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

Jellycar Worlds Gameplay

JellyCar Worlds

September 21, 2023

Other cars go vroom... this one goes BOING. Hop into your jelly car then flip, roll, and squish to the finish line! Can you get the best time?

Slice Master Gameplay

Slice Master

September 19, 2023

Take to the skies and slice all the things! From coconuts to coffee cups, from bricks to burgers. Max out your score and unlock all nine knives!

Snakes and Ladders Gameplay

Snakes and Ladders

August 30, 2023

Also known as Chutes and Ladders, the classic roll and move game is here! Race to the top of the mountain and land in the winner's circle. Play with your friends or versus the computer.

Pirate Battle Ships Ahoy Gameplay

Pirate Battle: Ships Ahoy!

August 30, 2023

Ready to take on the seas and be the best pirate around? Play against a friend or the computer to conquer the seas!

Worm Gameplay

Worm

August 25, 2023

Wriggle and slide your way back home! Move into the blocks to slide back into your comfy hole. Be careful not to get trapped by your own body!

Slime Knight Gameplay

Slime Knight

August 23, 2023

The Slime Knight is not afraid of a dark, creepy dungeon! Throw swords and dodge fire to reach the exit without getting hurt.

Numble Gameplay

Numble

August 9, 2023

Step right up and take the daily number challenge! Guess how many objects there are in total. You only have one chance per day, make it count!

Hex and Strings

July 31, 2023

Stretch the string and connect the nodes! Secure each node with the right number of strings. Each string must have a unique path. Can you weave your way through all 50 levels?

Biome Conquest Gameplay

Biome Conquest

July 25, 2023

Drop your tiles and conquer the realm! Play against friends or the computer in this empire-expanding, number-crunching strategy game.

Scalak Gameplay

Scalak

July 17, 2023

Place each shape back where it belongs! Drag the shapes into their proper places across a variety of intricate levels.