✨ Amir Didarzadeh
Product Manager
Step right up and come on in – you’re just on time to learn all about Amir, resident master of spreadsheets, live service, and all things rap and quiz round here. You ready? Because we are…
Amir, let’s go – what’s your role here at Glowmade? What exactly do you do?
I’m the Glowmade product manager!
What I actually do is a bit of everything! Analyze data to understand what is and isn’t working in the game, what players are doing and why, making sure the project is on track to hit business and design goals, and being the advocate of best practises in monetization, retention, and UGC curation!
(To the uninitiated, that means User Generated Content – Glowmade’s all about player creativity, after all)
Now how would your parents describe your job?
Something with numbers and games. Feel like that’s what everyone’s said.
So what’s your origin story?
I studied maths & economics, cause im a nerd like that, and then worked at a marketing agency for a few years. I then realised how interesting data is in terms of driving strategy and decision making, so jumped ship to focus on that, and also into the games industry – which was a dream come true!
Fast forward a few years, and I worked in various roles : Data Scientist, Product Manager, Marketing Manager, now finally I am here.
What was the turning point for pursuing a career within the games industry.
Really just a surprise job offer from SEGA at their mobile studio in Leamington Spa. I already had another (more boring) job offer, and did the interview anyway expecting nothing. They offered me the job (and a higher salary than the boring job!) so it was a no brainer, really.
Share something you love doing outside of video games.
I suppose it is kinda related (sorry), but I am always reading up on neuroscience, behavioural psychology, and technology. I would say those are really the fundamentals of any interactive design medium, games included. But if you push me, then writing music is the least gamey thing I spend my time on.
Who or what inspires you?
People who are curious, open minded, and have a healthy amount of disdain for authority.
Share something you appreciate about yourself.
Same as above : I am curious, I don’t judge anyone, and I naturally don’t accept the status quo. Because the status quo usually sucks.
What’s the best thing about working at Glowmade?
It’s nice to work somewhere smaller where what I do actually matters, and impacts the product. It’s also easier to communicate and get to know your teammates when there is not 10,000 of them.
What do you want from your career? What goals are you looking forward to vaulting past?
I have tried to get experience in as many different areas of game development as possible, because I am interested, but also, I plan to create my own studio to develop new projects. Hopefully that’s something I will be moving towards in the mid term.
If you could have been involved in the development of ANY game, which would it be?
Something with a complex strategy, meta, or UGC element. Maybe a roguelike or card builder like Slay the Spire.
What are your top tips for someone looking to get into games?
Same tip as someone getting into anything. Try to avoid the trap of short termism.
Don’t take any job that doesn’t teach you something new or move you towards your long term goals. Think hard about what you want and make a plan on how to get there. Also, more practically, play games with a design mindset, and analyze games with a business mindset. You need both.
If you had to pick one game to play for the rest of your life (let’s hope it never comes to that), what would it be?
Rocket League, for sure.
Now the real question we care about – what’s your guilty pleasure?
All the greasy foods! All of them.
Bish bash bosh. Done!
Thanks so much for letting us get to know you, Amir – we’ll be sure to have a stonking great burrito ready for you at your desk. Now when’s the new spreadsheet mixtape dropping?
