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

Chonky Chirpers Gameplay

Chonky Chirpers

September 4, 2025

These feathered friends need your help! Grab as many fruits as you can and get your eggs into the nests quickly.

Dress Up: Styling Challenge Gameplay

Dress Up: Styling Challenge

September 2, 2025

Dress to the nines! Style each outfit to match the round's theme to score the most points and money.

Soccer Blast Gameplay

Soccer Blast

August 22, 2025

It's tabletop soccer! Move the player pegs to score a goal. Play against the computer or a friend to score as many goals as you can.

Tic Tac Tumble Gameplay

Tic Tac Tumble

August 11, 2025

Push and shove X's and O's! Place the discs on the diamond shaped grid and get 4-in-a-row against your opponent.

Bloku Gameplay

Bloku

August 5, 2025

It's the opposite of tetris - you're not placing blocks, you're destroying them! Draw the patterns in the grid and don't let the blocks overflow.

Jewel Jet Gameplay

Jewel Jet

July 31, 2025

Soar through the sky for diamonds! Collect your treasure and earn gold stars in as few moves as possible.

Pinball Pro Gameplay

Pinball Pro

July 28, 2025

Get a score that's out of this world! Enjoy this retro classic as you complete missions and earn as many points as you can.

Flight Cosa Gameplay

Flight Cosa

July 21, 2025

Steer your ship and don't crash! Twist and turn to avoid obstacles to safely reach your home base.

Sheep vs Wolf Gameplay

Sheep vs. Wolf

July 17, 2025

Block the wolf to save the sheep! Place tiles around the sheep to keep the wolves at bay.

Hidden Antique Shop Gameplay

Hidden Antique Shop

July 15, 2025

Spot every antique in this cluttered shop! Search the room high and low before the timer runs out.