GGJ Podcast

The GGJ Podcast brings the spirit of Global Game Jam to your headphones, with people from around the world sharing how they found their way into game development. Each week, Susan Gold talks with developers, studio founders, and festival organizers about the twists, risks, and side doors that shaped their paths and communities. You will hear honest stories about creativity, collaboration, failure, and the messy, beautiful reality of making games.

GGJ Podcast is a technology podcast hosted by Susan Gold, with 21 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.

Susan Gold hosts GGJ Podcast, a technology show with 21 episodes published.

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  Episode #20

  Architect of Possibility | Fawzi Mesmar

  Jul 14, 202649 min

  In our final episode of the season, sponsored in part by Sony Playstation’s Hero Project and the Knight Foundation, Susan talks to award‑winning creative director, game designer, and author Fawzi Mesmar about what it means to turn a childhood dream of Japan and video games into a multi‑continent career, and then use that journey to demystify creativity for an entire region. Drawing on early years moving between Saudi Arabia and Jordan with an Atari 2600 and MSX, his decision to study computer science and Japanese when almost no one around him believed game development was a viable job, and leadership roles at studios like GameLoft, Atlus, DICE, King, and Ubisoft, Fawzi shares how writing Resident Evil walkthroughs in his school notebook first revealed the invisible hand of game design, why seminal books by Raph Koster, Jesse Schell, and Eric Zimmerman turned “ideas guy” myths into hypothesis‑driven craft, and how being repeatedly promoted at his teams’ request shaped his view of leadership as servitude. From composing music for a tiny Game Boy Advance team in Amman to authoring the first Arabic‑language game design textbook now used in universities across five countries, creating free courses with partners like the Queen Rania Foundation, and collaborating with Global Game Jam organizers across the MENA region, he talks about placing himself in destiny’s path, saying yes when the train stops, and why he now sees his role as being the mentor he never had so aspiring developers in Arabic‑speaking communities can feel that their dreams are possible too. (00:00) - Intro (01:53) - Meet fawzi Mesmar (03:28) - Japan (05:21) - Imagination (06:36) - From Fun to a Career (08:59) - The Realisation (11:59) - Japan (13:05) - Doors Opening (17:10) - Jumping into the Abyss (19:11) - Leadership (21:43) - Design as a Science (24:06) - Sponsor: PlayStation Hero Project (26:45) - Mentors (28:13) - Effort and Luck (30:03) - Sense of Responsibility (33:03) - Impact (36:40) - Worlds of Influence (39:30) - Arab Stories in Video Games (43:05) - Curiosity before judgement (45:02) - Where to find Fawzi (47:40) - Outro Guest Bio: Fawzi Mesmar is an award winning Creative Director, Game designer, author and public speaker who has been in the gaming industry for over two decades in a career that spanned the middle east, New Zealand, Japan and Europe working for companies such as Ubisoft, EA, Activision Blizzard, Gameloft and Atlus to name a few. He has worked on many titles that have been enjoyed by millions of players worldwide including entries in Beyond Good and Evil, Mario Rabbids, Battlefield and Star Wars franchises. He is also the author of "Al-Khallab in the art of game design" the first Arabic language text book on game design and “demystifying creativity on originality in game development”. Fawzi was also the recipient of the Ambassador award in 2024. Join our Substack - https://tinyurl.com/GGJPodcastSubstack GGJ Podcast Sponsors: https://www.playstation.com/en-in/india-hero-project https://www.playstation.com/en-in/china-hero-project https://www.playstation.com/en-in/mena-hero-project/ https://com.miami.edu/department-of-interactive-media/ Wishlist Meteora: The Race Against Spacetime now on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1155220/METEORA/

