GameMakers

- Spotify Podcast: https://spoti.fi/3Cpyq7i

- Newsletter: https://gamemakers.substack.com/

- Don't miss an episode on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/GameMakersStudio

OUTLINE:

0:00 Introduction, the concept of life as a meta game

1:16 Explanation of "meta" and viewing life as a game

6:32 Moritz's background, career history

12:15 What are current metas for success in life? Breaking the meta

15:26 Breaking conventional wisdom, play as experimentation: work vs. play

23:00 Cross-combining different skills or industries to build a new meta

29:20 Approaching life as quest objectives, Moritz's framework for life

34:00 Details on Moritz's life framework

37:10 Examples of interesting life initiatives from Moritz, achievement by discipline

41:55 Using being "extreme" to accomplish goals, how to stand out

45:34 JK's weird dating example

46:45 How does someone pursue extremism?

52:30 The next chapter at Lightspeed Gaming for Moritz

55:55 What will become of Moritz's LA gaming parties?

👇 EPISODE LINKS:

- Moritz Baier-Lentz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moritzbaierlentz/

😃 —CONNECT WITH ME! —

• MY INSTAGRAM → @jokim1

• TWITTER → @jokim1

• LINKEDIN → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jokim/

— POPULAR CONTENT —

🤑 Economy of the Metaverse with Tim Sweeney https://youtu.be/h6ClJxjuRvw

ℹ️ How to Build the Amazon of Game Companies https://youtu.be/bkd2TOpKt4I

🔮 Gaming Trends | A Look Ahead at 2021 https://youtu.be/NejFzHtpiZI

🖥️ The Future of PC Gaming https://youtu.be/_QT7O3Wxi2s

🔴 Games Industry M&A https://youtu.be/65nyPk6WNrs

🔴 Netcode for Multiplayer Games https://youtu.be/tHq3PzmjhLw

🔴 IDFA Deprecation Product Impact https://youtu.be/Ojec4wGKpso

🔴 Trip Hawkins on the New High Score https://youtu.be/5egTSQ6AiRA

🔴 LiveOps F2P Best Practices https://youtu.be/tmzqqnYbjNY

Jan 22, 202356:59

Grateful for Opportunity | JK Vlog #6

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm in India this year and had a Mexican burrito bowl in the office by myself. Lol.

As I sat in the office late at night, I recorded another cringe and weird video for my kids.

Too many people undervalue opportunity! I just wanted to let you know that I'm grateful this Thanksgiving for the opportunity to try to build something meaningful. It's not looking good right now, but that's what entrepreneurship is all about: how do we take a low-probability scenario and turn it into a high-probability outcome?

LFG!

Nov 26, 202202:23

Future of eSports ft. Ilaria Caputo (EA), Hugo Tristao (Newzoo), & Matt Kanterman (Ball Metaverse)

We deep dive on eSports. Current market and growth projections, what kinds of games do well, business model, structure, prize pools, key trends, geographic differences, and more! Join us with our esteemed group of speakers: Ilaria Caputo (EA), Matthew Kanterman (Ball Metaverse Research Partners), and Hugo Tristao (Newzoo). Speaker links below.

👇 EPISODE LINKS:

Ilaria Caputo, https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilaria-caputo/

Matthew Kanterman, https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-kanterman-cfa-b6345133/

Hugo Tristao, https://www.linkedin.com/in/tristaohugo/

Nov 11, 202248:54

How to Install Company Values & Culture | Philosophy Friday #21

Stoffer Touborg was a lead game designer on Eve Online at CCP, led Wild Rift at Riot, and currently acts as Executive Producer on Bitcraft Online for Clockwork Labs.

Stoffer is one of the most thoughtful game industry executives I know, and I regularly ask Stoffer for advice on leadership, organizational principles, and recruiting.

Today we talk about not just about coming up with a desired set of company values and culture, but how to actually implement or install these within a company.

