Pao Salcedo

Game Curator

Pao standing over a skillet full of bistek tagalog

Favorite Coolmath Games: Powercut, 8 Ball Pool
 

Pao is an advertising copywriter turned game producer. A graduate of the NYU Game Center's Game Design MFA program, he has over 9 years of experience playing, testing, and curating games in an academic or professional setting.

As a Senior Game Producer at Coolmath Games, Pao has created comprehensive game design documents for experienced external developers and translated them into launched games, such as Rock Paper Scissors, Pirate Battle: Ships Ahoy, and Tag.

He has licensed over 100 games and counting for CoolmathGames.com (including Tiny Fishing, Slice Master, and Duck Duck Clicker) and the Coolmath Games mobile app.

Before Coolmath Games, Pao worked at Computer Lunch, developers of the hit mobile games Cell to Singularity and Mama Hawk. He researched historical tidbits for Cell to Singularity and wrote write-ups for limited-time events. He also wrote in-game text and copy for Mama Hawk, and store descriptions for the App Store and Play Store.

Prior to that he was briefly a playtester for one of the most successful tabletop RPG Kickstarters ever.

In a previous life, he was a creative copywriter in multinational ad agencies in the Philippines.

Outside the hallowed, equation-filled halls of Coolmath Games, he is playing old JRPGs, trying to catch up to the latest One Piece volume, and experimenting with his lola's adobong manok recipe. 

 

WORK EXPERIENCE

  • COOLMATH GAMES | Senior Game Producer
    2019 – Present
  • COMPUTER LUNCH | Game Researcher
    Apr – Jun 2019, Sep 2022
  • KICKSTARTER RPG | Game Tester
    Apr 2019
  • COMPUTER LUNCH | Game Design and Copywriting
    Jun – Aug 2017
  • LEO BURNETT GROUP MANILA | Creative Team Head
    May 2014-May 2016
  • TBWA\SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO | Copywriter
    June 2010 – April 2014

 

EDUCATION

  • NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, USA, MFA Game Design
  • ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY, PHILIPPINES, BS Business Management
  • ÉCOLE SUPÉRIEURE DE COMMERCE, PAU, FRANCE, Int’l Management Program

 

CONFERENCES ATTENDED

  • Game Developers Conference 2023
  • Indiecade 2017, 2018
  • PlayNYC 2018, 2021
  • Waffle Games 2018

Games Reviewed By Pao Salcedo

Turbo Tiles

April 12, 2024

Rotate the tiles to perfection! Play on boards of different sizes to arrange the pieces in as few moves as possible.

Fish Love Gameplay

Fish Love

April 10, 2024

They're not lovebirds, they're love fish! Remove the barriers between them and guide them back together. Watch out for angry crabs and molten lava!

Opposite Day

April 3, 2024

Just follow the instructions and I'm sure you'll be fine! This is a PERFECTLY normal platformer where everything behaves as you expect it to!

Fold Paper Gameplay

Fold Paper

March 13, 2024

Fold the paper just right to reveal the picture! The art of folding paper is delicate, precise, and very fun.

Triangula Gameplay

Triangula

March 12, 2024

Dominate the board against the computer or a friend. Make the most triangles to win at this strategy game of Pythagorean proportions.

Scraplegs Gameplay

Scraplegs

March 11, 2024

Uh-oh, these legs weren't made for jumping. Be careful where you jump and get to the terminal in one piece!

Respawn Gameplay

ReSpawn

March 7, 2024

Don't throw your old hardware in the recycle bin! Who knows, maybe it can be a platform or two in your perfect escape route...

Scribble World Platform Puzzle Gameplay

Scribble World Platform Puzzle

March 6, 2024

Embark on a coin-collecting quest in this hand-drawn world. Find the keys, unlock the doors, and avoid the hazards until you reach the end!

Magpie Gameplay

Magpie

March 1, 2024

The gardens are full of critters, and you're the bird who has to face them. Outsmart your enemies and collect trinkets to get stronger. When you see the cat, you'd better run!

Emerald and Amber Crystal Land

February 29, 2024

Emerald and Amber are separated again. Jump through the icy landscape to bring them back together!