Yes, I know we skipped April (sorry), but Game Academy is back (again) with a guest who wears many hats (literally, he just made that joke again when I saw him a few weeks ago). Designer, Doctor, Dungeon Master... Nerd! This month I’m joined by Dr. Matthew Whitby, who took his storytelling skills from Portsmouth to York and now Rebellion North, where he’s working on games like Speedball.
In this episode, we dig into Matt’s PhD research on reflection, mental health, and perspective-taking in games, and how all that theory translates (or doesn’t) into the day-to-day reality of working in industry. We talk about the shift from academia to professional development, what it’s like being \"overqualified\" for a Graduate Game Designer role, and why making D&D campaigns is surprisingly great training for game dev chaos.
Can game design ever be done without spreadsheets? Is academia secretly just the tutorial level for the games industry? And can you name a Rebellion character after your homebrew bard? Maybe! If you roll a natural 20...
Links & Shoutouts:
📚 Follow Matt Whitby on Twitter: @WhitbyWrites
🎮 Go play Speedball: Speedball 2024 on Steam
🧪 Check out his portfolio: https://www.matt-whitby.com/
🐉 For your next chaotic D&D session, listen to Matt's podcast The DM's Guild House
📧 Guest ideas or questions? Email us at gameacademypod@gmail.com
🐶 Adam is still yelling about game feelings on https://bsky.app/profile/twoleft.bsky.social
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