In this episode of Behind Massive Screens, Petter and Dóri meet Brenda Bae, Lead Concept Artist on Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Océane Näsström, Associate Lead Character Artist on Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.

Hear about their roles, how they got to where they are today, and what went into designing the clans and characters in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – and making them come to life in the game. How the environments in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora affected the characters in the game, in everything from their silhouettes, hairstyles, clothing and gear – and much more.

#26 - Designing the Characters in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

On this week:

Dr. Kat Schrier discusses the potential of games to help people better connect with themselves and others. She shares her research on using games to enhance compassion, empathy, and reduce biases, as well as her work on a game in Nigeria that teaches about different ethnicities and discrimination. Dr. Schrier also highlights the importance of understanding multiple perspectives and the complexity of games. She emphasizes the need to reframe how we think about games and the diverse uses and possibilities they offer. The conversation explores the intersection of games and empathy, the value of grief literacy, and the hope that games can bring.

Dr. Kat Schrier (she/they) is Full Professor, Director of the Play Innovation Lab, and Director of the Games and Emerging Media program at Marist College. She is the author/editor of over 100 published works, such as We the Gamers: How Games Teach Ethics & Civics (Oxford University Press, 2021) and Knowledge Games (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2016). She has previously edited two book series, Ethics and Game Design and Learning, Education, & Games. She was a Belfer Fellow with the ADL's Center for Technology & Society, and she is co-PI for a Templeton Grant on designing VR games for empathy. Prior to joining the Marist College faculty, she worked as a media producer at Scholastic, Nickelodeon, and BrainPOP. She is currently consulting with the World Health Organization (WHO) as a game designer. She has a doctorate from Columbia University, a master’s from MIT, and a bachelor’s from Amherst College.

https://www.karenschrier.com/

https://www.karenschrier.com/publications

https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/how-we-can-use-games-understand-others-better

184: Building better futures with games

This week, Cameron and Chad are both Paladins with +2 INT.

Next week, join us as we listen to Music from Steamworld Heist II by Steam Powered Giraffe
https://youtu.be/NyDIVxaZmZg?list=OLAK5uy_kGN9TxvnyFxNS6708-M6IUlK_y7f0oMWg

Episode 325 - Classifying Classes in RPGs

'What we become when we play: The positive and negative impact of games on the forming of the self' is an article written by Lelah van Eijnsbergen and be found here: https://medium.com/@lelahvaneijnsbergen/a44405215c2a

Picture: Official artwork for DARK SOULS™ III, featured on the Steam Store page

What we become when we play - Audio version

Chapter 1 of RPG Tri-Realms - 2025 - 01 - 02T03 31 58

Made for the Jamuary challenge (jamming lots in January).

We finished a song from 2020. It will be up on Bandcamp at the end of the month, when we have enough to make it into a proper compilation and when it has more polish done to mixing/mastering.

Synth work by Masha (@masha-solo) and Rob Ulysses (@rob-ulysses) using a combination of the Roland Gaia SH-01 and Garageband for iOS.

Art by Masha using royalty free resources from Canva.

Wishing you all a very happy, healthy, 2025 that's creative/productive (when you want it to be) otherwise I hope your time is fun & relaxing! Much love from Archmage Band.

Jamuary 2025

Dimly-Lit Surroundings - Instrumental

Dimly-Lit Surroundings - Instrumental (For Jamuary 2025)

Enter your driest battle in the Egyptian desert expanse. 

Desert Trails

This week, Chad dreams of his favorite game Fortnite and how it could be improved after his exhaustive 3 year study of the game's design and market. 

Episode 338 - Chad's Dream Fortnite DLC

First track of a new series of musics for a video game going by the name of "Slippery Lands".

Slippery Land

loop track:
in progress: 
School Project ;3

disturb (the comfortable)

The gaming industry achieves quick improvements in realistic graphics because it uses AI solutions to meet the player requirement for superior visual effects in the Future of Game Design. Corporations develop methods to optimize real-time rendering processes along with AI-driven movements and environmental patterns. Players gain enhanced interactive experiences during gameplay which leads to more realistic game scenarios through this rising trend.


The Future of Game Design: Trends & Innovations for 2025

Lordy lordy, look who's forty. And by forty, of course I mean "deeply passionate about game design". And by look who, I mean "Nile and Gerry are deeply passionate about game design". 

Tune in and drop out to listen to Nile-Nile-Crocodile and Ger-Bear talk about their respective histories with game design, how it impacts mtg, and how you can start getting into it!

The Passion of The Nile | The Nile & Gerry Tea Podcast | Episode 18

What do video games and world-building have in common? Everything. Lou reconnects with Cheryl Platz—author, designer, and creative director—to explore the evolving world of video game development. Cheryl shares what drew her back to the gaming industry after years in enterprise UX and voice design, and how her new book, The Game Development Strategy Guide, distills insights across disciplines to help teams build modern games that truly thrive.

