Building Better Games

Leadership in game dev is hard. I can't make it easy, but I can make it a heck of a lot better.My name is Benjamin Carcich, and this podcast helps leaders in game dev who feel stuck, ignored, and out of options find their path to success. I've spent the last several decades studying and leading in environments ranging from the U.S. Army through to game development. I want to share what I've learned. Better leadership is a huge opportunity in the games industry. Let's make it better together. Better leaders build better games.

Building Better Games is a leisure podcast hosted by Benjamin Carcich, with 162 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Benjamin Carcich hosts Building Better Games, a leisure show with 162 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #143

  E143: The Framework We Used At Riot To Build Champions

  Aug 18, 202651 min

  Access the Cohesion Quadrant here: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg/cohesion-quadrant Why do games crafted by world-class designers, artists, and writers still fail to connect with players? When design, story, and art don't agree, players feel the friction immediately, even if they can't put it into words. In this episode, Benjamin Carcich breaks down the DNA Framework (Design, Narrative, Art) developed on the League of Legends champion team. Discover why polishing individual assets won't fix a disjointed game, how to establish a clear priority stack for your project, and how leaders can maintain true vision cohesion from ideation to launch. What You'll Learn in This Episode: What the DNA Framework really is and how Design, Narrative, and Art work together to create cohesive player experiences Why great work can still fail when teams work in silos How to spot misalignment early before it turns into bigger problems for the project How to get your entire team moving in the same direction and turn great individual work into one unified game If you're a leader in game dev who is tired of watching high-quality assets fail to come together into a cohesive whole, this episode is for you. Learn how to diagnose hidden friction between design, art, and story before it impacts your players. Level up your leadership: https://forms.gle/nqRTUvgFrtdYuCbr6 Connect with us: Ben's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-carcich/ BBG's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/building-better-games/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# Website: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@buildingbettergames If you want help leading teams and studios to better games players love, you can reach me at: info@valarinconsulting.com #GameDev #GameDesign #GameDevelopment #GamingIndustry #Leadership

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  Episode #142

  E142: What Roblox Devs Know About Attention That AAA Doesn't

  Aug 12, 20261h 35m

  Level up your leadership: https://forms.gle/nqRTUvgFrtdYuCbr6 Have you ever wondered if the secret to game marketing isn't a massive budget, but rather mastering the content flywheel and understanding how algorithms actually work? In this episode of Building Better Games, Ben sits down with Zach Letter (Wonder Works Studio) for a deep dive into organic user acquisition, content creation, and the evolution of modern game marketing. Zach breaks down the distinct strategies behind three of his studio's major hits—Overlook Bay, SpongeBob Tower Defense, and Duck Duck—explaining how to co-develop with your audience, leverage YouTube and TikTok creators without paying for sponsored posts, and manufacture viral moments that scale. What You'll Learn in This Episode: What algorithm-driven distribution really requires, and why treating platforms as partners can be the key to scaling your game Why one-off influencer sponsorships often fail How to build a content flywheel that keeps creators talking about your game organically How to manage player expectations without overpromising or setting yourself up for post-launch burnout How real-time player feedback can shape your live-ops roadmap Why "under-promise and over-deliver" matters when building long-term trust with your players If you're a leader in game dev who wants to stop burning budget on traditional ads and master organic, creator-led growth strategies, this episode is for you. Learn more about our guest: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachary-letter-0769b893/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aviatorgaming/?hl=en YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AviatorGaming Wikitubia: https://youtube.fandom.com/wiki/AviatorGaming More about Duck Duck: Games Beat Article: https://gamesbeat.com/team-behind-robloxs-top-earning-licensed-game-launchesd-duck-duck/ Roblox: https://www.roblox.com/games/135486323963203/Duck-Duck Connect with us: Ben's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-carcich/ BBG's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/building-better-games/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# Website: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@buildingbettergames If you want help leading teams and studios to better games players love, you can reach me at: info@valarinconsulting.com #GameDev #GameMarketing #RobloxDev #IndieGameDev #GameDesign

