Dev to Dev

In the final Episode of Season 01 of Dev to Dev - the podcast about everyday videogame developers and why they do what they do every day - I take a moment to reflect on the first season, dive a little deeper into my takeaways from this first season, and talk a little about the future of the podcast. Just me and my thoughts that I hope y'all enjoy! Find the Podcast at: Patreon: DevToDevPodcast RSS: https://feeds.castos.com/r37p9 Instagram: @devto.devpodcast Bluesky: @devtodevpodcast.bsky.social‬ TikTok: @devtodevpodcast YouTube: @DevToDevPodcast Email: [email protected] Find Me At:  Instagram: @pelicanpeculiar Bluesky: @peculiarpelican.bsky.social LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexsulman/ My Portfolio: https://www.alexsulmanportfolio.net/ Email: [email protected] Chapters (00:00:00) - Dev to Dev: Reviewing SEASON 1(00:05:49) - Lucky in Game Development: Season 1(00:09:45) - How To Get Out Of A Development Trap(00:13:24) - How Having a Game Development Career Changed My Mind(00:16:21) - Appreciating The Game Development Podcast(00:20:40) - Lehman vs Orlando: The Battle(00:25:48) - Episode 11 Landon's Story(00:26:47) - Interviewing Zachary on Engineering(00:28:18) - John and Bill's Stories(00:31:10) - PODCAST: The Design Process(00:38:08) - Season 2(00:42:53) - A Toast to "" Season 1

This episode of Dev to Dev - the podcast about everyday Videogame Developers and why they do what they do every day - offers a thoughtful look at what it really means to build a long, sustainable career in game development. Chris Linn’s perspective provides fascinating insight into how curiosity, adaptability, and empathy can shape not just the work, but the way teams function together. The conversation centres on mindset and how approaching development with openness and respect creates stronger outcomes over time. A key theme that emerges is the value of understanding the full development pipeline. Chris’ background highlights how experience across disciplines builds better judgement, clearer communication, and stronger leadership. For those navigating their own careers, the episode reinforces an idea that growth can come from breadth of knowledge as much as does depth. It’s a reminder that learning how teams operate can be just as important as mastering tools or systems. The discussion also provides valuable perspective on working within complex, live environments. Chris’ experiences offer insight into how adaptability, iteration, and collaboration became essential skills when navigating games that continue after launch. Rather than presenting live service as a formula, the episode frames it as an ongoing conversation between developers and players—one that requires humility, responsiveness, and long-term thinking. Throughout the episode, Chris shares a grounded view of production that focuses on people over process. He encourages us to think critically about how structure, tools, and methodologies should serve teams, not constrain them. It’s a perspective that feels especially relevant for those in leadership roles, offering reassurance that flexibility and empathy are strengths, not weaknesses, in creative development. Highlights Insight into what drives long-term passion for production and game development Why broad experience can be a powerful foundation for leadership Reflections on adaptability and learning in live service environments A people-first approach to production and team support Thoughtful perspectives on sustaining a career in games   Find the Podcast at: Patreon: DevToDevPodcast RSS: https://feeds.castos.com/r37p9 Instagram: @devto.devpodcast Bluesky: @devtodevpodcast.bsky.social‬ TikTok: @devtodevpodcast YouTube: @DevToDevPodcast Email: [email protected] Find Chris At:  Twitch: ⁠https://www.twitch.tv/linnception⁠ TikTok: @linnceptionpaints Chapters (00:00:00) - Dev to Dev: Chris Lin ((00:00:38) - What First Inspired You To Make Video Games?(00:03:03) - As a gamer's brother,(00:05:29) - When Were You Playing Video Games?(00:07:03) - In the Elevator With Funky People(00:08:57) - Got my degree in Game Design(00:12:53) - How to Make a 2D Movie in College(00:13:48) - How to get hired at Activision QA(00:18:57) - How I transitioned from temp to full-time(00:22:56) - Inside the Studio: Moving from Temp to Production(00:26:57) - QA on the Shift to Production(00:31:52) - An Associate Producer on Call of Duty: Online(00:34:59) - Having worked on Call of Duty Online in China(00:41:13) - PUBG Veteran on His Transition(00:46:05) - PUBG Producers on Becoming Full-Time Producers(00:50:56) - There's No 'Right Way' to Be a Producer(00:54:52) - What Does It Mean to Be a Producers?(00:58:10) - How Being a Game Developer Has Changed Your Life

