Game Developer Interview: Jed Dawson, Affable Games:

We interviewed Jed Dawson, the co-founder of Affable Games & presently its Creative Director. Jed is a passionate game maker, experienced as a game designer & artist.

Affable Games’ recently launched game Speaking Simulator receives favorable reviews from both critics & fans. It is a comedy game of a robot having anxiety while adopting itself as a human. Games Cover approaches Jed for an interview to get an insight into his contribution in the success of the game.

Jed Dawson

Q1. Welcome Jed, we would start with how did you establish Affable Games?

A. Before starting Affable Games, I worked at Halfbrick Studios as a designer & product manager. It was here that I met my cofounder, Jordan Comino. One week, we decided that we wanted to leave & start Affable Games.

Q2. How many games has your team worked on so far?

A. Jordan & I have completed two games, Astro Crash on iOS & Google Play, & Speaking Simulator.

Q3. What inspired the art direction for your current project?

A. It was quite a strategic decision to make Speaking Simulator look very light & brightly coloured. We knew that a human face exploding & looking ridiculous & having teeth fall out would be horrific for a lot of people. So we decided to counteract that & keep the tone light with our art direction.

Q4. Speaking Simulator seems beyond awesome! Where did the idea come from?

A. Well, I used to teach animation at our local university in Brisbane. I used to notice how much fun my students would have just playing with a facial rig. They loved stretching the face & tongue & making ridiculous expressions. I was also thinking about how speech works, & at the same time was addicted to QWOP. It all came together to form Speaking Simulator.

Q5. What is the most rewarding part about developing games?

A. Seeing the looks of delight & fascination from people at shows! Or when you manage to overcome a particularly puzzling design challenge.

Q6. What was your first games console, & what did you like & dislike about it?

A. Super Nintendo! I loved Super Mario, & it was the best thing in the world. I don’t think I disliked anything about it at the time, it was most likely my first love.

Q7. Any new projects in the works?

A. Yep! At the moment we’re prototyping something that’s going to be pretty cool. Like Speaking Simulator, we’re hoping it’ll be something that gamers have never seen before.

Q8. What advice do you have for newcomers wanting to get into game development?

A. It took me 7 years worth of studying before I was finally hired as a game designer. Don’t give up, but make sure you set yourself apart from everyone else applying for the job!


Affable Games is working on a new project, which we believe shall be another awesome & unique game. We wish Jed greater achievements. Thank you, Jed for taking time for the interview & sharing your personal views as a game developer & the process behind creating Speaking Simulator. Fans, you can buy Speaking Simulator from Steam or Nintendo game store to support this great Developer.

9 Comments

  1. Nice interview, very useful information shared by the experts.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Jarred!
      That is what we strive to achieve. Thank you for a positive feedback. Have a nice day! 😀

      Delete
  2. Bringing us close to the game experts is a great feature added to the site. Very well written interview article and great replies by Jed.

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    Replies
    1. Hello Jason!
      Thank you for an encouraging comment. Hope you are doing fine. Have a great day! 🤩

      Delete
  3. Great interview and few tips for game addicts.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Gadgan!
      Thanks for a positive feedback. Hope you are doing fine. Enjoy rest of your day 🙂

      Delete
  4. So many interesting interviews and good to know about talented people. Can never get bored of reading these interesting interviews with game developers.
    A nice little platform to share their knowledge and experience with young enthusiasts across the globe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Mate!
      Thank you for your interest. Every feedback is v. important for me. I'm more than excited to add more interviews soon & thanks for your kindness. Stay in touch & stay safe.

      Delete

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