Daniel Tait is a prolific indie game developer who has created several popular puzzle games, including Mathler, CrossWordle, and Sumplete. Despite not considering himself a professional programmer, Daniel has a knack for quickly building and launching games that capture players' attention.
In this episode, we explore Daniel's journey from tinkering with games as a kid to becoming a successful indie developer.
He shares insights on:
- How he created Mathler, his breakout hit inspired by Wordle, using an open-source clone and basic math equations
- His approach to rapidly prototyping and launching games, often spending just a weekend to get an MVP out
- Leveraging AI tools like ChatGPT to overcome technical challenges and generate unique puzzles
- The pros and cons of selling some of his most popular games
- His latest project, WordNerd.co, which aims to be a hub for word game enthusiasts
You'll learn:
- Why Daniel prefers to launch games quickly and imperfectly rather than polishing them extensively
- How he uses domain name availability to influence game ideas (23 Words came from 23words.com being available!)
- His simple but effective launch strategy using Hacker News and Reddit
- The importance of building games you enjoy playing yourself
Check out Daniel's Resources:
https://wordnerd.co/
23words.com
https://killercrossword.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-tait/
Contact:
heynerd@wordnerd.co
--
- (00:00) - Introduction to Game Development
- (00:41) - Welcome to the Hey Good Game Podcast
- (02:21) - Interview with Daniel Tait
- (03:24) - Daniel's Gaming Background
- (06:57) - The Creation of Mathler
- (08:52) - Launching and Promoting Mathler
- (10:16) - Daniel's Game Development Philosophy
- (19:46) - Monetization Strategies
- (21:48) - Acquisition by Hey Good Game
- (23:15) - Exploring AI-Assisted Game Development
- (23:25) - Creating a Puzzle Game with ChatGPT
- (24:07) - Developing and Testing the Game
- (25:44) - Using AI for Game Development
- (26:35) - The Joy of Building Games
- (30:57) - Balancing Game Development and Personal Life
- (37:19) - Launching and Promoting New Games
- (41:00) - Final Thoughts and Advice for Aspiring Developers
--Check out our brainy games:
Sumplete - https://sumplete.com
Squeezy - https://imsqueezy.com/
Kakuro Conquest - https://kakuroconquest.com
Mathler - https://mathler.com
Crosswordle - https://crosswordle.com
Sudoku Conquest - https://sudokuconquest.com
Hitori Conquest - https://hitoriconquest.com
Wordga - https://wordga.com
