Interviewing Tips, Global Teams, NY Comic Con, Running LiveOps, Crunching, Mentors, Mass Effect, Austin Game Dev, QA Life, and Relationships Matter with Patrick Moran of Kongregate

Game Dev Advice: The Game Developer's Podcast

I welcome Patrick Moran, game industry veteran and GM at Kongregate’s Tonic division on this episode. We start by discussing COVID-19 and his current role. Learn how his team’s spread over the globe, plus the unique business model he’s leading around LiveOps and buying games.

Patrick then shares what it was like trying to break into the industry and the method used for getting his first job. Hear about life crunching in QA on Deus Ex, making mobile and DS games as a Designer, and the importance of patience.

Learn what people to reach out to and how to get your first job, along with the importance of mentorship. Hear the culture challenge he faced at Wideload as it was coming to terms with being owned by Disney and later getting laid off.

Hear thoughts on how Design is always changing and what to do for advancing your career. Patrick then shares about being resourceful, knowing your audience, working at Amazon, at BioWare, and the importance of boundaries.

Hear thoughts on the advantages of working remotely, how it’s been accelerated, and forced some people to change. Hear about LiveOps, metaverses and communities, how Garena grew into a massive company in SE Asia, plus growth markets like Latin America and Africa.

Learn his opinion about the industry’s lack of mentorship being the root cause of crunch, sexism, burnout, and other huge issues. Patrick then shares about meeting an executive coach and learning how they help people in leadership roles, along with concerns around VR and excitement around AR.

Hear a hilarious story about New York Comic Con, Deadpool, Stan Lee, and drinking. Thoughts on RimWorld, deep interest in A.I., and amazement for MS Flight Simulator.

We then wrap up with more thoughts around mentorship, final advice, and how to find online.

Bio:

Patrick Moran is an award-winning video game business leader and entrepreneur, with developer and publisher experience across mobile, console, and PC platforms during his almost 20 years in the industry. He’s currently the General Manager of Kongregate’s Tonic division, and has held various roles at BioWare, Ion Storm Austin, Amazon Games, Disney Interactive, MobilityWare, and other studios.

Timeline:

[02:00] Discussion about COVID-19’s impact

[03:30] Talk about his GM role at Kongregate and how they’re evolving

[05:37] Patrick shares about his distributed global team and their business model

[08:20] Hear about the game industry in 2000 and the unusual way he got his first job

[15:40] Patrick shares about his first role as a Designer after working in QA

[20:35] Learn his advice around patience and ambition

[25:25] Who you should reach out to for getting a first job

[31:35] How your career will evolve based on your network of peers

[37:50] Learn about his favorite games worked on and the importance of your audience

[41:00] How his career trajectory changed after working on Mass Effect

[44:30] The advantages of working remotely and how games can have massive growth

[47:50] LiveOps, metaverses, and markets like SE Asia, Latin America, and Africa

[55:40] Belief a lack of mentorship is the root cause of many ongoing industry issues

[1:05:30] Hear concerns around VR and interest around AR

[1:08:10] Funny story about New York Comic Con, Deadpool, and Stan Lee

[1:18:25] Hear about Rimworld and Flight Simulator

[1:21:50] Learn how to find him online and final thoughts

Show Links:

Wideload Games Wikipedia

New World website

Surviv.io website

Garena Wikipedia

Avengers Initiative YouTube

Total MK Interview YouTube

RimWorld website

MS Flight Simulator Steam

Connect:

Patrick Moran Twitter

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