A Gamer’s Story

Although esports is a small part of the gaming ecosystem, it is already a multi-billion industry, and it has a tremendous potential to grow even more. Competing against other players in an esports arena, with a captivated audience, and on a stage prepared just for the competition, is an incredible experience every gamer should have. That same experience, among many other services, is what our guest, Ben Feferman, provides at Amuka Esports, the company he created and directs. Ben Feferman is the CEO of Amuka Esports, a Startup Advisor, a Sales Ninja, and a Mycophile in training. Amuka's ecosystem is as complete as varied, including Waves Gaming, Canada's first esports arena, EZY Mode, Windsor Ontario's first and only esports lounge. They create quality content made with love by gamers for gamers like Made in Esports and Esports Apparel. Amuka also provides training and education in esports, organizes tournaments, adding value to gamers' lives in every way possible. In this episode, we had a fantastic conversation about competitive gaming, how it has changed the gaming industry so far, and its immense potential to change it even more. Ben kindly shared his view on where he sees the gaming industry headed, the future of VR, consoles, and mobile gaming. We also explore the possible crossovers between gaming and traditional sports and the positive influence experiences like iRacing's can have shortly.Tune in to Episode 16 of A Gamer's Story and take a deeper look at competitive gaming and the future of gaming itself.Some Questions I Ask:Where does esports fit into the gaming world? (1:36)Could you expand on what made you want to start an esports business? (5:05)What's the goal of your business? And what service does it provide? (8:36)What do you think is missing in esports? And where can it grow? (17:09)In This Episode, You Will Learn:Companies prioritizing accessibility. Valorant's example of lowering their graphics quality to increase accessibility (4:16)Making people with regular jobs feel like pro gamers (9:53)Why the audience is so crucial at esports events (16:41)PS5 will be probably the last console ever made (21:58)Resources:Amuka Esports websiteAmuka Esports TwitterAmuka Esports InstagramAmuka Esports FacebookAmuka Esports YouTubeAmuka Esports LinkedInConnect with Ben:LinkedInLet's Connect!InstagramTwitterYouTube

Although every part of a video game is indispensable, from storyline to animation, the looks are the first thing we get access to, even before seeing what the characters can do. That sounds like a lot of pressure for those creating the blueprints of how a game would look, doesn't it? Actually, concept artists, those in charge of designing those blueprints, love their job, and we have the pleasure to talk to one of them in today's episode: Christopher Hayes. Christopher Hayes is a concept artist; from his imagination and how his hands translate his thoughts into drawings is how some of the games we've spent hours playing look like. Currently working as a Senior UI Artist at Blizzard, he also worked at Epic Games as a Senior Artist and spent over 6 years at Blizzard as a 3-D Character Artist and Concept Artist. Christopher created weaponry, armor, and characters of World of Worldcraft, Hearthstone, and Disney Infinity. In this episode, we hear tons of incredible stories from Christopher about the characters he created, how fun it is to work at Blizzard, and his journey to becoming an artist. His father, a musician, and his mother, a painter, certainly encouraged him to work with art, while his grandfather would ask him if Blizzard was a good company to work in. We also talked about the projects he enjoyed the most working in, his and his kids' favorite games, and the things he prefers to design. Christopher also shared his thoughts on the importance of reading and constantly stimulating creativity, the tight connection between concept creation and storytelling, and much more. Tune in to Episode 15 of A Gamer's Story and join us on a journey into the depths of a creative mind. Some Questions I Ask:As a concept artist, how does a typical day at the office looks like? (1:24)Do you take inspiration from a specific artist or from several? (5:24)Hearthstone is a great game. What did you work on in that game? (16:30)What kind of designs are the ones you enjoy doing more? (41:44)In This Episode, You Will Learn:Where does someone like Christopher get inspiration from (7:01)About the hundreds of possibilities to get into the gaming industry besides being a professional player (12:04)Christopher's favorite games to play (21:49)Why storytelling is one of the primary parts of creating the concept of a video game (47:52)Connect with Christopher:LinkedInInstagramEtsyLet's Connect!InstagramTwitterYouTube

Ask any gamer and they'll tell you that the voice acting in a video game can make or break the experience. The best voice actors are able to connect with their audience on an emotional level, conveying everything from humor to horror. The challenge of a voice actor is more complex because they have only one resource to portray a character's emotions: their voice.Our guest today is Tod Fennell, a Film & Television Actor, Voice-Over Performer, and Screenwriter who has been using his voice to portray characters for almost three decades. Tod's childhood was linked to the arts; his parents were professional dancers and choreographers and owners of a successful dance school in Montreal. Tod started his professional acting career at age 6 and continues to challenge himself in many different areas of entertainment.  As an actor he has appeared in numerous movies and TV shows. Tod also participated as a voice-over artist in several video games, including Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Assassin's Creed 2 and 3, Far Cry New Dawn, and Monster Hunter Stories 2, to name a few. In this episode, Tod takes us on a trip into the world of acting, where we get to see different sides of it; we get to observe the challenges actors go through when getting ready for a role, or the importance of being prepared before the camera or the microphone starts recording. We go through Tod's journey into the acting and voice-over acting world, what he enjoys most, and the most challenging parts of it. We also talk about Tod's favorite games, the projects he enjoyed the most working on, his future plans, and much more. Tune in to Episode 14 of A Gamer's Story and get to know better a profession that plays a central role in video games' creation.Some Questions I Ask:You've done everything from Nickelodeon shows to big prank commercials and voice-over acting? How did you begin acting? (1:36)How are voice-over acting roles different from visual acting? (14:38)Which acting roles have you enjoyed the most? (27:59)Do you play any video games? And if so, which ones? And do you play the games that you've acted in? (36:56)In This Episode, You Will Learn:You don't have to pigeonhole yourself into only one thing. You can learn to do and try on several things within your profession (8:29)The importance of looking at mistakes as opportunities to learn and grow (17:59)The most important part of voice-acting is listening (22:41)The importance of learning to say no to some projects and how not to take criticism personally is essential to grow and get better at what we do (34:19)Resources:Tod Fennell websiteConnect with Tod:LinkedInInstagramFacebookTwitterLet's Connect!InstagramTwitterYouTube