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  Episode #19

  Radical Play | Salaar Kohari

  Jul 7, 202640 min

  In episode 19 Sponsored in part by Sony PlayStation’s Hero Project and the Knight Foundation, Susan chats with indie game developer and Cage Studios co‑founder Salaar Kohari about what it means to build fast, colorful, anti‑toxic games while challenging capitalism and centering joy. Drawing on a childhood spent across Amsterdam, Chicago, Cairo, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles, his experience living through Egypt’s Jasmine Revolution, and a career that took him from Flash prototypes on Newgrounds to shipping AAA titles at Sony Santa Monica before striking out on his own, Salaar shares how he designs interactivity as the “whole point” of the medium, why he believes game education too often traps students in outdated, capital‑driven curricula, and how mentoring shy early‑career devs to reach out boldly is part of his practice. From cold‑booking a meeting with the God of War game director as an intern, to co‑creating co‑op movement shooters like Sherwood Extreme that bake collaboration into their systems and designing his new anti‑capitalist, family‑centered game Gun Stoppable, he talks about killing ambitious prototypes when the ecosystem isn’t ready, the mechanics that quietly turn blame into mutual support, and why he’d rather make explicitly political games that help players feel seen, connected, and “locked in” than chase neutrality in a world where everything is already political. (00:00) - Intro (01:53) - Meet Salaar Kohari (04:30) - A Supporting Family (06:09) - Growing-up Around the World (09:24) - Breaking into the Industry (11:20) - A Formal Education in Games? (14:58) - Interactivity & Immersion (17:22) - Boldness (18:02) - Sponsor: PlayStation Hero Project (19:29) - Boldness (22:02) - Between Santa Monica & Indie (24:25) - Designing Toxicity Out of Games (26:54) - The Games that didn't Make it (29:06) - Games as Political Statements (32:10) - What Would You Make? (34:14) - Creating Joyful Experiences (36:22) - What Comes Next? (37:55) - Where to find Salaar (38:55) - Outro Guest Bio: Salaar Kohari is a game developer and engineer, cofounder of CAGE Studios, a studio that has reached over 200,000 players worldwide. Kohari began teaching himself how to develop games at just 8 years old, and earned a master's degree from an Ivy League university by 22. He worked on the God of War series before quitting to create indie games like Gunstoppable. He believes in lifting others as he climbs and has spoken at the Game Developers Conference twice and mentored hundreds of aspiring developers. Wishlist Gunstoppable on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3724710/Gunstoppable Join our Substack - https://tinyurl.com/GGJPodcastSubstack GGJ Podcast Sponsors: https://www.playstation.com/en-in/india-hero-project https://www.playstation.com/en-in/china-hero-project https://www.playstation.com/en-in/mena-hero-project/ https://com.miami.edu/department-of-interactive-media/ Wishlist Suri: The Seventh Note on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4110680/SURI_The_Seventh_Note/

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  Episode #18

  Risk by Design | Mario Wynands

  Jun 30, 202649 min

  In episode 18, Sponsored in part by Sony Playstation’s Hero Project, Susan talks with New Zealand studio founder and longtime developer Mario Wynands about what it means to help build a national game industry almost from scratch and turn local projects into globally recognized work. Drawing on his early days as a gamer and programmer in a country that was not yet known for games, his experience starting and sustaining a studio through multiple hardware generations and market shifts, and his role in nurturing Wellington’s ecosystem as it grew from a handful of teams to a connected community, Mario shares how he navigated the leap from contract and handheld projects into original IP, why regional meetups and game jams became critical infrastructure for isolated creators, and how he approaches studio leadership as a long‑term design problem in its own right. From mentoring emerging developers and collaborating with initiatives like Global Game Jam to advocating for policy, funding, and education that recognize games as both culture and industry, he talks about the emotional reality of building something that didn’t exist before, what it means to make games that feel distinctly “from here” while resonating worldwide, and why the future of New Zealand games depends on supporting diverse voices, sustainable studios, and deeper cross‑border collaboration. (00:00) - GGJPodcastMarioWynands (00:00) - Intro (01:37) - Meet Mario Wynands (05:53) - Work with your head (08:19) - Making Games (13:22) - Finding Mentors When you're the First (16:23) - Buisness Dev (19:45) - The Scariest Leap (24:28) - Sponsor: PlayStation Hero Project (28:38) - From Coder to Business (30:22) - Looking Beyond the Games (34:44) - Unusual Advantagess (37:52) - The move to Colombia (41:27) - What are the next big risks? (45:36) - Where to find Mario (47:40) - Outro Guest Bio: Mario Wynands is the CEO and co-founder of PikPok, a leading publisher of video games for mobile, desktop, and console based in Aotearoa New Zealand. Since 1997 he has led the studio in building a successful games portfolio that includes the critically and commercially successful Rival Stars® Horse Racing, Into the Dead® franchise, Super Monsters Ate My Condo™, Shatter® and more, which have been recognized with BAFTA and DICE Award nominations, as well as included on App Store and Google Play best of year lists. Wynands is a graduate of Victoria University in Wellington with degrees in business management and computer science. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2239710/Into_the_Dead_Our_Darkest_Days/ https://www.meta.com/en-gb/experiences/into-the-dead-crimson-heights/27318581554432214/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/4638740/Into_the_Dead_Crimson_Heights/ Just launched: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/barbie-horse-ride-rescue/id6736413272 or https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pikpok.br.play Join our Substack - https://tinyurl.com/GGJPodcastSubstack GGJ Podcast Sponsors: https://www.playstation.com/en-in/india-hero-project https://www.playstation.com/en-in/china-hero-project https://www.playstation.com/en-in/mena-hero-project/

