The Indie Diarist David & Jeremy: From TV Writing to Game Worlds - Indie Diary #79
Oct 6, 2025
David and Jeremy, comedy writers turned game developers, share their journey of creating the hilarious point-and-click adventure Dumb Sherlock. They discuss the challenges of transitioning from TV to game design, highlighting lessons learned about non-linear storytelling and player feedback. Their unique collectibles and customization mechanics add humor to gameplay. They emphasize the importance of creative control and encourage fellow creators to start projects and iterate on their ideas. It's a delightful peek into the indie game development world!
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
From Unmade Sitcom To Game
- Jeremy and David turned an unsold sitcom script into a game to keep the IP alive.
- They chose a deliberately silly, janky point-and-click format that fit their skills and voice.
Learn The Engine First
- Take short introductory courses to understand game engines like Godot before building.
- Use incremental learning and self-teaching to fill technical gaps while you start work.
Linear TV vs Nonlinear Games
- TV writing's linear structure clashes with games' non-linearity and replay expectations.
- Adapting storytelling to branching player choices proved the deeper conceptual challenge.