George Zaloom, led a candid and fun conversation with the CEO of China’s leading social casino gaming studio, Le Xu. After experiencing little success in casual games six years ago, Le started to search for something his new company Topgame could do that would keep them in business. In his search, Le Xu discovered casino games. He played many games, a lot successful and some not so successful. With each one, he asked himself what made made it so they were or were not successful? “Each game had a special thing, [for one] you need to love your game”, he explains. From there, he was able to see the good in each game and make it better in his own work.

Exclusive Interviews

Michael Eisner on the Eternal Interaction of Content and Technology

August 10, 2015 — by Steve Kent

'The tried-and-true is boring.' –Michael Eisner, on learning from failure.Click To Tweet

What impact can a business executive have on entertainment? If that executive is Michael Eisner, the answer is decades of industry domination and dozens of iconic pop culture properties. Gamesauce interviewed Michael, the founder of Tornante Company and the principal owner of Topps, prior to his keynote at Casual Connect on topics ranging from the importance of partnership to his strange strategy of extracting game-changing ideas with long, grueling meetings.

Events News

Spil Games Brings Unsung Heroes Campaign to Casual Connect

August 7, 2015 — by Steve Kent

Gamers and game developers can seem like they’re on different planets. Developers wonder why deserving games don’t get noticed. Gamers wonder why popular features don’t make it into many of the games they play.

Publisher Spil Games is looking for a solution. At Casual Connect USA in San Francisco, they’re hosting a roundtable discussion between a mobile games player, a developer and a publisher to help suss out what gamers want and what makes a game successful. The discussion is part of the publisher’s Unsung Heroes campaign, which includes a already-underway competition for indie games. More than 300 games were entered, and the winner, which will be announced in September, will receive a publishing deal worth $50,000.

Exclusive Interviews

Kids in a Candy Store: David Brevik on Marvel Heroes 2015 (Part 2)

August 4, 2015 — by Steve Kent

'Every day, I look forward to coming to work and working on a Marvel product.'–David BrevikClick To Tweet

This is part two of a two-part interview with Gazillion Entertainment CEO David Brevik. You can find part one, which examines the Marvel Heroes 2015 annual rebranding strategy and community-building efforts, here.

In part two, we ask David what it’s like to work with some of the hottest and most complex intellectual property out there — and property that he’s personally been a fan of for most of his life.

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