Alexis Jolis-Desautels: Payment Due | Creative Director | GGJ Podcast Ep 9

In episode 9 Susan talks with Alexis Jolis‑Desautels, a veteran designer and design leader who has spent two decades inside some of the world’s biggest game franchises helping studios actually understand their players. From starting as a QA tester at Ubisoft Montreal to building user research labs, leading design teams on major AAA projects, and mentoring the next generation of designers, Alexis brings a rare mix of craft, honesty, and cultural insight to every conversation 00:00 Intro 01:20 Meet Alexis 05:26 Mentors & Inspiration 07:17 Ubisoft 11:06 Crunch 13:58 Staying Sane 15:49 RLD 21:30 Jams 26:13 Burnout 35:12 The Ladder is a Lie 38:54 Community 41:16 Wrap-up 45:23 Outro Guest Bio: Alexis is a designer mostly interested in new applications of science and psychology in the field of interactive experiences. Focused on issues of creativity and design processes, but also, by using a background as an actor and journalist, developed skills as a trainer and a communicator, mostly about Game Design but also about games and digital interaction as a medium and human activity. Join our Substack! - https://tinyurl.com/GGJPodcastSubstack