Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast!

This week's interview episode features Dev Jana, one half of the team behind Newt One, a non-violent music-infused 3D platformer.We talk with Dev about how Newt One transformed (through continuous iteration) from a "Mario 64" clone into a game where "there are no bad guys" and nothing you do can hurt anything.We also discuss the purpose and use of violence in video games, including the games we're all working on. When can violence be utilized effectively though mechanics and story? And when is it simply an lazy way to build tension and create challenge for the player?Violence in GamesGame DesignHappiness: The Science of Subjective Well-Being - Edward Diener, NOBAThis Is What It’s Like To Play Dishonored 2 In Low Chaos, Non-Violent Fashion - Jonathan Leak, Game RevolutionFirewatch: games without violence can be just as good or even better! - Florian Uhlemann, MediumSonic Frees the Forest Animals - Dorkly, YouTubeAddressing Conflict: Tension and Release in Games  - John Nelson Rose, Game DeveloperI Finally "Get" 'HItman' - Nick Dinicola, PopMattersTen Years Later: Videogames Not Responsible for Columbine - Andy Chalk, The EscapistWere video games to blame for massacre? - Winda Benedetti, NBC NewsUnmasking the Avatar: The Demographics of MMO Player Motivation, In-Game Prefer… - Nick Yee, Game DeveloperMetaphors: The impossibility of being literal - R.G.L., The EconomistGamer Motivation Profiling by Quantic Foundry - Quantic Foundry

For our first ever LIVE episode, we took the main stage at GlitchCon 2017 along with our guests Rebekah and Adam Saltsman, co-founders of Finji, publisher of "Night in the Woods" and developer of "Overland" and "Canabalt," to talk about talking about games!Plus your nice hosts and their guests each recount moments where they "leveled up" as game developers.LIVE from GlitchCon 2017EventsIRL[0:01:45] Talking about your game to different audiences[0:32:35] Moments where you “leveled up” as a gamedev[0:45:56] OutroAt the end of this episode, Stephen was able to guilt a whole room full of people to fill out our feedback form, but that doesn't mean you're off the hook. Hearing from you helps make our show better, so get on it!

This week's roundtable provides practical knowledge on three of today's most important life topics: Starting a business, being a good competitor, and playing Nintendo.0:01:51Taxes and BusinessIndie Developer tax issues: Is game development your hobby or your businessZachary StrebeckGame DeveloperHow LLC Members Are TaxedNOLOStarting a Business - MN Department of Employment and Economic DevelopmentInc FileLegal ZoomDo You Need a Physical Address For Your Business?Belle WongLegal Zoom0:23:49Nintendo SwitchArms launches on June 16, new character Min Min revealedBrianNintendo EverythingNintendo Reveals A new ARMS Character, And It's An Odd OneRobert SephazonNintendo LifeJackbox Party Pack 3Human Resource MachineNintendo Switch dev kits could run as low as $440 Alissa McAloon Game DeveloperWith the Switch, Nintendo is getting right what the PlayStation Vita got wrongDavid HoughtinGamesRadarPlayStation Vita isn’t dead, just ask Nintendo Switch indie developersChris PlanteThe Verge0:43:20Competition"Playing to Win" and a Philosophy of Competition in GamingMark Newheiser“Is Wavedashing necessary for competitive play?” - redditRedditClaw Breaker TrailerMartha MegarryYouTubeMetro Nexus GameplayNoble RobotYouTube

Hype is alive in the clubhouse as your nice hosts preview all the sessions at Glitch Connect 2017, taking place at the Soap Factory in Minneapolis, May 5-7th!

In this interview episode, we talk to Glitch's "Official Zookeeper" Alex Chang, who is the producer of this year's Glitch Connect digital games festival, coming up May 5-7th, 2017. He talks with us about what it's like to put on a show, and gives some great advice on how to put on your own.We recorded this episode before the sessions for GlitchCon were announced. Check out the full listing here!The final stop on the GlitchCon brewery tour is on April 19th at Modest Brewing Co. in Minneapolis.Putting on a GlitchCon!Events

This week's roundtable episode has it all: Confusion, technobabble, randomness... and shoot, a whole lot more besides!We're still looking for feedback from our listeners! Be nice and visit our feedback form. It will only take a minute and it will help make the show better!0:02:54Getting Out of a RutTim Schafer on ProductivityStephen's motivation week0:19:44Bots! Bots! Bots!Tech the TechTraceryTracery for UnityKate ComptonMark Gritter on TwitterPlay This Clever Adventure Game Entirely On TwitterJason SchreierKotakuMeetup Bot Makers - MinneapolisQuick, Draw!Cheap Bots, Done Quick0:35:40Procedural GenerationProcedural world generation: The simulation, functional and planning approachesRune Skovbo Johansen oGame DeveloperSpelunk Generator LessonsDarius KazemiTiny SubversionsNo Man’s Sky – Procedural Contentgregkwaste3DGameDevBlogHow Planets are Made in Elite: Dangerous HorizonsJeff WilliamswccftechFallout 4: Here's All the Names That Codsworth Can SayEddie MakuchGameSpot

