Accessibility and fancy footwork with GLYDR's John Warren - Game Developer Podcast ep. 40

On the latest episode of the Game Developer podcast, I had the pleasure of welcoming my former colleague John Warren on the show to talk about his work at GLYDR. Now finishing up a successful Kickstarter run, GLYDR is a control apparatus that people operate with their feet, leaving their hands free for other tasks (or providing options for folks who need hands-free solutions).

Music by Mike Meehan. Produced by Jordan Mallory.

Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.

We talked about everything from the accessibility piece to the wide range of use cases for the controller, as well as filming a good trailer for your new device (including some light stuntwork by John's partner), finding the way to success with Kickstarter, and how to market a new controller to all types of players.

We also chatted about the power of having something positive happen during the ongoing layoffs and turmoil in the industry.

"Everyone's spirit is, you know, kind of in a weird place right now," said Warren.

"And I think having those things to hold on to that are hopeful is definitely important. And also like, keep in mind, the person that really facilitated the creation of this device and kind of getting into this market has absolutely no games experience."

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"I mean, this is, this is a this is a 70 plus year old man with a engineering background that came up with this idea, because he just likes innovation and new stuff and thinking about 'why why haven't we done this?' You know, asking 'why not?' And so, innovation and excitement and new things in this games industry doesn't also have to come from the same people."