Game Maker's Notebook

Listen to our extended roundtable conversations from the 24th Annual #DICEAwards, moderated by Spawn on Me's Kahlief Adams, with candid conversations and insights from the nominees for Outstanding Technical Achievement. The nominees include: +Dreams +Ghost of Tsushima +The Last of Us Part II +Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit +Microsoft Flight Simulator

Austin Wintory chats with Phillip Kovats, the Senior Director of Sound for the PlayStation Studios Creative Arts team. Together they discuss his long career working on some of the biggest titles in the games industry; learning to tell stories and finding your voice as an artist; using audio to marry visuals and music to help the player's emotional journey; and giving teams agency to explore their creative vision and find solutions. Phillip Kovats has been in games since 1999, helping create the sound and direction for the God of War series, flOw, flOwer, Journey, and Uncharted 1 & 2. In 2010, he joined Naughty Dog as audio lead, helming games such as The Last of Us, Left Behind, Uncharted 4, and Uncharted: Lost Legacy. Now, Phil works as the director of sound for the PlayStation Studios Creative Arts team, overseeing talent, facilities, operations, and creative for titles such as Ghost of Tsushima, Death Stranding, Marvel's Spider-Man, Demon's Souls, Ratchet & Clank and many others under the PlayStation Studios banner.

Listen to our extended roundtable conversations from the 24th Annual #DICEAwards, moderated by Spawn on Me's Kahlief Adams, with candid conversations and insights from the nominees for Mobile Game of the Year. The nominees include- -HoloVista -Legends of Runeterra -Little Orpheus -Song of Bloom -South of the Circle

Listen to our extended roundtable conversations from the 24th Annual #DICEAwards, moderated by Spawn on Me's Kahlief Adams, with candid conversations and insights from the nominees for Action Game of the Year. The nominees include- -DOOM Eternal -Hades -Half-Life: Alyx -Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales -Nioh 2

Listen to the nominees for the 24th Annual #DICEAwards Outstanding Achievement in Story chat with one another in intimate roundtable sessions, moderated by Spawn on Me's Kahlief Adams. The nominees include- -13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim -Ghost of Tsushima -Hades -Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition -The Last of Us Part II

Ted Price chats with Guha and Karthik Bala, brothers who founded both Velan Studios and Vicarious Visions. Together they discuss their incredible journey in games beginning with the founding of Vicarious Visions while they were both in high school and into their new venture at Velan Studios; their approach to problem solving; how failure leads to positive outcomes; and what they learned at MIT that helped them think in unexpected ways. Guha and Karthik founded Velan Studios which is known for Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit and the recently released Knockout City. They also founded Vicarious Visions which developed the Skylanders series as well as several titles in the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series, and Crash Bandicoot series.

Listen to the nominees for the 24th Annual #DICEAwards Adventure Game of the Year chat with one another in intimate roundtable sessions, moderated by Spawn on Me's Kahlief Adams. The nominees include- -Assassin's Creed Valhalla -Ghost of Tsushima -Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition -The Last of Us Part II -Ori and the Will of the Wisps

Watch our extended roundtable conversations from the 24th Annual #DICEAwards, moderated by Spawn on Me's Kahlief Adams, with candid conversations and insights from the nominees for Outstanding Achievement in Game Design. The nominees include- -Ghost of Tsushima -Hades -Half-Life: Alyx -The Last of Us Part II -Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Brought to you by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, the 24th Annual #DICEAwards is an annual awards celebration by game makers for game makers, honoring the games that connect us around the globe. These awards honor our fellow creators and the very best in interactive entertainment. Watch our extended roundtable conversations from the 24th Annual #DICEAwards, moderated by Spawn on Me's Kahlief Adams, with candid conversations and insights from the nominees for Role-Playing Game of the Year. The nominees include- Cyberpunk 2077, FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE, Persona 5 Royal, Wasteland 3, Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Ted Price chats with Matt Firor, Founder and Studio Director at ZeniMax Online Studios and Game Director on The Elder Scrolls Online. Together they discuss how his team built and continues to expand on a giant online world; the balance between systems and hand created content; the importance of engagement metrics in order to maintain the health of the game; and the potential of online worlds in the future. Prior to his work at ZeniMax Online Studios, Matt was a designer and producer on one of the most influential massively multiplayer online role-playing games in the genre, Dark Age of Camelot.