SUBSCRIBE TO GAMEMAKERS:

- Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/34hfOtv

- Spotify Podcast: https://spoti.fi/3Cpyq7i

- Newsletter: https://gamemakers.substack.com/

- Don't miss an episode on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/GameMakersStudio

OUTLINE:

0:00 Intro

2:13 Stoffer Touborg Background

3:07 Definition of Company Culture and Warning for New Employees

6:06 Values vs. Culture Definition

9:10 Employees Need to Confirm Cultural Fit, Values Need to be Good, Given Context, and Fair

14:16 Installing Values/Culture in a Company, Communication vs. Implementation

16:47 Values Manifestation Board 20:45 Why is Company Culture Critical? Sometimes Values Don't Matter

25:40 How to Deal with Employee Cultural Misalignment

31:34 Executive Accountability for Culture Mismatches

32:15 Recruiting for Culture Fit 36:30 How to Deal with Culture Exceptions for a Specific Need - "The Dennis Rodman Rule"

👇 EPISODE LINKS:

Stoffer Touborg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristoffertouborg/

The Game Stoffer is Working on, Bitcraft Online: https://bitcraftonline.com/

😃 —CONNECT WITH ME! —

• MY INSTAGRAM → @jokim1

• TWITTER → @jokim1

• LINKEDIN → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jokim/

Oct 25, 202242:58

Stellaris Venture Partners on Game Investing in India | ft. Rahul Chowdhri

I speak to Rahul Chowdhri, an investor at Stellaris Venture Partners, about the venture capital market in India, the current state of investment here, and his outlook on investments in gaming in India.

OUTLINE:

0:00 General landscape of venture capital in India

2:20 Specialist vs. generalist VCs, the definition of micro-VC

3:35 Sudden investment interest in gaming in India

4:48 Should investors invest early in gaming or wait for talent to emerge?

5:17 Info on Stellaris and what they look for from a pitch?

6:25 Typical funding for Seed vs. Series A in India

7:13 Expectations for Series A

8:09 What do you look for in an entrepreneur/CEO?

12:11 How should entrepreneurs consider the global economy in their fundraising?

14:36 Advice for entrepreneurs who want to pitch Stellaris

👇 EPISODE LINKS:

- Stellaris Venture Partners: https://www.stellarisvp.com/

- Rahul Chowdhri: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulchowdhri/

SUBSCRIBE TO GAMEMAKERS:

- Newsletter: https://gamemakers.substack.com/

- Don't miss an episode on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/GameMakersStudio

Sep 26, 202217:13

Predicting Game Success + Corporate Nonsense (Philosophy Friday #19)

Predicting a game's success during concept or development is an incredibly difficult problem. What are typical ways companies, especially big companies think about and manage their green light process?

What kinds of corporate nonsense occurs that hurts game outcomes?

SUBSCRIBE TO GAMEMAKERS:

- Spotify Podcast: https://spoti.fi/3Cpyq7i

- Newsletter: https://gamemakers.substack.com/

- Don't miss an episode on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/GameMakersStudio 😃

—CONNECT WITH ME! —

• MY INSTAGRAM → @jokim1

• TWITTER → @jokim1

• LINKEDIN → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jokim/

— POPULAR CONTENT —

🤑 Economy of the Metaverse with Tim Sweeney

ℹ️ How to Build the Amazon of Game Companies

🔮 Gaming Trends | A Look Ahead at 2021

🖥️ The Future of PC Gaming

🔴 Games Industry M&A

🔴 Netcode for Multiplayer Games

🔴 IDFA Deprecation Product Impact

🔴 Trip Hawkins on the New High Score

🔴 LiveOps F2P Best Practices

I talk about why I'm sacrificing so much to try and make Lila Games a successful company. Also, how much of my thinking was influenced by the Clayton Christensen essay (there's a book as well, which I haven't read yet) "How Will You Measure Your Life?"

