Pao Salcedo
Game Curator

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
Tiny Fishing
September 22, 2020Looks like a nice day to go fishing! Cast your line and reel in a legendary fish. Earn cash to buy new hooks and skills.
Pixel Express
September 10, 2020Step into your role as the train dispatcher! Pick up cargo, make deliveries and keep the trains running on time.
jumpNULL
August 20, 2020No jumping? No problem! Solve puzzles, meet friendly neighbors and find the spaceship!
Start Powerless
August 18, 2020You have to walk before you can run, jump, and push! Find your powers, pass the obstacles and reach the finish.
Color Pipes
August 14, 2020Can you get all the pipes connected? Find the right paths to fill in all the tiles without any overlaps.
Jellybots
August 13, 2020Toss the Jellybots into the lava! Can you destroy them all before you run out of throws?
Emerald and Amber
August 11, 2020Jump through the icy caverns to find your crystalline partner. Use your powers to stick to the ice and dodge the spikes!
Push Your Luck
July 27, 2020Step up and spin the wheel in this cool way to learn probability! Guess higher or lower to win big points. Will you play it safe or risk it all?
Sokobanana
July 27, 2020Banana peels are your friend! Find the right path to slip and slide your way to the exit.
Dungeon Fury
July 14, 2020You're trapped in a dungeon filled with spikes and toxic ooze. Can you grab all the coins and escape safely?