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

Gravitus

January 7, 2021

Don't let gravity keep you down... or push you up! Hop in the pilot seat and land your ship safely.

Inner Island

January 5, 2021

You're stuck on an island, surrounded by a dense fog. Solving puzzles is the only way forward!

Fireblob Winter

December 22, 2020

Feeling cold on these winter days? Fireblob is here to warm things up! Dodge angry blobs, melt the ice cubes, and light the fire to keep warm.

Bobo Gooey

December 17, 2020

When you're made out of slime, you don't have to worry about getting sticky. Jump through the ooze and get to the exit door!

Winter Dodge Gameplay

Winter Dodge

December 15, 2020

Grab your skis and hit the slopes! Swing past the trees without crashing and set a new high score.

Giant Sushi Party

December 11, 2020

Don't leave your customers waiting! Serve up the right sushi and keep your restaurant in business.

Cryomancer

December 3, 2020

Can you survive the freezing winter? Use your ice-creating powers to reach the warm caves.

For the King

November 23, 2020

Long live your King! Capture structures, battle enemy soldiers, and defeat the forces of Darkness!

Chicken Hike

November 19, 2020

Show this little chicken the way forward! Draw a path to guide it to the door safely.

Penalty Kick Online Gameplay

Penalty Kick Online

November 5, 2020

Level up and earn XP on your way to the world championship. Challenge other players online in this epic penalty shootout!