We hear from "California Business Mark" who spent the week on-location at GDC 2023. Mark summarizes some of the best talks and events he attended at the conference, featuring Kirby, the Playdate console, secrets in Tunic , Max, and more! Support Final Strike - Lane Davis , Gamefound Current COVID guidelines from the CDC - Centers for Disease Control Super Nintendo World - Universal Studios (News) GDC 2023 Timecode8:54.00GDC 2023 Here are the time codes for individual topics: 10:23 Publishing agr...
Apr 01, 2023•Ep. 300
Your nice hosts welcome Andrew Kenady, also know as Nintendrew on YouTube, to the show this week! He brings a postmortem about his recently released action platformer C.A.R.L. Postmortem: "C.A.R.L." Game Design Marketing Production C.A.R.L. - Andrew Kenady and Morningstar Game Studio C.A.R.L. on Steam - Andrew Kenady and Morningstar Game Studio , Steam Nintendrew - YouTube Morningstar Game Studio Matt Bitner - Barry Carenza , Premium Edition Games The Controversy of Super Paper Mario - Nintendre...
Mar 23, 2023•Ep. 297
In this episode, Mark makes up a reason to take a road trip, Ellen outwits everyone, and Stephen was also there. Zachtronics Solitaire Collection LACMA A Better Route Planner 0:24:43Secrets & Easter Eggs The Super Mario 64 Coin that Took 18 Years To Collect Patricia HernandezKotaku PC Cheat Codes IGN Reddit on video game Secrets Reddit Secrets That Weren't Discovered in Games For Years Jordan BaranowskiSVG0:48:39Player TrustWe touched on this idea back in our roundtable on 'The Ethics of Eng...
Mar 16, 2023•Ep. 296
Ellen's nephews have charged her with the task of making a board game about pizza. Making a clone of Hasbro's Candy Land is more difficult than it sounds, especially since these young stakeholders have requested some "creative deviations" from the design of the original board game. Stephen and Mark step in to help out. Can your nice hosts realize the wild, cheesy dream that is Pizza Land? Candy Land, a classic board game for kids - Hasbro That meme from The Office - Giphy Gharial, a weird-lookin...
Mar 10, 2023•Ep. 295
This week, your nice hosts talk about last week and next week. Mark wants you to frame things, Stephen wants a definition, and Ellen wants you to start a fight with her on Discord. Ellen's team made a gross game for Global Game Jam 2023! Star Trek: Picard, Final Season Premiere (full free episode) - Paramount+ , YouTube 0:17:12Visual Composition Composition for Noobs Flow StudioYouTube Composition in Level Design Mateusz PiaskiewiczGame Developer Design Principles: Compositional, Symmetrical And...
Mar 02, 2023•Ep. 294
Your nice hosts invite Zachtronics founder Zach Barth to discuss the closing of the studio and the logistics of moving on from that. In this episode, you'll also hear about ruminations on what success means as a game dev, a theory about how great walking is and exclusive news about Zach's future plans. The Logistics of Moving On IRL Production Zachtronics website Last Call BBS Why Zachtronics is shutting down for good this time - Alex Calvin , gameindustry.biz Legal Systems Very Different From O...
Feb 23, 2023•Ep. 293
The year 2022 in review! Yes, it's now halfway through February, but being a few weeks late is part of the annual "Nicest Of" tradition. Your hosts (plus guest Holly Harrison) revisit their notable games and goals from 2022, and make some plans for 2023. Holly is here in the clubhouse for this recording! Things that happened in 2022: We sold GLOM! It's coming out in 2023. Mark announced a game ( Dreamsettler ) and released Noble Engine for the Playdate Stephen became a co-owner of Future Club El...
Feb 17, 2023•Ep. 291
Your hosts recall what they did over their winter break this year (aka hiatus). Ellen played video games and games with her dogs, Stephen watched and reviewed some movies (please tell him what to watch next!), and Mark mostly watched Doctor Who. Big news for the show: We now have ad-free episodes on Patreon ! What We Did On Our Winter Break (2022-23) Ellen played video games Banner Saga Death Drives a Bus Agent A Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe Edition You Suck at Parking Stephen watched movies (Sc...
Feb 09, 2023•Ep. 292
#278 "Insert interesting car here." Roundtable 2022.09.14 Your nice hosts' pronunciation is on point this week as they say a really hard word a large number of times! In this episode, Mark and Ellen BOTH introduce even more complicated words to the other hosts, and Stephen admits to losing an argument (which he'd done on the show before but still don't tell his brother). Noble Robot Office Verisimilitude0:05:23 Ellen Burns-Johnson Art Game Design Verisimilitude Definition - Dictionary.com Veraci...
Feb 02, 2023
#271 Neurodiversity in Gamedev (with Adam Clewes-Boyne) Nice Thinking 2022.07.28 This week, we invite our first guest for Nice Thinking! Adam Clewes-Boyne is putting together an initiative for neurodiversity advocacy and education in the games industry, specifically focused on ADHD. It started as a meetup at a conference, and Adam wants to see where it can go next. Neurodiversity in Gamedev Events IRL Adam joined us, after a fashion, in a previous episode: Game Dev London does Nice Games Jam Cof...
