Heather Chandler didn't set out to work in games — she wanted film. A stray résumé at Activision in the '90s changed that, and thirty years later she's helped ship everything from Ghost Recon to Fortnite's Battle Royale pivot, written the books nobody else had written, and bet on herself more than once (Escape Room business included!). Her secret? Knowing exactly what she doesn't know — and using that to build trust across every department she touches.

Jamie Smith thought games were magic until he learned people made them. Then he spent more than a decade making them himself: Driver: San Francisco, The Crew, Hood: Outlaws & Legends, and many more. Hear how a brutal pitch panel became an internship, why a shooter should feel good to miss, and why a job title is only recognition of the value you've already added. Dev to Dev S03 E04 is live now on all good podcast platforms & Patreon

Lana Bachynski's house banned video games for years — so naturally, she became an Associate Art Director who's spent her career building the teams behind them. From rotating footstools at the family computer to animating Heroes of the Storm at Blizzard to building Riot's animation community from three people in an empty room, Lana talks about the mentor who connected her secret animation hobby to an actual career, why she chose games over Pixar, and what it really takes to build a team people trust.

Jay Powell never wrote a line of code or designed a level, and still built a thirty-year career inside the games industry — by learning to translate. From inventing distribution deals one country at a time before digital existed, to talking movie studios and museums through how games actually work, to burning out so badly he quit on the spot mid-layoff, Jay's story is about staying indispensable to an industry you can't quite build yourself.

Steven Dwyer didn't plan a single step of his career — he failed his way out of a computer science degree, burned out on his first games job in Japan, quitting on the spot the day it shipped. Twenty years later, he's a lead engineer on World of Warcraft's tools team, and every wrong turn along the way turned out to be exactly the redirect he needed. A conversation about escape, burnout, immigration, and learning to trust that wherever you land, you'll be fine.

None of my guests in this themed episode of Dev to Dev had a plan when they found their way into a Game Dev role. Matthew Brunhofer chased a WWE writing dream into a Square Enix QA line. Joel Morillo bet three years of his post-Navy life on being a creative and ended up inventing his own role. Nick Heindl got offered a title he'd never heard of and built an accessibility career nobody asked for. Three guests, one Season 01 revisit of Dev to Dev, same lesson: leap first, the job description comes later.

We're revisiting Season 01 with this one: Zane Draper traded ten toy cars for a Game Boy in kindergarten and never really stopped playing. Now a Senior Tech Designer, he talks about stumbling out of a robotics degree into game design, the five-person-studio crunch that built his confidence, and why he's never once cared what game he's working on — just the problem in front of him.

Four voices, one uncomfortable truth: the industry asks for more than your time. Mark Acero on crunch-induced panic attacks he didn't recognize as panic attacks. Scott Nisenfeld on the aimless days after a layoff ends the project you believed in. Nathan Kellman on surviving two cancellations in two months. Brian Kindregan on the marriage that didn't survive a move he made for a job he loved. A themed episode about what staying in this industry actually costs — and why they stayed anyway.

Revisiting Dev to Dev S01! Bill Mueller kept chasing the next challenge — radio, live TV, then Bioshock changed everything. Here's how a bar conversation, a role he had no business taking, and a job offer that arrived mid-labor built his 16-year career. Dev to Dev S01 E15 REVISIT is live now on all good podcast platforms & Patreon

In this revisit of a Dev to Dev S01 episode we rediscover the conversation with Landon Hood who was raiding in World of Warcraft when he was in 8th grade — twenty years later, that same instinct for organizing chaos has taken him from a scrappy production agency to ZeniMax Online Studios to Blizzard Entertainment. This episode traces how a self-described "Swiss Army knife" who never mastered one craft became the person three creative teams reported to, and why every pivot in his career started with someone else believing in him first.

In this revisit of a Dev to Dev S01 episode we rediscover the conversation with Landon Hood who was raiding in World of Warcraft when he was in 8th grade — twenty years later, that same instinct for organizing chaos has taken him from a scrappy production agency to ZeniMax Online Studios to Blizzard Entertainment. This episode traces how a self-described "Swiss Army knife" who never mastered one craft became the person three creative teams reported to, and why every pivot in his career started with someone else believing in him first.

Four Season 2 guests, one thread: the family that handed them the controller — and never quite let go.

Twenty episodes in, and the thread running through Season 2 wasn't a game or a studio — it was empathy. I close out the season reflecting on strangers-turned-guests, the moment it "clicked" for people who never planned to be developers, and the pattern of empathy showing up again and again, and how the craft can consume you. A season reflection before we roll into Season 03.

APOLOGIES FOR THE DELAY!! Had a slight scheduling snafu but we still made it this week!!! On this episode of Dev to Dev, I caught up with Luke Shingleton, a Quest Designer at Double Eleven who's spent the last four years shaping the same AAA world from the inside out. We talked about growing up an only child in a tiny Northern Irish village, the marketing course that nearly pulled him off the dev path, and the single afternoon in Paris when he had a job interview and a wedding proposal on the same clock.

This week on Dev to Dev I got to sit down with Tyler Rotheram, a Technical Game Designer whose career reads like a highlight reel of trying by just showing up — and it really working ou!. Tyler's story is proof that most doors aren't locked, they just haven't been knocked on yet. A Constant, Not a Hobby Games weren't a phase for Tyler — they were the family language.

