This week in the clubhouse, your nice hosts discuss the not so-intuitive nature of novelty, and the novel method of using intuition in games. Featured in the episode: Ellen reveals secrets of her home, Stephen relates a topic to fighting games for the 218th time, and Mark brings up the best parts of the Mass Effect trilogy.Matias Ergo Pro KeyboardEllen mentioned screen burnout, a topic we've covered in this episode."Empty the bucket."Tweet on writing 'structure'12:27Novelty45:19IntuitionEducating IntuitionThe University of Chicago PressJason Silva on IntuitionBrain GamesNational GeographicIntuition, Expectations and Culture: Learning from Psychology to Build Better G…Ara ShirinianGame DeveloperNumerical IntuitionBrain GamesNational GeographicThe unique power of games in building intuitionBryan Braun

There's a second Mark in the clubhouse! This week we're joined by Mark Mandel, who is involved in many things worth mentioning! Mark is a Developer Advocate at Google Cloud for Games, leading the Developer Relations team; he founded Agones, a game server hosting platform; he has a dog. What else? Listen to find out.During this episode, Mark talks about open source software in the gamedev scene—why it's important, what developers can gain from supporting open source, tips for participating in open source projects, and more. Open Source SoftwareProgrammingToolsOpen Source DefinitionDemo video of Veloren, an Open Source MMORPG - Open Source Games, YouTubeZero D, an open source game"Standards" (#927) - xkcdEmbark StudiosAdobe BracketsAwesome Open SourceTo Do GroupFree Open Source Compliance Course for Developers - The Linux FoundationCode CovenantRust Programming LanguageBevy, a "refreshingly simple data-driven game engine built in Rust"Mark MandelGuestMark specializes in the backend systems of games. His current role (May 2021) is at Google, where he advocates for developers who use the Google Cloud platform. One of his main projects is Agones, a platform that allows developers to host, run and scale dedicated game servers on Kubernetes. He also has an adorable dog named Sukie and a super-cool Twitter handle.External linkMark on Twitter @NeuroticSukie the Dog on Twitter @SukieTweetsGoogle Cloud for GamingAgonesAgones on Twitter @AgonesDevMark's YouTube channelMark on Twitch

This week, we talk about the core interactions that games are made of with Allan Rust, creative director of The Game Agency. We've been wanting to have Allan on the program for a long time, and it was worth the wait!Ellen and Mark's Ludum Dare 48 game, Sonder (a story) can now be played in a web browser from its Itch.io page!Stephen (and company)'s game Fingeance is still hot off the presses. Go download it and reclaim the sea!Gameful UXGame DesignUI / UXThe Training Arcade"Jeopardy!" TV Challenge DemoAn 'Overjoyed' LeVar Burton Welcomes Chance To Guest-Host 'Jeopardy!' - Bill Chappell, NPRWhat is a Lottie?Howler.jsWhat is middleware?Adobe XDAllan RustGuestAllan is the creative director of the The Game Agency, which creates custom game-based solutions and learning experiences. With a background in multiple creative arts, Allan is also a long-time member of the Minneapolis-based band and vocal quartet The Blenders.External linkThe Game AgencyAllen on LinkedinThe Blenders

Oh dang, Fingeance is out! In this episode, Stephen talks about finally releasing his long-in-development game that's been a big part of Nice Games Club history, too!Hear about the game's unique development history, why now was the right time to put it out into the world, and learn a bit about how you might want to to approach your own long-gestating projects.Fingeance on itch.io (download for free)!Escape Industries on TwitterFingeance PortmortemBack in 2018, we peeked inside Fingeance for a video episode of the show:Code Comment: "Fingeance"In 2019, we did a postmortem-ish episode for Widget Satchel:"Space ferrets lift off!" Widget Satchel Special

