Funsmith Fireside Chats Episode #2
Guest: Alexander Brazie (aka “Xelnath”)
Alexander Brazie has been a full-time video game designer for almost 20 years. He has worked on games that have sold hundreds of millions of copies, including World of Warcraft, League of Legends, Ori And The Will of The Wisps, and other titles.
Throughout his career, Alex has almost contributed to every major types of game genre, including many titles he cannot disclose yet. He would be what you call a “full stack game designer” if such a title exists. In addition, he’s also the director of SnackPass.
He has helped train professional game designers at Riot and on Activision’s Call of Duty’s design team, as well as consulted on games like Starcraft 2, Hearthstone, and Diablo 3.
In this episode, Alex shares the ups and downs of his journey starting from an excited gamer to a fully fledged game designer working at Blizzard and Riot.
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Listen to The Full Episode Below:
Audio:
#2: Alexander Brazie: Game Designer at Only 13 Years Old?!
Podcast Platforms:
Referenced Links & Resources:
Connect with Alex:
Connect with Ari:
Free Game Design Learning Resources:
What is Video Game Mechanics (Beginner’s Guide)
How to Become a Video Game Designer
How to Write Game Design Document with Examples
Game Design Portfolio, with Examples (Guide)
Topic breakdown (with timestamp)
00:00 – Introductions
01:31 – Alex Brazie’s experience with game design
02:07 – Alex’s journey to becoming a game designer and working on WoW
09:59 – Why some games fail to ship
10:48 – What are game sprites?
11:49 – Alex’s experience living in Japan
19:30 – The genius of Super Smash Bros
23:14 – Many roles on the path to becoming a game designer
28:00 – What is a midi simulator?
29:49 – Why is passion important when pursuing a career in the gaming industry?
34:09 – The Dunning-Kruger effect, and how to overcome it
36:08 – Events that led to Alex getting fired from Blizzard?
39:30 – How Alex went from being fired to working on League of Legends
46:15 – Why Alex created a course on game design
48:44 – Alex’s role at Riot
49:58 – The origins of the name “Xelnath”
What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode?
Please let us know in the comments below.