On this Co-Op Recap episode, we welcome musician and 3D artist Sara Ferret along with game designer Ajuawak Kapashesit to talk about March's Glitch Co-Op Talk topic, Problematic Games.Problematic GamesGaming"7 Ridiculously Sexualized Moments in the Metal Gear Solid Games" - Dorkly, YouTube"Assassin’s Creed and the straight-white-male default"  - Duane de Four, How Manly

In this super-sized episode, your nice hosts get into the gritty details of game design with a trio of terrific topics. Martha lays out the concept for her next game, Stephen complains about Smash Bros. (!), and Mark takes a lot of notes. Plus, maybe the best topic transitions to ever come out of the clubhouse!We're still looking for feedback from our listeners! Be nice and visit our feedback form. It will only take a minute of your time and it will help us make the show better.Nice Games Club Feedback Form0:05:18PrototypingDon't skip the Game Design Workshop at GDC 2017GDCMark's Sonic the Hedgehog solitaire card gameHolographic Mark Mk I0:26:28Point and ClicksPuzzle Dependency Graph PrimerJoshua WinbergGame DeveloperThe Day of The Tentacle: Dependency Graph AnalysisThe Website is Down Dev BlogDouble Fine AdventureDoubleFineProdYouTubeHumongous EntertainmentCosmic OsmoWikipedia30-plus years of HyperCard, the missing link to the WebMatthew LasarArs Technica0:42:26User InterfacesUser interface design in video gamesAnthony StonehouseGame DeveloperThe User Interface Continuum: A Study of Player PreferenceKristine JorgensenGame DeveloperSplinter Cell: Conviction Developer DiaryIGNYouTubeMirror’s Edge – UX is not UIPapa_LampGur-uHue's color blind mode in action Color Jumpers color blind mode in actionBen BurnesYouTubeThe Division UI and Gameplay WalkthroughYouTubeGDC Breaking conventions with Zelda: Breath of the WildHidemaro FugibayashiGDC

In this interview episode, we talk with Lord President of the Game Design Club at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Rachel Peterson Reese Valentine, to talk about how to go about getting an education in games. Your nice hosts also recount their own gamedev educational origin stories, and the episode closes out with a quick run though of all the advice!Games EducationArtIRLBecause Learning Matters (129) - Extra Credits, YouTubeMinneapolis Colledge of Art and DesignPong Clone Tutorial Rachel's quick-draw artQuick-draw portrait of MarkQuick-draw portrait of StephenWhite-board self-portraitEducational LinksOne Game a MonthOn Game Schools - How to Find a Good School - Extra Credits, YouTubeGame Center - NYUUniversity of Wisconsin -StoutGame Design Workshop - bookGDC VaultUnite Conference - UnityGame Maker's Toolkit - YouTube

A day late but worth the wait! In this high signal-to-noise roundtable episode, each member of the club picks a topic that they are particularly passionate about:Stephen shares his wisdom and guidance about playtesting your work early and often, Martha helps you get your act together in a practical discussion about project management, and Mark tries to explain the obligation he feels as an artist, but picks a weird hill to die on as he wrongly insists that Portal 2 isn't really about anything.We're trying to make the show even better and we need your input! Be nice and visit our feedback form to tell us what you think!Ice Cold Games@zacharyjohnsonNIce Games Club Feedback Form0:03:27Demoing and Playtesting0:33:26Project ManagementtrelloAgile DevelopmentWikipediaWaterfall DevelopmentWikipediaKanban DevelopmentWikipediaThe Blue Yarn - 99% InvisibleThe Blue Yarn99% InvisibleNUMMI (2015)NUMMIThis American LifeDavid Megarry's Three Questions all project managers should ask: “Do you have all the resources you need?" "Do you have any roadblocks or impediments?" "Are you on schedule?”“A project manager (PM) is more of a problem solver than anything else. If you don’t have the resources, the PM finds them. If there are roadblocks, the PM helps to find a way to get around them. If not on schedule, the PM alters it or adds more resources or changes scope. Above all, the PM communicates with management as to the state of the project so they can make proper decisions and not be blindsided or surprised.” -David Megarry0:52:56Messages and MeaningsSummerlandMichael ChabonNovelA Closer Look at How Three Assassin's Creed Games Have Handled SlaveryEvan NarcisseKotakuFor Honor's accidental alt-right connectionAllegra FrankPolygon