GDC 2025 Session Viewer
Game Career Seminar: Pave Your Path and You Can Eat Ramen Every Day
Tyler Coleman (Founder, Retora Games)
Melody Geiger (CEO, Merge Conflict Studio)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core Pass, Summits Pass, Expo Pass, Audio Pass, Indie Games Summit Pass, Friday Only Pass - Get your pass now!
Track: Game Career Development
Format: Lecture
Vault Recording: TBD
Audience Level: All
The speakers will look at the various pitfalls that come with starting a studio from nothing. This includes the world of contract work, advice on navigating legal agreements, budgets, production plans, knowing when to move on from a project or idea, and how to keep your team focused and motivated during rough patches.
As two speakers with over a decade apart in studio foundation, we will illuminate the dark truths of starting your own creative business and look at what has changed in this realm over the past 12 years.
We'll also include a wealth of quotes and anecdotes from fellow indies that broaden the knowledge area of the speakers, as well as some data to support our advice.
Lastly, they suggest their favorite ramen recipes so you won't go hungry.
Takeaway
Shining a light in all the dark corners and scary hallways of running a studio. They will talk legal agreements (we're not lawyers), contract work, budgeting, when things go wrong (and they will), sunk cost fallacy and survivorship bias, and more.
Intended Audience
If you're recently graduated or self taught and you're considering going founder/indie then this talk is for you! If you're coming off another job in games and considering founding a studio, there will still be useful information for you as well.