Sep 09, 202201:16:11

The F2P Game Designer | ft. John Kelly Creative Director at PlaySimple

Today's focus will be on the F2P game design discipline. How it’s evolved, what does it take to be successful as a game designer, the tools and practice of a F2P game designer, and where does John think the future is headed for F2P game design.

👇 EPISODE LINKS:

- PlaySimple Games: https://playsimple.in/

- John Kelly LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kelly-99b3966/

SUBSCRIBE TO GAMEMAKERS:

- Newsletter: https://gamemakers.substack.com/

- Don't miss an episode on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/GameMakersStudio

Sep 08, 202248:21

Building a F2P Liveops Playbook | ft. The Games Consultant Matt Emery

I interview Matthew Emery aka "The Games Consultant" about what it means to build a F2P liveops "Playbook."

Listen to this Q&A between me and Matt!

SUBSCRIBE TO GAMEMAKERS:

- Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/34hfOtv

- Spotify Podcast: https://spoti.fi/3Cpyq7i

- Newsletter: https://gamemakers.substack.com/

- Don't miss an episode on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/GameMakersStudio

OUTLINE:

0:00 Intro

1:01 Matt's 19-Year Background & Current Business

2:24 High-Level Framework for Thinking About LiveOps: How to Survive?
7:10 How to Deal With Low KPI Metrics? ROI-First Approach

12:57 Coming Up With Improvement Initiatives

15:39 How to Gauge Initiative Impact Through Multi-Variate/Split Testing? Stat-sig or Not?

19:00 New Game Dev vs. Live Operated Games

21:50 What Should a Live-ops "Playbook" Include?

27:12 Biggest Mistakes & Learnings from Matt's Experience

30:10 Recommendations on Critical Best Practices / High ROI Areas

33:48 Why Aggressiveness is Critical in Multivariate Testing?

37:38 Final Recommendations - Need to Understand UA, Why CPI Goes Up?

👇 EPISODE LINKS:

- Matt Emery: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewemery/

- IAP Merchandising Playbook #1| Special Offers that Sizzle: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/iap-merchandising-playbook-part-1-special-offers-matthew/

- IAP Merchandising Playbook #2| Visual Hierarchy: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/iap-merchandising-playbook-part-2-visual-hierarchy-matthew/

- IAP Merchandising Playbook #3| MVP Store Design: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/iap-merchandising-playbook-part-3-mvp-store-design-matthew/?trackingId=vtcxmGEzQWK04H3PDuD2lw%3D%3D

😃 —CONNECT WITH ME! —

• MY INSTAGRAM → @jokim1

• TWITTER → @jokim1

• LINKEDIN → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jokim/

Sep 03, 202243:50

How to Argue Constructively (Philosophy Friday #20)

Drew Levin is currently Director of Product at Riot Games and before that a Director of Product Management at Zynga.

Zynga vs. Riot: two companies with wildly different approaches to game development, decision-making, and a culture of debate and discussion. Even more, Drew worked as a political campaign manager before game development.

I believe Drew is uniquely experienced in speaking very deeply about different cultures and approaches to having constructive debates within a corporate context. However, more broadly, in our talk today, we discuss the following:

- #1. The problem at many companies focused on winning vs. discussion and seeking truth

- #2. Impact of company culture

- #3. Specific techniques to facilitate more constructive discussions

- #4. Ideas and ways in which we can improve discussions

👇 EPISODE LINKS:

- Drew Levin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drew-levin-7a225626/

- Adam Grant, "How to Argue about Abortion": https://adamgrant.bulletin.com/how-to-argue-about-abortion/

- Paul Saffo on Strong Opinions, Weakly Held: https://www.saffo.com/02008/07/26/strong-opinions-weakly-held/

- AORs by Asana: https://wavelength.asana.com/workstyle-aors/

SUBSCRIBE TO GAMEMAKERS:

- Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/34hfOtv

- Spotify Podcast: https://spoti.fi/3Cpyq7i

- Newsletter: https://gamemakers.substack.com/

- Don't miss an episode on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/GameMakersStudio

Sep 03, 202201:06:26

Living With Purpose | JK Vlog #5

Aug 24, 202213:12

Will Dislyte Be Lilith's Next Big Mobile Gaming Hit?

