The Secret Lives of Games

Game designer Zach Gage, creator of Puzzmo, discusses building a platform for newspaper games, unique scoring systems and leaderboards, the dictionary and challenge feature, onboarding users through puzzles, and the fun aspects of the game character Puzmo.

This podcast discusses the open world physics simulation game, Mars First Logistics. They talk about the game's visual style, the procedurally generated landscape, the humor of the gameplay, and more.

Join game designer Patrick Traynor, creator of the acclaimed recursive puzzle game Patrick's Parabox. He dives into the journey of developing recursive mechanics and the decision-making behind commercializing the game after college. Traynor shares insights on fostering approachability in puzzle design, the importance of playtesting, and the influence of the Sokoban community. With a focus on elegance over excessive difficulty, he emphasizes making puzzles satisfying and accessible for a wider audience, all while highlighting artistic collaboration and iterative design.

We're taking a small summer break, so please enjoy one of our favorite episodes from 2020 with a new introduction from Doug! The ENTIRE all-star Disc Room team - Kitty Calis, JW Nijman, Doseone, and Terri Vellmann - stop by for a rowdy disc-ussion on their new arcade sci-fi avoid-em-up. We chat about making the Margherita pizza of games, nailing the details to make a simple concept sing, and making the most of team collaborations. Show notes: Disc Room Launch trailer Kitty Calis JW Nijman Doseone Terri Vellmann Pizza Margherita Disc Room Game Jam VVVVVV Chris Ware Monolith Bit Pilot

We're honored to be joined by Gilles De Coster, host of our favorite Belgian reality TV game show - De Mol - to talk about the process, inspirations, and execution of the sublime game design behind its thrilling, subversive challenges. We spend the first hour giving all the context you'll need to follow along, before diving into the interview. This is a special one for us, check it out! Show Notes: De Mol (SPOILERS) The Mole (inferior American version) Wie is de Mol? (Dutch version) The Amazing Race Every Game in This City Bestemming X

We're joined by Abhi to discuss Venba - Visai Games' short narrative cooking game about family, love, and loss. We discuss uniting narrative and gameplay, making a very personal game in a commercial industry, and creating a cooking experience with its own distinct flavor. Show Notes: Abhi Venba Papers, Please Assemble with Care Idli Exit/Corners Wholesome Games Laundry Bear Games Alpha Something - Venba soundtrack Keel Haul Abhi's picks: Favorite cooking videos: Layered Biriyani Kerala Style Fried Chicken Chicken Ghee roast Great Tamil movies to get started with: Merku Thodarchi Malai Kaaka Muttai Kaithi A playlist of songs that inspired Venba's soundtrack

We're joined by Color Gray Games' Andrejs Kļaviņš to discuss their deeply rewarding detective game The Case of the Golden Idol. We discuss building on the game's cross-media inspirations, finding the 'aha!' moments in playtesting, and trusting yourself to trust your players. Show Notes: The Case of the Golden Idol Color Gray Games Andrejs Kļaviņš Resonance Return of the Obra Dinn gamedeveloper.com interview GMTK - What Makes a Good Detective Game? Understanding Comics William Hogarth Her Story Outer Wilds Dark Souls Foucault's Pendulum PostCurious episode Godot Engine Mark Brown episode SpiderHeck Hercule Poirot Poker Face show Under a Killing Moon

We're joined by actor Ashly Burch and Guerilla Games' Ben McCaw and Jochen Willemsen to deconstruct their deeply collaborative work on the Horizon game franchise - building the character of Aloy, the role of performance capture, and carving out nuance and evolution in a blockbuster series. Show Notes: Horizon Forbidden West Horizon series Ashly Burch Ben McCaw Jochen Willemson Hey Ash Whatcha Playin'? Tenzin (Uncharted 2) Gildun (Horizon character) Seyka (Horizon character)

We're joined by Rita Orlov to discuss her PostCurious catalog of captivating narrative tabletop puzzle games, including her journey from physical and fine art into games, why designers love bouldering, and trusting players to summit her puzzles. Show Notes: Rita Orlov PostCurious The Emerald Flame Threads of Fate KickStarter Lauren Bello Rita's furniture Rita's masks Prague tunnels Bouldering Chip's Challenge Syberia Rush Hour Society of Curiosities Traveler's Guide to Little Sodaburg Jack Fallows Voynich Manuscript Codex Seraphinianus The Case of the Golden Idol Mother of Frankenstein

Four of our hosts get a little loopy answering questions submitted by our listeners, from how we all met, to our favorite game controllers, to the importance of mechanics vs vibes. We plan to do more of these episides once in a while, so let us know what you think and send us your most burning, random questions! Show Notes: Andean Abyss Zach's dreamy eyes Game of Thrones board game NeGcon Gravis PC GamePad PsychOdyssey Dysforgiveness Unify XOXO Festival Edgar Rice Soiree Clusterf**k! Every Game in This City The AirBnB we were going to rent findsatoshi.com The Jejune Institute Signal Tower speakeasy Lost Cities Planet of Lana The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Chrono Trigger EarthBound