This week on Dev to Dev, I caught up with Scott Nisenfeld, a gameplay engineer whose career runs from Command & Conquer to World of Tanks to The Elder Scrolls Online — nearly two decades spent building the systems players never quite see. Under the Hood Scott’s first love was a story. King’s Quest, on an IBM PC Junior, showed him a game could tell one.

Sangita Nuli came into games the long way — through plays, film scripts, and a talent agency — convinced for years that interactive storytelling was too daunting to attempt. Then she jumped. From a…

Louis Bayard never planned his way into games — he jumped, and figured it out on the way. From a board-games-first design school in France to building racing worlds at Codemasters, and now leading level design on an open-world game at Third Kind Games, his career runs on a single instinct: say yes, then learn. A conversation about momentum, feel, and why the thing he calls a flaw might be his greatest strength.

Howdy folks, once again apologies that my work and travel commitments means there’s no new episode of Dev to Dev this week. We will be back next Monday 15th June but in the meantime thank you…

Howdy folks, apologies but due to some work and travel commitments there's no new episode of Dev to Dev this week. I will be back in a couple of weeks but in the meantime thank you for your patience!

Brian Marinari wanted to explore worlds — so he learned to build them. From an Atari cartridge that lit his imagination, to rendering virtual worlds at ILM, Brian's career is a study in what happens when you finally stop doubting your right to follow what you love.

ALT: Andy Samberg Says 'I'm Feelin' It'

Rob Gardner spent a decade in a band before games became his career — and the skill set he built along the way turned out to be exactly what directing voice actors requires. A conversation about late starts, long detours, and finding out the thing you almost gave up was the thing you needed most.

Sarah Lynn has been making games since the days when XCOM was just concept art on a wall — and she's been finding her way back to them ever since. A QA lead turned Producer turned Mum, Sarah talks about what draws her to the craft, why she'd rather understand a process before changing it, and the harder question of what it means to step away from a career that's been your whole identity — and want to come back.

Tom Miles spent nearly two decades building Total War's UI, porting games to Linux, running backend services, and always resisting the pull toward specialism. In this episode, he traces the winding path from a ZX Spectrum in rural Norfolk to a career built on one core belief: anything is possible, it might just take a long time.

Gonza Do Campo spent a decade in industrial logistics before pivoting to games at 30 — and that background turned out to be the perfect foundation for production. Now Principal Producer at 2K in Valencia, he talks growing up in Patagonia where games were rare and cloned, the methodical pivot that took years to execute, and what it actually takes to lead well in this industry. A career built the long way — and better for it.

ALT: a video game screen that says ' internship ' at the bottom

YouTube video by Alex Sulman

Andy Roberts shares his journey from early digital art on the BBC to becoming a veteran game developer, exploring how creativity, persistence, and collaboration shaped his career. From early experimentation to working on major titles, this episode dives into learning by doing, managing ego, managing being an introvert, and adapting in an ever-changing industry.

From drawing Mario levels as a kid to designing encounters on The Elder Scrolls Online, Brandon Van Haren shares his journey into game development. We explore breaking into the industry, learning through feedback, mastering tools, and why humility and teamwork are essential to building great player experiences.

Aram Granger shares his journey from Hollywood VFX to video games, revealing how visual effects shape game feel and player feedback. From learning on the job to embracing creativity over rigid planning, this episode explores how instinct, iteration, and a love of making things “feel good” define a career in game development.

YouTube video by Dev To Dev Podcast

Level designer Nathan Kellman shares his journey from JRPG inspiration to working on Diablo IV, including breaking into AAA, surviving layoffs, and finding his discipline through failure. A grounded look at what it really takes to build a career in game development—and why great designers are the ones willing to start again.

ALT: a man in a suit and tie is pointing at the camera and says `` i promise you '' .

YouTube video by The Retro Hour (Retro Gaming Podcast)

From growing up as a gamer in Alabama to working on a AAA MMORPG, Johnny White shares how games shaped his identity, the risks he took to break into the industry, and why losing a project hurts less than losing the team behind it. A wonderful conversation about passion, collaboration, and finding your place in game dev.

Brian Kindregan - writer on Mass Effect 2, StarCraft II, and Diablo - joins me to share his journey from Hollywood storyboards to AAA game development, exploring interactive storytelling, narrative leadership, and what it really takes to build stories inside massive game worlds.

YouTube video by Alanah Streams

AAA Producer Leyla Lacombe shares how curiosity, mentorship, and a willingness to explore different roles helped her find her place in game development. From a start in Esports to producing complex AAA games, this episode explores how embracing uncertainty can shape a career in the games industry.

From Sega arcades to UX leadership, Edward J Moore shares how empathy became his greatest design tool. We explore non-linear careers, the power of player research, and why UX acts as an insurance policy for game teams. A thoughtful conversation about accessibility, leadership, and building worlds that truly connect.

Mark Acero shares 26 years of Game Design experience - from the origins of the EVO fighting scene to huge franchises and VR. We dive into psychology in design, combating bias in playtests, collaborative leadership, real iteration, and sustaining passion without burning out. A powerful look at systems thinking, efficiency, and longevity in game development.

YouTube video by Dev To Dev Podcast

As graphical and audio fidelity in games increases, players demand ever greater performances from their video game actors. In this panel chaired by Phillipe Bosher (Baldur's Gate 3), actors Yuri Lowen...

YouTube video by Andy Tudor