Get the data and read the more in-depth take here: https://gamemakers.substack.com/p/will-dislyte-be-liliths-next-big

We talk about Lilith Games' latest mobile game: Dislyte. It's a "team battle" (game sub-genre) based mobile game that started strong but has recently slowed down. What are the chances of success?

We bring on two experts who recently covered Dislyte

#1. Harshal Karvande, Lead Game Designer at Rovio & Naavik Pro Contributor who wrote a deconstruction report on Dislyte and

#2. Teemu Palomaki, Chief Game Analyst at GameRefinery who recently hosted a webinar on Dislyte.

Finally, I asked Junde Yu from data.ai to show us the data associated with the game.

OUTLINE:

0:00 Intro

1:33 Dislyte Data Report

9:19 Performance Drivers

21:12 IP & Other Risks

29:02 Lilith Games Backstory

33:24 Tech & Battle Mechanics

38:42 PVE vs. PVP

44:38 Longer Term Outlook

50:00 Future Expectations

😃 —CONNECT WITH ME! —

• MY INSTAGRAM → @jokim1

• TWITTER → @jokim1

• LINKEDIN → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jokim/

Aug 24, 202254:03

Adversity is a Gift | JK Vlog #4

Coming off of one of the toughest months in my career, I reflect on how lucky I am to be faced with problems. It's only through problems and major challenges that you can learn how to get better. Adversity, therefore, is a gift! As Ray Dalio wrote in Principles: Pain + Reflection = Progress It's tough, but I hope you realize as I have that we are fortunate to have the challenges we face.

SUBSCRIBE TO GAMEMAKERS:

- Apple Podcast:

https://apple.co/34hfOtv

- Spotify Podcast:

https://spoti.fi/3Cpyq7i

- Newsletter:

https://gamemakers.substack.com/

- Don't miss an episode on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/c/GameMakersS...

😃 —CONNECT WITH ME! — • MY INSTAGRAM → @jokim1 • TWITTER → @jokim1 • LINKEDIN →

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jokim/

— POPULAR CONTENT — 🤑 Economy of the Metaverse with Tim Sweeney

ℹ️ How to Build the Amazon of Game Companies

🔮 Gaming Trends | A Look Ahead at 2021

🖥️ The Future of PC Gaming

🔴 Games Industry M&A

🔴 Netcode for Multiplayer Games

🔴 IDFA Deprecation Product Impact

🔴 Trip Hawkins on the New High Score

🔴 LiveOps F2P Best Practices

Aug 13, 202209:28

Discipline, Drive, and Details X Mental Strength | JK Vlog #3

Oh damn, I actually made another Vlog. Well, today I talk about the importance of discipline, drive, and details in execution and achieving successful outcomes. Further, I talk about how mental strength magnifies the 3Ds and how you can train for mental strength like a muscle.

SUBSCRIBE TO GAMEMAKERS:

- Spotify Podcast: https://spoti.fi/3Cpyq7i

- Newsletter: https://gamemakers.substack.com/

- Don't miss an episode on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/GameMakersStudio 😃

—CONNECT WITH ME! —

• MY INSTAGRAM → @jokim1

• TWITTER → @jokim1

• LINKEDIN → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jokim/

— POPULAR CONTENT —

🤑 Economy of the Metaverse with Tim Sweeney

ℹ️ How to Build the Amazon of Game Companies

🔮 Gaming Trends | A Look Ahead at 2021

🖥️ The Future of PC Gaming

🔴 Games Industry M&A

🔴 Netcode for Multiplayer Games

🔴 IDFA Deprecation Product Impact

🔴 Trip Hawkins on the New High Score

🔴 LiveOps F2P Best Practices

Aug 07, 202211:57

Bombay Play and Hyper Social Games ft. Mr. Oliver Jones

Oliver Jones is an OG game maker in India having worked at 2 of India's biggest companies like Zynga and co-founded Moonfrog (sold to Stillfront for $100M). He has now co-founded a new games studio called Bombay Play focusing on a new breed of games called "hyper social" games.