Jan 26, 2023
#244 "Maximum Whooo!" Roundtable 2021.11.25 As the podcast approaches its fifth anniversary, your hosts get a little (more) frivolous. Mark shares some industry news about hardware releases. Ellen prompts everyone to share their experiences of learning development tools and examine their process of learning through the lens of Maximum Whooo. Stephen explores the difference between cooperative and collaborative gameplay, and invents something called a Feedborm. Dang! Steamworks Virtual Conference...
Jan 19, 2023
#273 The State of VR in 2022 Interview 2022.08.11 Your nice hosts talk to Andrew Eiche, COO at Owlchemy Labs (Job Simulator, Vacation Simulator, Cosmonious High) about the state of VR in 2022, and where VR and VR development tools may be going in the coming years. Andrew talks about how industrial design should influence VR design, why you shouldn't take inspiration from movies, and how ergonomics are important. Also, Ellen takes a hard stand on the right way to use a dial. VR in 2022 and its Fu...
Jan 12, 2023
#281 StorySlide (with Osama Dorias) Nice Games Jam 2022.10.06 Game designer Osama Dorias returns to the clubhouse to help design a game that can be played remotely, and provides some (much needed?) structure to the Nice Games Jam process. Stephen is obsessed with Bananas, Ellen contemplates her mystery banana gift, and Mark realizes some of these concepts might be too complicated for small children. Osama previously joined us for episode 211: Building Blocks of Design This isn't the first time w...
Jan 06, 2023
#252 Visual Coding Interview 2022.03.17 This week we're joined by Alina Matson, developer of Fitment —a microworkout app designed with cozy gamers in mind. Alina talks about how she has used the popular Unity plugin Playmaker to kick-start her transition from a career in mechanical engineering to gamedev. Positive vibes abound. Plus, surprise singing! Visual Coding Programming Tools Playmaker - Hutong Games , Unity Asset Store Bolt - Unity , Unity Asset Store Blueprint Visual Scripting - Unreal ...
Dec 29, 2022
#247 Designing like a Dungeon Master Interview 2021.12.10 Your nice hosts (Ellen, mainly) conduct a double-interview, with a consummate professional and a committed amateur, on the subject of game design though the lens of tabletop game mastering. Subjects include the dynamic between system design and session design, the balance between planning and improvisation, and how players can be encouraged to participate in the process. Designing like a Dungeon Master Game Design Narrative Tabletop Alter...
Dec 22, 2022
#268 "No referees?!" Roundtable 2022.07.07 How much of the culture around a game is rooted in its design? That's one of the questions that comes up as Mark takes us on a tour of curling—an Olympic sport that's described as "chess on ice." We examine its origins, the Spirit of Curling, and some specific rules that may have a big impact on how players behave towards one another. Later, Stephen considers some questions about off-ramps, the parts of a game that guide players as they end a play sessi...
Dec 16, 2022
Sarah Yu and Beth, developers of Bugaboo Pocket, join us once again in the clubhouse after our chance meeting at GDC! Listen in as we gush about bugs a lot, but also discuss how to present personality traits of your pets in pet management games. There's also a bunch of cool videos of bugs in this episode's show notes! Sarah and Beth were also interviewed by us during GDC in 2022. GDC 2022 Special (Part 2) Characterization in Pet Management Games Art Game Design Gaming Chao World - Chao Island Do...
Dec 08, 2022•Ep. 290
The clubhouse comes together this week to realize the danger and fear surrounding Save Data. Mark talks about the advantages of Json and xml, then immediately tells why he choose neither of them for his project. Stephen summarizes why meetings are great and why everyone is sometimes a tech artist (Make it more... Dynamic?), and the team discusses how to best communicate between people who have different skills sets. Stephen's Brother Streaming his work - @DarkaysTG , YouTube Mark's Music Choice:...
Dec 01, 2022•Ep. 289
It's the show's sixth anniversary! To celebrate, Stephen, Mark, and Ellen play two "talky talky" games on the air: Where Should We Begin: A Game of Stories by Esther Perel, and Hypertheticals by Chuck Klosterman. These games offer your hosts some interesting discussion prompts, with interesting results. Episode 280, a recent one in which we talked about journaling. "Two bits of goop." "Baldric" in literature and culture - Wikipedia 0:08:49Where Should We Begin? A Game of Stories Where Should We ...
Nov 26, 2022•Ep. 288
This week, fellow nice gamedev Millie Walker enters the clubhouse to discuss her approach to combining genres. It's an episode full of synthesis, but not photosynthesis because Stephen doesn't want to talk about his bonsai tree. Fusing Genres Game Design Marketing Myth Caller: The Nightmare Shaman - Karatkuro Xander the Monster Morpher: Universe Breaker - Karatkuro , Steam We previously tackled "genre" in: "I do business."...