The conversation ranges from the power of cross-functional collaboration to the benefits UX skills bring to game development to the monetization models shaping today’s games. Cheryl reflects on the challenges facing the industry—massive layoffs, misaligned incentives, and a lack of shared understanding—and how a more human-centered, sustainable approach could be a game changer. 

Whether you're a UX professional, game developer, or just curious about what makes great video games tick, this episode offers a sharp, wide-angle view of where the field is headed.

The Intersection of Game Development and User Experience with Cheryl Platz

Tim Ferriss is a five-time New York Times bestselling author, a legendary podcaster with over a billion downloads, a prolific angel investor, and a relentless experimenter. During his fourth visit to Design Matters, he shares the story behind Coyote, a new card game he’s quietly been crafting—and the mindset that brought it to life.

Tim Ferriss

In this episode Zackavelli talks about the Enemy Design basics and lessons from across a spectrum of genres

Skip to Body of Episode: 8:04

Become a Patron: www.patreon.com/GDFG

Join the discord and talk with the community about making video games! Link: discord.gg/2C8eTsU

Follow Zackavelli on Twitter @_Zackavelli_

Twitch: www.twitch.tv/zackavelli_

Intro music by: Avaren
Outro remix by: Mugamoomoo

EP. 098 Enemy Design Across Genres

Lou Rosenfeld talks with a LOT of brilliant, interesting changemakers in the UX world and beyond. Subscribe to the Rosenfeld Media podcast for a bird's eye view into what shifts UX faces, and how individuals and teams can respond in ways that drive success.

Self independent creator member of "Suspended Realms Corporation";
most of my music work are samples...
Ongoing project : "Helwen; Ascension"
Song in Progress --> Far Foliage and In Hale
ERCA group

Archmage Band was founded in 2013 by Rob and Masha, who are a musician couple and synth pop duo from Australia.

Our Albums:
Realm I [Instrumental Prologue]: https://archmagemusic.bandcamp.com/album/realm-i-instrumental-prologue 
Realm II [Instrumental Prologue]: https://archmagemusic.bandcamp.com/album/realm-ii-instrumental-prologue-2

Gear:
We use a synthesizer (Roland Gaia SH-01), a midi controller (the Korg microKEY), Reason Compact, Figure, the LMMS DAW, and Garageband for iOS to make all our sounds.

All art by Masha unless stated otherwise on the release.

For enquires, collaboration or remix ideas, or just to get in touch with either Rob or Masha, contact Archmage Band at mail@archmagemusic.com

Additional Accounts:
@archmageband (2020-2022 Music)
@archmageband2 (2022-2023 Music)

Solo Accounts:
@masha-solo
@rob-ulysses

Thank you all for listening to our music, we hope that you have a great day.

Stezian Nebula is an independent music producer whose goal is to create variety and individuality in every piece. Built from the ground up,  every score intends to enhance the gameplay for players and watchers alike. Whether it's digging in a dark eerie cave or fighting the most adrenalin raging boss, Stezian Nebula strives to create excellence that exceeds your every need.

Two friends, Cameron and Chad, talk about whatever's going on. You know, crack one open and stop by. You like that Alien movie? Aliens was pretty good but I like Alien more.

Design Matters by Debbie Millman features interviews with designers, artists and cultural leaders, including Lawrence Weiner, Barbara Kruger, Malcolm Gladwell, Eric Kandel, Stefan Sagmeister, John Maeda, Jonathan Hoefler and Tobias Frere-Jones, Michael Arad, Milton Glaser, Massimo Vignelli, Paula Scher, Steven Heller, Jonah Lehrer, among others.

In 2011, Design Matters received the People’s Design Award from the prestigious Cooper-Hewitt National Design Awards.

Subscribe to Design Matters for free on iTunes, where new episodes are uploaded weekly: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/design-matters-debbie-millman/id328074695

Reimagining K12 education to foster allyship and belonging one conversation at a time. Learn more at triciafriedman.com

Massive Entertainment - a Ubisoft Studio is the studio behind classic games like The Division, The Division 2 and World in Conflict, and that's currently working on Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Star Wars Outlaws. In Behind Massive Screens, we dive deeper into games development, the gaming industry and the people behind the games.

The Game Dev Field Guide is a podcast series focused on teaching you how to make and launch your own video games. This podcast is aimed at the beginner to intermediate level of game developer. Learn things like how to make crisp movement controls, making eye catching sprites, and marketing your game for it's big release. Stay awhile and listen!

New tracks tagged #Game Design