Why did Oli come to India in the first place? How were companies like Zynga and Moonfrog like during the early days? How has the Indian game dev ecosystem evolved over the years? How and why did he found Bombay Play? And, what are hyper social games?

Find out RIGHT NOW!

SUBSCRIBE TO GAMEMAKERS:

- Spotify Podcast: https://spoti.fi/3Cpyq7i

- Newsletter: https://gamemakers.substack.com/

- Don't miss an episode on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/GameMakersStudio 😃

—CONNECT WITH ME! —

• MY INSTAGRAM → @jokim1

• TWITTER → @jokim1

• LINKEDIN → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jokim/

— POPULAR CONTENT —

🤑 Economy of the Metaverse with Tim Sweeney

ℹ️ How to Build the Amazon of Game Companies

🔮 Gaming Trends | A Look Ahead at 2021

🖥️ The Future of PC Gaming

🔴 Games Industry M&A

🔴 Netcode for Multiplayer Games

🔴 IDFA Deprecation Product Impact

🔴 Trip Hawkins on the New High Score

🔴 LiveOps F2P Best Practices

Aug 06, 202234:59

Health is Critical to Grind | JK Vlog #2

Are you a workaholic grinder like me? Well, it finally got the best of me and totally jacked up my back and face. Health is critical! I talk about a big problem, trying to fix my health, and the results of my plan to get better in this video.

SUBSCRIBE TO GAMEMAKERS:

- Spotify Podcast: https://spoti.fi/3Cpyq7i

- Newsletter: https://gamemakers.substack.com/

- Don't miss an episode on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/GameMakersStudio 😃

—CONNECT WITH ME! —

• MY INSTAGRAM → @jokim1

• TWITTER → @jokim1

• LINKEDIN → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jokim/

— POPULAR CONTENT —

🤑 Economy of the Metaverse with Tim Sweeney

ℹ️ How to Build the Amazon of Game Companies

🔮 Gaming Trends | A Look Ahead at 2021

🖥️ The Future of PC Gaming

🔴 Games Industry M&A

🔴 Netcode for Multiplayer Games

🔴 IDFA Deprecation Product Impact

🔴 Trip Hawkins on the New High Score

🔴 LiveOps F2P Best Practices

Jul 27, 202211:36

Bayesian Thinking for Startups with @SebPark

Today I speak to Seb Park regarding how startups should incorporate "Bayesian Thinking" into their strategic decision-making process. This means how to incorporate new information for a startup best and how to use that to gain a massive competitive advantage.

SUBSCRIBE TO GAMEMAKERS:

- Spotify Podcast: https://spoti.fi/3Cpyq7i

- Newsletter: https://gamemakers.substack.com/

- Don't miss an episode on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/GameMakersStudio 😃

—CONNECT WITH ME! —

• MY INSTAGRAM → @jokim1

• TWITTER → @jokim1

• LINKEDIN → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jokim/

— POPULAR CONTENT —

🤑 Economy of the Metaverse with Tim Sweeney

ℹ️ How to Build the Amazon of Game Companies

🔮 Gaming Trends | A Look Ahead at 2021

🖥️ The Future of PC Gaming

🔴 Games Industry M&A

🔴 Netcode for Multiplayer Games

🔴 IDFA Deprecation Product Impact

🔴 Trip Hawkins on the New High Score

🔴 LiveOps F2P Best Practices