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  Episode #141

  E141: Why Talented Game Teams Still Ship Boring Games

  Aug 5, 202628 min

  Level up your leadership: https://forms.gle/nqRTUvgFrtdYuCbr6 Every great game you have ever played relies on a hidden shape underneath its experience, and most game dev leaders can't name it. When you can't name a design pattern, you can't use it on purpose. That's how talented teams spend years pouring sweat into content, only to release a game that just doesn't engage its players. In this episode, Benjamin Carcich breaks down "interest curves," a game design lens from Jesse Schell that dictates how player engagement actually works. Drawing from juggling acts, Howard Shore's Lord of the Rings score, and nested loops in League of Legends, Ben demonstrates why player interest has very little to do with mechanical difficulty or content cost—and how you can map engagement to keep players coming back. What You'll Learn in This Episode: What an interest curve is—and why it determines whether players stay engaged or lose interest The four stages of every great interest curve: the hook, rising peaks, strategic valleys, and the climax Why developers often mistake development effort for player value, leading to weak pacing and player drop-off How to design moments that maximize player engagement instead of just increasing production cost A practical way to map your game's interest curve with your team and align everyone around the player experience How playtests can reveal the exact moments where players become bored, confused, or disengaged Why the same principles behind great games also apply to movies, presentations, and even business meetings If you're a leader in game dev who wants your team aligned on what actually keeps players engaged—rather than just making games harder or more expensive to build—this episode is for you. Connect with us: Ben's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-carcich/ BBG's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/building-better-games/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# Website: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@buildingbettergames If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: info@valarinconsulting.com #GameDev #GameDesign #GameDevelopment #BuildingBetterGames #ProductionLeadership

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  Episode #140

  E140: Why Bad Ideas Beat Good Ones in Game Dev

  Jul 29, 202629 min

  Level up your leadership: https://forms.gle/nqRTUvgFrtdYuCbr6 Have you ever walked through a building and assumed you knew enough to be a civil engineer? When game dev leaders look at design, narrative, or engineering problems and think, "I could do a better job than that," they often mistake surface-level observation for actual craft expertise. In this episode, Benjamin Carcich breaks down why smart leaders fall into the trap of second-guessing specialized disciplines—from game design to AI-assisted engineering—and how "swooping in" with uninformed solutions damages your game and your team's trust. What You'll Learn in This Episode What "armchair quarterbacking" actually costs your studio and why leaders easily fall into the trap of oversimplifying complex disciplines. Why every game development decision is a series of trade-offs (pros vs. cons), and why untested ideas always look pristine in your head. How to apply Chesterton's Fence to understand why a system exists before trying to tear it down. How to give feedback as a leader by focusing on root problems and asking curious questions rather than mandating solutions. If you're a leader in game dev who wants to stop accidentally undermining your experts and start giving feedback that actually elevates your team, this episode is for you. Connect with us: Ben's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-carcich/ BBG's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/building-better-games/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# Website: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@buildingbettergames If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: info@valarinconsulting.com #GameDev #GameDesign #GameDevelopment #Leadership #StudioManagement

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  Episode #139

  E139: Why an Ad-Tech Insider Says Ads Will Help Game Devs

  Jul 21, 20261h 6m

  Level up your leadership: https://forms.gle/nqRTUvgFrtdYuCbr6 Is the video game industry being kept afloat by tech giants willingly lighting billions of dollars on fire—and what happens to your studio when the subsidy stops? In this episode, Ben sits down with Colan Neese, SVP of Gaming at Screen Engine/ASI and author of the Patch Notes newsletter, to deconstruct the shifting macroeconomic tectonic plates of gaming. They dive into the reality of platform economics, why Microsoft is losing an estimated 64 cents on every dollar invested in gaming, the likely rise of ad-supported models in the PC/console ecosystem, and the terrifying market realities of the Grand Theft Auto VI release timeline. What You'll Learn in This Episode: What the true data reveals about the current collapse of platform economics, Microsoft's aggressive studio layoffs, and why the "rounding error" era of gaming budgets is officially over Why the industry's current reliance on wishlist momentum and renting creator attention is fundamentally broken, and why ad-tech algorithms might be a viable solution to solve game discovery How GTA 6 is creating an unprecedented industry black hole that is actively deflating competitor mindshare, shrinking long-tail revenues, and forcing studios to aggressively alter their release calendars If you're a leader in game dev who is trying to forecast your studio's launch window, build a sustainable monetization strategy, and survive the impending GTA 6 market consolidation, this episode is for you. Learn more about Colan Neese: Connect with Colan on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/colanneese/ and subscribe to his newsletters: Mind Game Patch Notes: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/mindgame-patch-notes-7336099537939255300/ LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7336099537939255300/ Connect with us: Ben's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-carcich/ BBG's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/building-better-games/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbettergames/# Website: https://www.buildingbettergames.gg YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@buildingbettergames If you want me to help producers or studios build better games through effective systems and leadership, you can reach me at: info@valarinconsulting.com #GameDev #GamingIndustry #PlatformEconomics #Xbox #GTA6

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