Sound the alarm, it's the second half of Evil Games Club's latest nefarious reign over the clubhouse! This time, Adia, Dylan and Dale take their misdeeds to new heights with an "Evil Games Jam." Can they invent a playable game and test it in a single episode? What maddening mechanics will be unleashed from these malevolent minds? Take shelter under your headphones and listen if you dare!The Interactive Fiction CompetitionSpring Thing Festival of Interactive FictionLudum Dare 48NaNoReNO JamOST JamPromptCreate a game you might find in a casino, where the house always wins.Game typeCard gamePlayer count3MaterialsStandard deck of 52 playing cardsSetupIn this game, the Patrons and the Dealer oppose each other. In the spirit of the prompt, the idea is that the Dealer needs to win against the Patrons, but keep them interested enough to keep playing.The Dealer wants to win against the Patrons.The Patrons will work with each other to make more matches than the Dealer—while having fun!Setting up the game:Decide who will be The Dealer. The Dealer shuffles the deck and deals each player 5 cards, face down.The Dealer deals themselves 5 cards, face down.Play starts with the person to the Dealer's left and proceeds clockwise.RulesGOALPatrons want to create more sets of matching 4 cards than the Dealer before the deck runs out. A set = 4 cards of the same number.Heads up! Here are some important notes:The Dealer's rules are slightly different than the Players' rules. The differences are noted below in line with the regular rules.The discard pool is not the same thing as the discard pile. A discard pool is created during each round and then merged into the discard pile at the start of the Dealer's turn each round.PLAYER TURNSOn each player's turn, they will take the following steps in order:Draw cardsSwitch cardsDiscard(Dealer only) Before you draw cards, move the cards in the discard pool from that round into the discard pile.1: DRAW CARDSOn their turn, each player takes one of the following actions:Draw up to 2 cards from the deck and place it face up in front of them Draw up to 2 cards from the discard pool and place it face up in front of them (Dealer only) If the player is the Dealer, they can pick up to 2 cards from any of the Patrons' hands and put them face up on the table OR put them directly into their hand2: SWITCH CARDS The player may then swap cards from their hand for cards they just drew, maintaining a hand of 5 cards. Patrons can only switch "like for like"—cards of the same color or number. Examples:Swap the Queen of Spades for the Five of ClubsSwap the Four of Diamonds for the Four of SpadesThe Dealer doesn't have to follow the "like for like" rule. They can switch whatever cards they want. Unfair? Yep! That's the point.3: DISCARDThe player should now have 5 cards in their hand and 2 cards leftover—either ones that were switched out, or ones that were drawn and not switched. The player must do one of the following before the end of their turn:Discard the leftover 2 cards into the discard pool.(Dealer only) Hand the leftover 2 cards to the Patron from which you drew your cards in step 1 of this turn.MAKING A SETA set is created when a single player holds 4 cards of the same number in their hand. When a player creates a set, they place all four cards on the table, then draws back up to a 5 card hand. PLAYING TO WINPlayers take turns, clockwise, until the deck is expended. If the Dealer has made the most 4-card sets by the end of the game, the Dealer wins. If the Patrons have more 4-card sets than the Dealer, the Patrons win!SHARING INFORMATIONPatrons can share information about their hands with each other by placing their hands face-up on the table. If you do this, know that the Dealer will get to see what's in your hand, too!That's all the rules that we're allowed to talk about. If you try out the game, let us know what you think!

Uh oh! The evils are back again for the first of a two-episode residency in the clubhouse, where Dale takes a hair census, Adia is "air-quoting heavily," and Dylan is a child of the Internet... literally.0:05:21Playing Outside Your Genre / DifficultyExpert Tips Bloodstained: Ritual Of The Night Doesn't Tell YouJustin ClarkSVGHow the Video Game Industry Quietly Powered Through a PandemicTrilby BeresfordThe Hollywood Reporter0:34:48CheatingHere’s how ‘Hades’ makes going back to hell feel freshGene ParkThe Washington Post9 out of 10 people played Mass Effect as ParagonBrett MakedonskiDestructoidYour Nice Hosts talked about Strategy Guides way back in episode 8:"Will you be the best with me?"

This week, your nice hosts get smart. Stephen approaches a major milestone, Ellen's planning her first PC build, and Mark does a book report. Plus, there's a new feedback form for you to sample and enjoy! Aged. Learned. It's Nice Games Club.Fingeance trailer - Escape Industries, YouTubeFingeance main site - Escape IndustriesBuy Fingeance on Itch.io!Razer Kishi controllerAmazon Luna controller0:20:04Ellen's PC Build - The Journey BeginsUS favorite video game devices 2020J. ClementStatistaGaming - Statistics and FactsStatistaVideo Game Industry Statistics In 2020PC Part PickerELEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS0:41:00Press Reset by Jason SchreierPress Reset: Ruin and Recovery in the Video Game IndustryJason SchreierAmazon