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  Episode #17

  Engineering Connection | Matthew Moss

  Jun 23, 202649 min

  In episode 17, sponsored in part by the Sony PlayStation Hero Project, Susan chats with artist and game developer Matthew Moss about what it means to build community across cultures in one of the world’s most storied game hubs. Growing up in Miami in a deeply creative, nonconforming household, Matthew found his way into newspapers, editorial cartooning, and early web games before moving to New York and eventually to Japan, where he spent years working inside the industry while learning the language and rhythms of life in Tokyo. After a period of personal upheaval during COVID, he returned to Japan determined to create a space for connection, which became Tokyo Game Bridge, a community hub that brings together local developers, students, international studios, and partners across languages. We explore how listening became his most important skill, why spaces like Tokyo Game Bridge matter for people who feel like they stick out, and how his teaching instincts show up today as service to the community he has helped grow. (00:00) - Intro (02:44) - Growing up in Florida (04:20) - Art, Drawing & Theater (07:44) - From Non-Conforming Child to Teacher (15:21) - Off to College in Pursuit of a Dream (19:06) - Sensing the Shift and Taking Action (21:29) - Sponsor: PlayStation Hero Project (22:57) - Transfering Skills from Print to Games (26:08) - Moving Abroad (33:01) - The Bottom of the Barrel (37:29) - Tokyo Game Bridge & the Value of Connection (40:42) - Finding Alignment (45:14) - Find Out More About Tokyo Game Bridge & Matthew (47:26) - Outro Guest Bio: Matthew Moss is a Tokyo-based creative director, designer, illustrator, and visual development specialist whose work spans games, branding, and cross-border creative strategy. He is the Chair and Co-Founder of Tokyo Game Bridge, a mission-driven organization connecting games industry professionals across Japan and the global market. He also founded Tokyo Tailored Tours, a private tour experience that applies experience design principles to create deeply personal explorations of Tokyo's culture, history, and hidden local knowledge. In his studio practice, Matthew helps teams find clarity by shaping projects into strong visual identities, cohesive brands, and polished audience-facing products. His work covers art direction, illustration, game art, character and world concepting, brand systems, and end-to-end creative direction. He also teaches seminars on visual development for game design and the comparative history of games between Japan and the West. Across his work, Matthew is motivated by creativity as a way to build connection, awe, and wonder, both as design outcomes and as integrally spiritual elements of the shared human experience. Find out more about Matthew & the Tokyo Game Bridge! https://www.matthewmoss.com/ https://www.tokyogamebridge.org/ GGJ Podcast Sponsors: https://www.playstation.com/en-in/india-hero-project https://www.playstation.com/en-in/china-hero-project https://www.playstation.com/en-in/mena-hero-project/ Wishlist "Suri: The Seventh Note" on Steam today! - https://store.steampowered.com/app/4110680/SURI_The_Seventh_Note/ Join our Substack - https://tinyurl.com/GGJPodcastSubstack

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  Episode #16

  Building on a Legacy | Maria Burns Ortiz

  Jun 16, 202647 min

  In episode 16 Susan talks to Global Game Jam executive director Maria Burns Ortiz about what it means to lead a veteran global community with empathy and an eye toward underrepresented creators. Drawing on her background as a journalist for outlets like ESPN, her experience co‑founding Seven Generation Games to build educational games with tribal and marginalized communities, and her first two years at the helm of GGJ, Maria shares how she works to see the organization through the perspectives of jammers in Latin America, Africa, Asia, India and beyond, how she balances legacy with necessary change, and why expanding pathways like partner jams, multilingual programs, and micro‑grants is essential if Global Game Jam is truly going to belong to the people it serves. (00:00) - Intro (01:53) - Introducing Maria Burns Ortiz (03:28) - Natural Storyteller (04:57) - From Journalism to Games (07:36) - Making the Invisible Visible (10:55) - Educational Games (14:45) - 7th Generation Games (17:06) - The Responsability of Being a Creator (22:11) - The True Impact (24:03) - Sponsor: The PlayStation Hero Project (25:21) - Leading the GGJ (33:58) - The Huge World of Games (38:08) - GGJ as an Opportunity Creator (43:09) - How do you do it? (45:36) - Outro Guest Bio: Maria Burns Ortiz is the executive director of the Global Game Jam, which organizes the world's largest game creation event, The Global Game Jam, and the world's largest youth game jam, GGJ Next. GGJ works year-round to support the growth of game development ecosystems and champion indie developers around the world. Through these efforts, GGJ reaches over 40,000 game creators across more than 100 countries annually. Previous to leading GGJ, she co-founded and was CEO of 7 Generation Games, creating educational and social impact games and the tools to make them. She led the development of 30+ games from concept to commercialization, aimed at closing educational and opportunity gaps in underserved communities, tackling topics from math proficiency to Indigenous language preservation to climate change. Maria transitioned to the games industry after a decade in media, where she was an award-winning journalist and NY Times bestselling author. She currently lives in Minneapolis with her husband and three children Find out more about Maria and the Global Game Jam! Maria's LinkedIn www.7generationgames.com www.globalgamejam.org GGJ Socials https://www.linkedin.com/company/global-game-jam https://www.instagram.com/globalgamejam https://www.facebook.com/GlobalGameJam/ Our Sponsors This episode is sponsored by the University of Miami School of Communications and the Knight Foundation This episode is sponsored by The PlayStation Hero Project. https://www.playstation.com/en-in/india-hero-project https://www.playstation.com/en-in/china-hero-project https://www.playstation.com/en-in/mena-hero-project/ Wishlist Big Boot Games's Meteora: The Race Against Spacetime on Steam! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1155220/METEORA/ Sign up for our Newsletter

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