Meet the Devs: Benjo Pacia and Jay Gavarra, Game Designers
In our Meet the Devs series, we’ll feature interviews of the Battle Racers team — our game artists, engineers, designers, and more. Today, let’s meet two of our game designers — Benjo Pacia and Jay Gavarra.
Who we’re meeting today:
- Benjo Pacia, Lead Game Designer — 4 years in game industry
- Jay Gavarra, Senior Game Designer — 12 years in game industry
What do you do on the team?
Benjo: I design the mechanics and features that end up in the game. Also the tokenomics and systems of how the game would run on blockchain.
Jay: I help Benjo design Battle Racers, mostly on UI and track design.
What other games have you worked on?
Benjo: I’ve worked on a few titles with Altitude Games. These include Run Run Super V, Dream Defense, Zodiac Pop, and Holy Ship.
Jay: Grave Mania series, Rescue Quest, Super Awesome Quest, Holy Ship!
Did you play in arcades growing up? How do you remember your experiences in the arcade?
Benjo: Yes, I did. Usually played the shooting galleries like Time Crisis, with some car racing since they were the more expensive machines. It was a very open environment, where people would play things because others looked like they had fun with it; sometimes people would talk about it, and others would cheer other people on.
Jay: Yes! I remember going to the arcade with my cousins and just emptying our pockets playing X-Men, Tekken, and Metal Slug. Loads of fun.
What’s your favorite game, or what game made you want to be a game developer?
Benjo: Favorite is very difficult (been wrestling with that for years), so the game that made me want to be a developer is Risk of Rain. A small indie PC title, it showed that anyone (Hopoo Games were 2 students in college at the time) could make something that someone else with the same sensibilities as them (me) could immensely enjoy. The feel, the sound, the look, it was all so great to me since it clicked with me. And I only wish to make something that would click with others.
Jay: It was during the Playstation 1 era. I think it was Chrono Cross or Final Fantasy IX that made me think, “Hey, I wanna do this when I grow up!”
What excites you most about Battle Racers?
Benjo: Arcade settings, online meetings, virtual shared spaces: done before. But having your own stuff in those places combined? That’s exciting. To come into your device with items you own from there or other places and do with it as the game allows. I love the concept of interoperability.
Jay: I think it’s shared experience of building and collecting different kinds of cars and then racing them against other players.
If you were a car, which brand and model would you be and why?
Benjo: While my dream car would be the Fiat Barchetta Riviera Special Edition, I myself would be a Toyota Camry 2001. This turn of the millennium car is not the best looker, or the highest performing, but it is reliable with a nice bit of premium polish. I’ll get you there with a great comfortable ride.
Jay: I like boxy, Japanese compact cars a lot. So probably a Suzuki Spacia that’s common in Tokyo :D
Thanks for answering our questions, Benjo and Jay! Do you have a question you’d like our team to answer? Join us on Discord and let us know! Please follow us on social media for more posts like this one, and clap or share if you like this article.
Battle Racers: https://battleracers.io
Discord: https://discord.gg/gfEPSra
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See you next time!
