Veda Cruz
Veda Cruz is a video game lawyer, educator, and indie game developer passionate about helping creators thrive legally, creatively, and personally. Former in-house counsel at award-winning game studio Gearbox Software, she now teaches video game law and business at the University of Miami and advises developers on contracts, IP, and publishing at Odin Law & Media, a boutique video game law firm. She's also a Certified Scrum Master, certified personal trainer, and founder of Mana & Muscle, a wellness initiative for game developers. Veda brings a creative, developer-first perspective to legal issues, grounded in real experience across game jams and indie development including her own game, ZoomieDash, available to playtest on itch.io.
GDEX 2025 Workshop: Legal Bugs You Don’t Want in Your Build | You can squash a gameplay bug with a patch—but legal bugs? Those can take down your whole game. In this interactive session, game attorney and developer Veda Cruz shares the real legal pitfalls that show up before launch day using their own in-development indie game, ZoomieDash, as a live case study. Through gameplay, storytelling, and legal insight, you'll learn how to: - Avoid ownership disputes over code, art, and audio - Protect yourself with basic (but powerful) contracts - Know what licenses you’re really agreeing to - Decide when to trademark your game’s name (and how) - Stay out of legal hot water on platforms like itch.io, Steam, and beyond This session is built for indie teams, solo devs, and mid-size studios alike. Whether you’re launching your first prototype or planning for full release, you’ll walk away knowing how to spot the hidden legal bugs in your build before they crash everything.
GDEX 2025 Session: You Did What?! A Game Dev Legal Bingo Experience | Join attorney and game developer Veda Cruz for an interactive session where legal pitfalls take center stage - in bingo form! Each square represents a sketchy but all-too-common scenario that devs run into, like forgotten contracts, fuzzy ownership, or fan content gone rogue. As we call them out, you’ll mark your board, shout “BINGO,” and maybe win a prize! Whether you’re a solo dev or running a growing studio, this session helps you learn how to not get sued while having fun doing it.
GDEX 2025 Session: Side Quests, Setbacks, and Second Winds: Building a Career You Can Actually Survive | The game dev journey isn’t always a straight line. It’s a winding path of side quests, boss battles, and respawns. In this honest and hopeful career talk, lawyer, game developer, and wellness advocate Veda Cruz shares their own nonlinear journey through the game industry: from law school and layoffs to fitness training and founding a wellness brand for devs. Whether you’re early in your journey, stuck in a burnout loop, or questioning your next move, you’ll walk away with practical tips and mindset shifts to help you build a career you can actually survive and enjoy. Expect storytelling, real talk, and space for audience questions about career pivots, personal sustainability, and embracing the side quests that make you stronger.
