Saying No to Meta Thirst Traps with Ray Marek of Unparalleled Comics – GameDev Breakdown

Unparalleled Comics Editor-in-Chief returns to the podcast to talk promoting on social media, stepping between the game industry and your kids, and Denny’s at 2 AM.

Segments

How do you watch, play, and listen?

TV and film creators are increasingly agitated about playback speed. This reminded me of game developer backlash when Nintendo enabled Bluetooth audio devices on the Switch. Creators on both sides made the argument that they carefully design an experience, and no one should be allowed to modify that experience whether consumers would prefer to or not. They would really hate to see me in my office on a rare night I get to relax, playing a muted video game on one monitor and watching Vice documentaries at 1.5x speed on the other.

Social media: blessing and curse

Fresh out from under a conservative trollpile after I suggested Trump’s audio wasn’t great–okay, fine, I was mean about it–we discussed our latest efforts at promoting our work in social media’s constantly shifting landscape. We agreed all the Threads previews on Instagram have been…awkward.

Are players aware of game industry layoffs?

I have this theory that game studios and publishers are getting away with record-breaking layoffs every year because, somehow, players really don’t know anything about it. I tested this theory with Ray and he confirmed it wasn’t on his radar. He’s not alone.

Gamer parenting problems

You wouldn’t know it from our self-deprecating banter, but Ray and I both pride ourselves on intentional and involved parenting. That’s why it’s surprising that we’ve both had recent issues where we had to go to bat for our kids against game industry companies with shitty policies.

Are players knowledgeable about indie game studios?

If you ask almost anyone who plays video games about indie studios, the players will be quick to voice their support, but how much to players actually know about the indie scene? We discussed indie studios, noteworthy games we’ve been playing, and the notorious Dave the Diver controversy.

Follow Ray

Thanks to Ray Marek for another fun visit. Check out Unparalleled Comics and The Horror Syndicate on Facebook to follow his work.