This one felt special.

Mark Acero is one of those developers who has lived the industry. Street Fighter tournaments. 120-hour weeks in the early days. Combat design on major franchises. VR experimentation. Mentorship.

But what really stood out wasn’t the credits or the huge franchises, it was the mindset.

Mark talks openly about:

• Why collaboration beats ego
• How psychology shapes better playtesting
• Why iteration needs structure
• What toxic environments actually cost you
• And how passion can both fuel and burn you

There’s something refreshing about someone who can say:

“I just want to make the best game I can.”

No fluff. No ego. Just clarity.

This episode is packed with practical lessons on leadership, bias, efficiency, and sustaining a long career in games.

• Early fighting game tournament culture in California
• Turning ideas into “team ideas” before pitching upward
• How bias distorts playtest interpretation
• The difference between real iteration and dart throwing
• Why VR changes the Three C’s—but not the fundamentals
• Recognizing toxic leadership and protecting your health

If you’re navigating your own design journey, especially as a senior or aspiring lead, this is crucial insight and great listening!

Find the Podcast At:

• Spotify
• Patreon
• ⁠RSS⁠
• ⁠Instagram⁠
• ⁠Bluesky⁠
• ⁠YouTube⁠
• ⁠Blog⁠
• Email: DevToDevPodcast@Gmail.com

Find Mark At:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/markacero/

This week’s episode of Dev to Dev - the podcast about everyday videogame developers and why they do what they do every day - is one of those episodes that can sneak up on you.

What starts as a nostalgic dive into arcades, Sega consoles, and early PC adventures slowly evolves into something much deeper - a conversation about empathy, leadership, and why UX might be one of the most important (and misunderstood) disciplines in game development.

Ed’s journey from level designer to UX specialist wasn’t planned. It was shaped by opportunity, curiosity, and a willingness to own problems that others overlooked. Along the way, he discovered that great interface design isn’t about menus or polish but about understanding people.

• Growing up immersed in arcades and early home computers
• Writing a physical letter to Jane Jensen for career advice
• Breaking into the industry through level design and technical curiosity
• How UX became his niche — almost by accident
• Why user research acts as an “insurance policy” for creative teams
• The connection between accessibility and better design for everyone
• How practicing empathy in design influences leadership and parenting

For me, this episode captures something central to Dev to Dev: careers aren’t linear, and the skills that define us often begin as side paths. What matters is the willingness to lean in, adapt, and care deeply about the people on the other side of the screen.

• Spotify
• Patreon
• ⁠RSS⁠
• ⁠Instagram⁠
• ⁠Bluesky⁠
• ⁠YouTube⁠
• ⁠Blog⁠
• Email: DevToDevPodcast@Gmail.com

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/edmoore-ux/

This first episode of Season 02 of Dev to Dev is a deep, thoughtful dive into what it really means to grow up with games and then spend a lifetime shaping them.

Randy Smith Evergreen shares stories from the early days of PC gaming, Looking Glass Studios, and the birth of immersive sims, but what makes this conversation special is how reflective it is. We talk about learning design formally, being promoted too fast, losing touch with the tools, and choosing to make games with an international message through the interactions.

We also dig into the indie shift - why mobile and small teams felt liberating, how Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor came to be, and why Randy believes games communicate values whether we intend them to or not.

This is a conversation about responsibility, craft, curiosity, and staying human inside a very consuming industry.

• Growing up with limited screen time, and why that mattered
• Learning game design before “game design” existed
• Looking Glass, Thief, and formal design thinking
• Leadership lessons learned the hard way
• Founding Tiger Style and making quieter, stranger games
• Why mechanics always carry moral weight

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Rq9lZoWphzXvxkrETrWg0
• RSS: https://api.riverside.fm/hosting/H8sKOdGf.rss
• Instagram: @devto.devpodcast
• Bluesky: @devtodevpodcast.bsky.social‬
• TikTok: @devtodevpodcast
• YouTube: @DevToDevPodcast
• Blog: https://alexsulman.wordpress.com/dev-to-dev/
• Email: DevToDevPodcast@Gmail.com

• Randy Smith | LinkedIn
• https://www.wavesallday.com/
• https://bsky.app/profile/randyevergreen.bsky.social

Welcome back to Dev to Dev!! Season 02 is just around the corner and to kick things off here's a little intro from me talking about some changes and updates that are coming in Season 02!

As always find the Podcast at:

• Patreon: DevToDevPodcast
• RSS: https://api.riverside.fm/hosting/H8sKOdGf.rss
• Instagram: @devto.devpodcast
• Bluesky: @devtodevpodcast.bsky.social‬
• TikTok: @devtodevpodcast
• YouTube: @DevToDevPodcast
• Email: DevToDevPodcast@Gmail.com

• Instagram: @pelicanpeculiar
• Bluesky: @peculiarpelican.bsky.social
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexsulman/
• My Portfolio: https://www.alexsulmanportfolio.net/
• Email: Alex.J.Sulman@Gmail.com

In the final Episode of Season 01 of Dev to Dev - the podcast about everyday videogame developers and why they do what they do every day - I take a moment to reflect on the first season, dive a little deeper into my takeaways from this first season, and talk a little about the future of the podcast.

Just me and my thoughts that I hope y'all enjoy!

• Patreon: DevToDevPodcast
• RSS: https://feeds.castos.com/r37p9
• Instagram: @devto.devpodcast
• Bluesky: @devtodevpodcast.bsky.social‬
• TikTok: @devtodevpodcast
• YouTube: @DevToDevPodcast
• Email: DevToDevPodcast@Gmail.com

• Instagram: @pelicanpeculiar
• Bluesky: @peculiarpelican.bsky.social
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexsulman/
• My Portfolio: https://www.alexsulmanportfolio.net/
• Email: Alex.J.Sulman@Gmail.com

• (00:00:00) - Dev to Dev: Reviewing SEASON 1
• (00:05:49) - Lucky in Game Development: Season 1
• (00:09:45) - How To Get Out Of A Development Trap
• (00:13:24) - How Having a Game Development Career Changed My Mind
• (00:16:21) - Appreciating The Game Development Podcast
• (00:20:40) - Lehman vs Orlando: The Battle
• (00:25:48) - Episode 11 Landon's Story
• (00:26:47) - Interviewing Zachary on Engineering
• (00:28:18) - John and Bill's Stories
• (00:31:10) - PODCAST: The Design Process
• (00:38:08) - Season 2
• (00:42:53) - A Toast to "" Season 1

Dev to Dev - the podcast about everyday videogame developers and why they do what they do every day - is dedicated to exploring the stories of the many animators, engineers, artists, producers, and designers whose work shapes the games we play.

Hosted by Alex Sulman, a veteran of nearly three decades in the industry, the show highlights the passion, challenges, and personal journeys of those often overlooked in gaming’s spotlight. Inspired by Greg Miller’s 2015 Game Awards speech recognizing a developer in the credits, Dev to Dev continues that spirit of appreciation, giving voice to the people behind the craft.

Each week, the podcast offers thoughtful, positive conversations about connection, creativity, and the human side of game development, providing insight into both the rewards and challenges of making video games a livelihood.

Find the Podcast at:

• Patreon: DevToDevPodcast
• Instagram: @devto.devpodcast
• Bluesky: @devtodevpodcast.bsky.social‬
• TikTok: @devtodevpodcast
• YouTube: @DevToDevPodcast

…and please drop me an email if you have any questions, thoughts, comments, guest suggestions, or ideas to

• DevToDevPodcast@Gmail.com

• (00:00:00) - Dev to Dev