It's back to basics this week as we welcome Osama Dorias, lead game designer on the upcoming Gotham Knights at WB Games Montréal, to talk about his multi-year journey of making games with his kids, and what it taught him about his craft. It might be our cutest episode yet! Osama, along with Fawzi Mesmar, and Rami Ismail, recently launched their own very nice gamedev podcast, The Habibis!Building Blocks of DesignArtGame DesignIRLTabletopToolsThe Game CrafterA selection of cards from "Ali and Mimi's Card Game"Osama's son trying to look professional while presenting "City Game I Love This."Osama's daughter beaming with pride at her creation, "05Q7654321 0."Osama's kids' first video game.Osama DoriasGuestOsama works at WB Games Montréal, where he is the lead game designer on Gotham Knights. He is a co-founder of the Montreal Independent Game Awards, a professor at Dawson College, and a co-host of The Habibis podcast.He loves hugs and poutine.External linkOsama on TwitterGotham KnightsMontreal Independent Game AwardsThe Habibis

This week your nice hosts have a rowdy game jam. Dale gave us a prompt: Create a matching game with a puzzle element. The puzzle must be "what matches first" and bonus points if there's cats.The goal of every Nice Games Jam is for the team to come up with a playable game by the end of the episode. Did Stephen, Mark, and Ellen make it happen, or did they end up with a pile of nonsense? Well, maybe a bit of both.The "dot game" that Ellen referenced is called Dots & Boxes - WikipediaA three-sided die similar to the one that Eric, Ellen's partner, owns.Here's a place you can buy your own three-sided die - Nvenom8 Designs on ShapeWays MarketplaceGame typeTabletop gamePlayer countAnyMaterialsPaper, pencil or penSetupEach player should have:Paper (or someplace to compose sentences)Something to write with (typing on a screen is fine)Some way of indicating points passed to other players (chips, coins, etc.) -- in the rules below, these will be referred to as "chips"The game requires three decks. As of this airing, each deck has three cards:Prompts deck "Nice to meet you.""Where is the bathroom?""Can I pet your cat?"Constraints deck No letter Es (this is incredibly difficult)Exactly 4 wordsOnly single-syllable wordsScoring deck Most wordsMost lettersLongest word in the sentenceRulesThe goal of the game is to acquire the most points out of all the players.Players acquire points by writing sentences that adhere to the Prompt, Constraint, and Scoring card drawn for each round.SetupShuffle all three decks.Distribute chips evenly amongst all players.Starting a RoundDraw a single card from each deck. Place all three face-down on the table.Set the timer for the desired duration: 1 minute, 2 minutes (default) or 3 minutes.Flip all three cards face-up and start the timer.All players then attempt to compose a sentence that meets the criteria of all three cards (Prompt, Constraint, and Scoring) within the time limit.Share Your SentencesEach player speaks their sentence aloud. (If you're playing online, you can also enter your sentence into the text chat.) The sequence in which players share their sentences doesn't matter—just be nice about it.Round ScoringPlayers can’t use any of the words in the phrase on the Prompt card. There’s a penalty (-1 point) for each word used. Exception: You can use the same spelling of a word if it’s another type of word (noun vs. verb) Alternate rule for extra challenge and silliness: Remove the exception to the above rule.The player whose sentence meets the conditions on that round's Scoring card wins 3 points.Players pass one of their chips to the person who had, in the player's opinion, the coolest sentence. This is a subjective judgment and has nothing to do with the rules. Each chip received counts as 1 point for the receiving player.DisputesDuring Round Scoring, any player can raise an argument about how the rules apply to another player's sentence. If you bring an argument, you have to propose a resolution, and people will vote on the proposal. (For example, you can propose a change to someone's point total that round, or suggest a change to a person's sentence to bring it within the rules.) If the vote passes, the solution goes through.Continue Play and End the GameFor each subsequent round of play, draw a new set of cards. Play and score according to the above rules.The game ends when all Prompt cards have been used. Shuffle Constraints and Scoring cards back into their respective decks as needed.The player with the most points wins!

This week, your nice hosts look within themselves. Mark is afraid of falling off the tree, Stephen does the teeter-tottering he has to do, and Ellen doesn't struggle with this.Markey, Colleagues Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Make Daylight Saving Time Per…Tiny Room Stories: Town MysteryAnimal RestaurantLearn Lua in 15 Minutes - Tyler NeylonHungarian Notation0:24:56Your Internal BatteryGamer Motivation ProfileYour nice hosts talked about thier Gamer Motiviation Profiles in:"Will you be the best with me?"Evil Games Club also tackled thier Gamer Motivations Profiles in thier first outing:Evil Games Club! 5 Signs That You May Be an AmbivertRena GoldmanHealthlineNemesis JamCannibalInteractiveitch.io0:48:12Finding Your Artistic Voice