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

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  • (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
  
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  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