Elyot Grant, CEO and Game Director at Lunar Studios. Elyot shares his prolific journey from academia to game development, highlighting his expertise in creating engaging puzzles and successful indie games like Prisma. He discusses his favorite classic games, including Tetris and StarCraft, and provides deep insights into the intricacies of game design and puzzle creation.

Elyot also recounts compelling stories about their Kickstarter campaign for Prisma and using Reddit to build an early audience. Additionally, he sheds light on the making and scaling of 'Islands of Insight,' a puzzle game known for its vast number of handcrafted puzzles, emphasizing the blend of artistry and algorithmic generation in game design. This episode is filled with valuable tips for indie developers and puzzle enthusiasts alike.

Check out Elyot's Resources:
http://lunarchstudios.com/
https://user-74792.artstation.com/

Socials:
http://twitter.com/lunarchstudios
https://www.facebook.com/Prismata/
https://www.youtube.com/lunarchstudios

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(00:00) - Introduction and Guest Welcome
(02:17) - Elyot Grant's Gaming Preferences
(04:41) - Deep Dive into Tetris
(16:09) - Challenges and Weaknesses in Gaming
(19:43) - Kickstarter and Game Development Journey
(30:58) - Building a Community at Expos
(31:55) - Building a Community Around a Game
(32:49) - Challenges of Collecting Emails at Conventions
(35:28) - The Reddit Story: Turning a Failure into Success
(42:09) - Kickstarter Campaign: Seizing the Momentum
(45:49) - Islands of Insight: Crafting 10,000 Handcrafted Puzzles
(53:56) - The Value of Handmade Puzzles vs. Generated Puzzles
(01:00:04) - Conclusion and Future Projects

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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

H. E. Double Hockey Sticks