Of Life-Changing Games and New Adventures

Time to say "goodbye"! We have reached the last episode of "I Play, Therefore I Am" and Simon and Florian use this special finale to get to know even more about each other. From their very first games as children to their career paths and new projects, everything is covered.

If you'd like to know which games our experts love, how Simon got into esports and streaming and why Flo used to have an Air Horn for his World of Warcraft raids - then we wish you lots of fun with this last dance. We say thank you for tuning in!

Where to find them:

Flo:

LinkedIn

Instagram

X

Simon:

LinkedIn

Instagram

X

Book recommendations:

Flo:

Die Revolution entläßt ihre Kinder (Wolfgang Leonhard)

The Lord of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien)

Simon:

Narziß und Goldmund (Herrmann Hesse)

The Earthsea Cycle (Ursula K. Le Guin)

The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)

Eastern Body, Western Mind (Anodea Judith)

Game recommendations:

Flo:

World of Warcraft (Blizzard Entertainment)

Grim Fandango (LucasArts)

Half-Life 2 (Valve)

Simon:

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Rockstar Games)

Rocket League (Psyonix)

Gothic II (Piranha Bytes)

StarCraft II (Blizzard Entertainment)

Of Friendship, Connecting the Industry and Mental Health

What do you get when three creative, passionate gamers meet through Berlin nightlife and become close friends? Well, in the case of Games Ground founders Fernanda Pagani (CEO & Head of B2B), Joris Schnabel (Head of Exhibition) and Arjuna “AJ” Sath (Head of Partnerships), you get an unstoppable project force and one of the most exciting networking events for the gaming industry in Berlin. With Games Ground, the trio wants to “get the game to the gamers and the industry to the community.”

In this special episode, they tell Florian and Simon about their stories, the Games Ground project, learnings about mental health and prove that passion and friendship can get you very far in the gaming industry.

Where to find them:

Games Ground - LinkedIn, Instagram

Fernanda - LinkedIn

Joris - LinkedIn

AJ - LinkedIn

Of Saving the World, Finding Your Passion and the Future Version of Yourself

Imagine you know that you will be laid off in one year’s time. Do you panic? Do you despair? Do you scream in frustration? Or do you see it as an opportunity to reinvent and ask yourself: What do I really want to do with my life? Benedikt Oehmen, former Team Manager at Blizzard Entertainment, found himself in this predicament and made a new career out of it. As Coach for the Geeks with his company The Art of Meaningful Change, he teaches his big three: be kind, be present and be open. How he does this, what he learned on the journey and why you shouldn’t fake it until you make it, you will hear in this episode.

Where to find Benedikt: LinkedIn, Website

Benedikt's recommendations: Mark Williams - Mindfulness: a practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world; Charles Duhigg - The Power of Habit, James Clear - Atomic Habits, Yuval Noah Harari - Sapiens: A Brief History of Human Kind, Duolingo, WoW, Baldurs Gate, XCOM

#IPTIApodcast #gamescapitalberlin

Of Doing Well, Doing Good, and Lifting As You Climb

Meet Garvey, the Paladin, and learn his ways. How he turned his life around from being a troll to living in the service of others. How he breaks down game mechanics to apply them to life and consequently, at one time in his life, ending up on the cover of the New York Sunday Times. The Head of Education and Government Affairs at Nodwin Gaming takes you on a ride from the streets of Brooklyn all the way to the Philippines, giving you his two cents about how gaming changed his life over and over again and how he applies his learnings to educate and mentor the younger generation.

Where to find Garvey: X and Instagram

Garvey’s recommendations: The Alchemist – Paolo Coelho, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck – Mark Manson, Simon Sinek - How Great Leaders Inspire, Ultima Online, Albion Online, Dark Age of Camelot, League of Legends, Dota, Mobile Legends, Honkai: Star Rail

#IPTIApodcast #gamescapitalberlin

Of Intuition, Creative Freedom and Finding Your Place

Fernando Ferero's life led him from Columbia to Poland, from Germany to the US and back to Germany. It also took him to renowned gaming companies such as CD Projekt Red, Goodgame Studios and Blizzard Entertainment. As a Senior UI Artist he worked on prestigious projects like The Witcher 3 and Diablo IV.

While talking about this incredible life path, we also go into the distinction of hope vs. reality in the games industry, how to generate trust and freedom for yourself, and enjoying what you have.

Where to find Fernando: https://fernandoforeroart.com/

Fernando’s recommendations: David Eagleman - The Brain, Sam Harris – Making Sense, Zygmunt Baumann – Liquid Modernity, Yuval Noah Harari - Homo Deus, Journey, Diablo II, Tomb Raider, Metal Gear Solid V, Bloodborne

#IPTIApodcast #gamescapitalberlin

Of Leaving the Shire, Overthinking and Another Kind of Leadership - with Jasmin Ostreicher, CEO of Instinct3

What better way to decide things than ask oneself: What would Commander Shepard do? Like the main character in Mass Effect, Jasmin Oestreicher chose different paths along the way of her career, leading her from the Shire to Mordor and back, meeting different kinds of leaders and learning from them what counts: empathy, listening, and putting your team first. How she implements these traits in her role as CEO of the successful influencer marketing agency Instinct3 while overcoming her introvert and overthinking tendencies, she tells Simon and Florian in this episode.

Where to find Jasmin: LinkedIn, Instinct3

Jasmin's recommendations: The Expanse, Lord of the Rings, Fruits Basket, Mass Effect, Metal Gear, Baldur’s Gate 3

Mentioned people from the games industry: Hendrik Ruhe, Maximilian Knabe (HandOfBlood), Maxim, Johannes Gorzel, Christian Baltes

Our website: ⁠https://medianet-games.international/

#IPTIApodcast #gamescapitalberlin

Of Lightsabers, RPGs and Looking Through the Right Lens

Patrick "PJ" Esteves' long journey to Berlin took him from almost being a rockstar, over wanting to be a Jedi to asking himself how the hell he ended up in Villingen-Schwenningen. The CEO and Co-Founder of Fire and Forge Studios paints a vivid picture of his life in the games industry which is captivating and, most importantly, has a lot to do with the Roman Empire.

Where to find PJ: LinkedIn

Mentioned People: Raph Koster, Will Wright, Silver Saaremäel, Kaija Rudkiewicz

PJ's Recommendations: Raph Koster - A Theory of Fun for Game Design, Blake Snyder - Save the Cat, Rick Warren – Purpose Driven Life, 18 Wheels of Steel: Across America, X-COM, Minecraft Our website: https://medianet-games.international/

#IPTIApodcast #gamescapitalberlin