The next episode of Dev to Dev with Jon Walker is probably the deepest and most personal episode yet. Jon opens up about growing up in foster care, finding connection through games, and how that early relationship with social and competitive play shaped everything that followed. We talk about his unconventional path into the industry—through the Navy, competitive gaming, QA at Raven Software, and eventually building Prop Hunt as a side project that became a Call of Duty staple. It’s a reminder that initiative and curiosity still matter, even in AAA development. Jon also shares what it was like moving to Riot Games to work on Valorant, adjusting to a slower but more rigorous design culture, and engaging directly with competitive players. His perspective on player trust, matchmaking, and goal-driven design is especially insightful. Finally, we dig into leadership, burnout, relocation, and what really matters after years in the industry. Jon is thoughtful, honest, and deeply human in how he talks about making games—and the people who make them. Highlights Using games as a social lifeline during childhood From Navy service to QA to Prop Hunt Designing competitive systems at Riot Games Leading combat design on a new IP How game development shapes who we are Find the Podcast At Patreon: DevToDevPodcast RSS: https://feeds.castos.com/r37p9 Instagram: @devto.devpodcast Bluesky: @devtodevpodcast.bsky.social‬ TikTok: @devtodevpodcast YouTube: @DevToDevPodcast Email: [email protected] Find Jon At:  ⁠Jonathan Walker | LinkedIn Chapters (00:00:00) - Former 'Warzone' Designer on ZeniMax's '(00:01:40) - What First Inspired You To Make Videogames?(00:06:24) - What Motivates People to Make Video Games?(00:09:29) - Foster Care Made Me Want to Be an Engineer(00:13:19) - How I Got My Start in the Game Industry(00:17:45) - Blending QA and Design(00:18:06) - Call of Duty: Scripts Explained(00:20:43) - In the Elevator With Scripting(00:23:03) - Pushing the boundaries of systems design(00:28:18) - How I Went From Raven to Riot(00:33:08) - Riot Design's transition to COD(00:37:53) - Riot's focus on competitive gameplay(00:42:59) - Riot's Director on Leading People(00:47:44) - Leading the Mechteam at ZeniMax(00:51:18) - Mixed emotions about moving back to Madison(00:54:39) - The Real Cost of Making Video Games(00:58:22) - How Having Been in Game Development Has Changed My Life(01:01:30) - Has Being in Game Dev Changed You?(01:03:47) - Pushing the creative process in Game Development(01:05:46) - John Waffle on The Podcast

Inside Sound Design with Bill Mueller This week’s episode of Dev to Dev is one that will stick with me for a while, not just because Bill Mueller is an incredible professional, but because his path into games is so wonderfully human. Bill grew up in East Boston and was first captivated by the magic of controlling a character on a TV screen via his Commodore 64 and then discovering the people behind the scenes of live production, those running the lights, audio boards, and cameras. A profound moment at a Disney on Ice show lit a lifelong spark that has carried Bill into music, audio engineering, radio, and live television. What I loved most about this chat is how Bill talks about challenge as something he needs. Whenever he hit a ceiling - in radio, in TV, even in early game roles - he looked for the next mountain to climb. And the moment he played Bioshock, he knew exactly what that mountain was: game audio. This moment inspired an incredibly brave pivot that was fascinating to discover! Bill’s journey into the industry wasn’t easy. He networked his way in, built demo reels from scratch, and even took a production role just to get a foot in the door. Later, when 38 Studios collapsed and he suddenly lost his job, his pay, and his healthcare. What follows is an incredibly human story of the realities of following a passion in a creative business. Through a combination of events, Bill went from finally the role he had wanted to suddenly losing it all just as his family hit a major milestone, leaving him staring at the potential end of the dream. A fortunate connection, and some incredible timing, snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and reveals a Game Dev reality that really isn’t to be missed! Bill has now spent more than a decade working on Elder Scrolls Online, blending creativity, technology, and problem-solving into a craft that’s become part of who he is. And through it all, he’s remained grounded, thoughtful, and incredibly generous with his story. Highlights Growing up with the Commodore 64 and NES in a one-TV household Discovering the “behind-the-scenes” world at Disney on Ice Studying Sound Recording Technology at UMass Lowell Radio and live TV — and the thrill (and terror!) of live audio The moment Bioshock changed everything Networking into game development through local Boston meetups The collapse of 38 Studios and losing everything at once Getting hired at ZeniMax while his son was being born How 13 years on ESO shaped his love for technical audio Bill’s philosophy of problem-solving and perseverance Find the Podcast at: Patreon: DevToDevPodcast RSS: https://feeds.castos.com/r37p9 Instagram: @devto.devpodcast Bluesky: @devtodevpodcast.bsky.social‬ TikTok: @devtodevpodcast YouTube: @DevToDevPodcast Email: [email protected] Find Bill At:  billsaudio.me https://www.linkedin.com/in/williammueller/ Chapters (00:00:00) - DevtoDev(00:00:12) - In the Elevator With Audio Lead(00:00:37) - What First Invited You To Play Video Games?(00:05:28) - Mariah Carey on Learning How Audio Works(00:10:11) - Starting out as an intern in radio(00:16:23) - How I Got My Foot in the Door(00:18:36) - Pushing the Audio Industry Forward(00:23:46) - Making 'Blender': From Producer to Director(00:25:04) - Mixing Music For 7/5(00:27:17) - How To Mix Music In The New World(00:33:57) - How I Learned To Work While Pregnant(00:39:07) - Getting Out Of Your Job(00:40:16) - Mixing Media and Audio in '(00:45:01) - How Much Stress Does Shooting a Game Have On You?(00:48:03) - Working in a Technology Company(00:50:42) - How Dad Made Video Games For A Living(00:52:37) - Enjoying Music Through Gaming(00:55:18) - Going From Video Game Development to Real Life