Nov 17, 2022•Ep. 287
Lots of technical talk in this episode as your nice hosts wade into these two large topics! Flappy Dragon - Google Play Store 0:09:27Cameras Linear Interpolation Wikipedia Super Mario World Camera Logic Review Shaun InmanYouTube Camera Movements for 2D Platformers: How Do I Know Which One to Choose Sam HuSam J H Hu Pro Camera 2D Luís Pedro FonsecaUnity Asset Store0:31:52Bug Tracking and Triage Parkinson's Law Wikipedia Responsible Bug Reporting and Triage Smartbear Auction-based serious game for...
Nov 10, 2022•Ep. 286
It’s everyone’s favorite rhythm fighting game that doesn’t exist yet, ‘Rhythm Rumble’, back for more discussion in this week's NiceThinking Episode. Ellen learns a new word, Mark rants about Unity’s PlayerPrefs, and Stephen admits that he still hasn’t learned to take good notes. They all agree that you have to spend more time researching than you want to, and that Dale is awesome. PlayerPrefs in Unity Unity Manual on Player Prefs Bodge (definition) - Dictionary.com Ellen has been playing games! ...
Nov 03, 2022•Ep. 285
It's spooky season! Stephen is SO over it, but he can't escape all the scary stuff happening in this week's episode. We start with a lesson on the necromantic arts of branding and iconography, guided by Mark, a master of these dark magics. After the break, Ellen raises a past topic from the dead in order to explore the ethics of manipulating players' brainnnsssss. Also mentioned: candy corn, houseplants, and—you guessed it— Star Trek . Star Trek: Ascendancy 0:10:10Branding & Iconography Smas...
Oct 28, 2022•Ep. 284
This week, we talk with Super Rare Games' "Head of Words," Ryan Brown, about his company's approach to physical game distribution for indie games, and what it takes to get your game not just on a Nintendo, but on a Nintendo cartridge. Physical Releases for Indies Marketing Production Super Rare Games Super Rare Games - Twitter Super Rare Games - Developers & Publishers publishmygame@superraregames.com The Criterion Collection International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) - Wikipedia Strong Museu...
Oct 20, 2022•Ep. 283
Your nice hosts start off strong with an excellently performed intro, and it just gets better from there! The Game Agency - The Game Agency 0:06:24Pre-production0:31:45Idle Games Star Trek Lower Decks: The Badgey Directive Review: The Final Fun-tier? Steven ShawDroid Gamers How to make an idle game: Everything you need to know about incremental mobile … David HarteryAdjust Idle Games: The Mechanics and Monetization of Self-Playing Games Anthony PecorellaYouTube “It Started as a Joke”: On the Des...
Oct 13, 2022•Ep. 282
Game designer Osama Dorias returns to the clubhouse to help design a game that can be played remotely, and provides some (much needed?) structure to the Nice Games Jam process. Stephen is obsessed with Bananas, Ellen contemplates her mystery banana gift, and Mark realizes some of these concepts might be too complicated for small children. Osama previously joined us for episode 211: Building Blocks of Design This isn't the first time we'd had a guest join us for a Nice Games Jam: Blame the Cat! (...
Oct 06, 2022•Ep. 281
In this slightly-longer-than-normal episode, we start with a pandemic check-in. (Bivalent boosters are available! Go get 'em!) Ellen leads us on a journaling journey, sharing the embarrassing evidence of past attempts. Stephen challenges us to think through examples of adaptation, or maybe translation, or transcreation...well, we mostly figure it out by the end. Mark is extra-sharp with the one-liners. When, why, and how to get a new Covid-19 booster shot - Keren Landman, Umair Irfan , Vox Hylic...
Sep 30, 2022•Ep. 280
We welcome our first pseudonymous guest to the clubhouse to discuss what it's like making a game to carry the banner (and serve the community) of a previous title. Designing a Spiritual Successor Game Design Gaming Production Sanctuary Shattered Sun: Real Time Strategy Supreme Commander - Wikipedia Interview With Special Bread! - Sanctuary , YouTube Pac-Man Championship Edition is an electrifying reinvention of a classic and fi… - Richard Stanton , GamesRadar Chris Taylor lets us know what he th...
Sep 22, 2022•Ep. 279
Your nice hosts' pronunciation is on point this week as they say a really hard word a large number of times! In this episode, Mark and Ellen BOTH introduce even more complicated words to the other hosts, and Stephen admits to losing an argument (which he'd done on the show before but still don't tell his brother). Noble Robot Office 0:05:23Verisimilitude Verisimilitude Definition Dictionary.com Veracity Definition Dictionary.com The Quest For Verisimilitude: Realism, Illusion, and Consistency In...
Sep 15, 2022•Ep. 278
This week, a behind-the-scenes look into the game that uses a skateboard deck as a controller! Scrapebopard combines elements of rhythm, racing, and fighting games to create a unique boss attack experience. What's it like playtesting unique hardware? How much did they learn about electronics and wiring? How difficult was it to demo the game at alt.ctrl.GDC? What's next for the game? We explore these questions and more in this interview. Postmortem: "Scrapeboard" Events Game Design Hardware Elect...
Sep 09, 2022•Ep. 277