Behind the Scenes with Camera Designer Joel Morillo This chat with Joel is one of those conversations that reminds you how many different ways people end up in game development. Joel didn’t grow up imagining he'd work in games, in fact he spent nearly half his military career without touching one. But the creative spark he carried since childhood never went away, and once he had the chance to explore it, he didn’t hold back. We talk about growing up in the Bronx and using games both physical & digital, comics, and D&D as his escape. We get into how Final Fantasy III / VI blew his imagination wide open, and how that emotional connection has stuck with him all throughout his career. We also explore how he promised himself he'd try something creative after leaving the military and how VFX Motion Design was his first passion!  The real turning point is hearing how Joel went from making trailers to becoming a camera designer, a role so niche and so misunderstood that he essentially had to define it himself. His perspective on framing, emotion, and game feel is genuinely inspiring. You can hear how much he cares about helping players feel something, not just see something. And the partnership he later formed with a fellow engineer allowed them to navigate unfinished tech and build truly incredible camera systems - a great example of trust and collaboration. Joel’s honesty about figuring things out as he went - backed by the resilience he built in the Navy - gives this episode a grounded, human heart that I think a lot of people will relate to. Highlights Growing up indoors in the Bronx and discovering imagination through games and comics How Final Fantasy III / VI became a life-defining creative spark Missing entire console generations while deployed in the Navy Re-discovering games through Final Fantasy X on PS2 Leaving the military to chase a creative career with no guarantees Breaking into Daybreak thanks to his Mentor Uprooting and moving cross country after a round of layoffs Defining a role that barely existed and navigating early-stage tech Discovering a passion for game feel, tone, and emotional framing How trust, resilience, and collaboration shaped his career Find the Podcast at: Patreon: DevToDevPodcast RSS: https://feeds.castos.com/r37p9 Instagram: @devto.devpodcast Bluesky: @devtodevpodcast.bsky.social‬ TikTok: @devtodevpodcast YouTube: @DevToDevPodcast Email: [email protected]   Find Joel At:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-morillo-58861395/ Chapters (00:00:00) - DevtoDev: An Interview With Joel Marillo(00:00:40) - What first inspired you about video games?(00:03:22) - How to Get Your Brother to Play Games(00:04:32) - Veteran Video Artist on Finding His Voice(00:06:26) - Marine Veteran Reconsidered Video Games(00:09:08) - Bob Dylan on His Creative Bug(00:10:16) - What Made Visual Effects So Fun for You?(00:11:42) - VFX and Motion Design in San Diego(00:14:09) - How Did Sony Bring You On Board(00:15:27) - Former 'Daybreak' Producer on Social Media(00:16:34) - How To Make a Cinematic Trailer(00:19:23) - How to juggle your career and freelance work(00:20:19) - How Zenimax Online Studios moved from San Diego to Baltimore(00:21:24) - Bill Maher on The Job Shifting(00:22:01) - How a Cinematic Camera Designer Joined Zenimax(00:25:12) - How To Make a Cinematic Documentary(00:27:54) - The Video Production Test(00:29:58) - Having the Right Experience for Game Development(00:30:44) - Working on a startup in the early days(00:31:44) - Tom Cruise on His New Role(00:32:30) - How To Build a Team in Game Dev(00:35:19) - Graduating from Camera Designer to Senior Design(00:40:00) - Ratchet and Clank: Game Feel(00:43:22) - How To Make a Cinematic Action Story(00:47:23) - God of War: The Camera(00:50:11) - Andrew Hussie on Working in Game Development(00:55:15) - How Creativity Affects Your Family