The Secret Lives of Games
The Secret Lives of Games
Candid conversations with game creators that dive deep into the art, craft, and process of making games.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jul 4, 2019 • 1h 29min
22: Making the post-post-apocalypse RAD with Double Fine's Lee Petty
Lee Petty of Double Fine (Psychonauts, Brütal Legend, Stacking) drops by to talk to us about their upcoming post-post-apocalyptic roguelike, RAD! We discuss the emergent origins of its procedural design, capturing '80s nuclear angst, and Tim Schafer's love/hate relationship with farts. Things we discussed: leepetty.com Tharsis (iPad) Brutal Legend Broken Age Stacking Headlander RAD Amnesia Fortnight Psychonauts 2 Grim Fandango Remastered Brothers Quay Hitman Autonomous Chromehounds Risk of Rain Inside Out The Return of Heracles Gamma World Moebius Talisman
Jun 21, 2019 • 1h 8min
21: Keeping Spelunky Alive with MossRanking
MossRanking creator Mathieu "saturnin55" Legaré and advisor/speedrunner Kevin "meowmixmix" Hyer join us to talk about the history and design behind Spelunky's incredible community hub. Things we discussed: MossRanking mewomixmix's GDQx2018 run Playing the Spelunky 2 demo at TwitchCon speedrun.com Bananasaurus Rex's infamous solo eggplant run Crypt of the Necrodancer Nick's Daily Death
Jun 6, 2019 • 1h 34min
20: Going Into the Void (Bastards) with Cara Ellison and Farbs
Sci-fi strategy-shooter Void Bastards is tearing up the charts, and we've got two of its creators on the show! We discuss worldbuilding via British bureaucracy, telling stories in a world of roguelite progression, and yelling at yourself in your own game...as a pirate. Things we discussed: Void Bastards Embed with Games: A Year on the Couch with Game Developers System Shock Dishonored 2 Captain Forever Card Hunter Brazil Red Dwarf The Stanley Parable Choose Your Own Anna Anthropy interview
May 23, 2019 • 1h 16min
19: The Organized Chaos of Edmund McMillen
The creator of The Binding of Isaac and Super Meat Boy joins us for a career-spanning discussion of his design ethos, and the organized chaos that drove the creation of the most successful roguelite ever. Things we discussed: Super Meat Boy The Binding of Isaac The End is Nigh The Binding of Isaac: Four Souls Gish Aether Closure Dungeon Crawl Stone SoupDesktop Dungeons Fingered The Binding of Isaac: Antibirth Keyforge Overwatch Kingdom Death
May 10, 2019 • 1h 31min
18: Exploring Brogue with Brian Walker
Brogue creator Brian "Pender" Walker joins us to chat about the elegant design behind his sublime roguelike dungeon-crawler, from the lessons he took from Rogue (and those he didn't), to creating a rich world of interactions while keeping things simple. Things we discussed: Brogue Zach's instructional Brogue stream Brogue w/ Daily Challenge Brogue w/ Daily Challenge + Potion change Rogue Angband Nethack Derek Yu on Brogue Roguelike Celebration talk: Procedural level design in Brogue and beyond Hearthstone's Dungeon Run David Sirlin on balancing multiplayer games Slay the Spire Andrew Doull's Ascii Dreams Unangband Brian's lessons From the original Rogue post Brian's Roguelike Radio interview Brogue's Jellymancer build Into the Breach Caves of Qud Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup Braid
Apr 26, 2019 • 1h 22min
17: Climbing Gloves in the Jungle
The crew makes the most of being paired off: Andy and Zach talk climbing documentaries, persistence, and design back home, while Nick and Doug play and discuss some Spelunky co-op on the road in New Zealand. Plus a quick interview with Mini Metro's Robert Curry, one of the biggest Spelunky fans we know! Things we discussed: Free Solo The Dawn Wall PRACTICE 2016 Talk - Mastering Movement Notes on the Synthesis of Form Grow21 Typeshift Mini Metro
Apr 11, 2019 • 1h 28min
16: The Spelunky Book Club
We delve deep into the pages of Derek Yu's excellent Spelunky book, from its thoughtful musings on creativity, to its inspiring lessons in game design. A must-read on how our favorite game came to be! Plus some record-breaking Spelunky news, the Weekly Challenge, and more. Things we discussed: Now Play This Low% Hell World Record d_tea's back-to-back World Records Co-op All Journal Entries run Spelunky book Boss Fight Books Humble Bundle TIG source Derek Yu's Twitter thread on difficulty Mutazione announcement trailer Shopstorm, A Spelunky Story Spelunky Generator Lessons A Breakdown of 2013's Most Fascinating Video Game Moment
Mar 28, 2019 • 1h 20min
15: GDC Special - Derek Yu and Slay the Spire
We return home from the Game Developers Conference with hands-on impressions of the new Spelunky 2 demo, while the muse himself Derek Yu gives us a Spelunky 2 development update. Plus Slay the Spire's Casey Yano talks about the design of their hit roguelike deckbuilder! Things we talked about: GDC Day of the Devs Slay the Spire Dream Quest Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Cyber Shadow
Mar 14, 2019 • 1h 29min
14: Diversifying Play with Greg Johnson (ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove)
ToeJam & Earl creator Greg Johnson gets funky with us, as we deconstruct his latest entry in the series - Back in the Groove - and discuss his approach to playfulness and accessibility in roguelikes, the lack of cultural diversity in games, and much more. Things we talked about: New Spelunky WR run Dwarf Fortress remaster ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove HumaNature Studios Doki Doki Universe Brogue A Few Provocative Thoughts by Greg Johnson ToeJam & Earl launch party
Feb 28, 2019 • 1h 20min
13: Procedural Storytelling with Tanya X Short
Tanya X. Short of Kitfox Games drops by to discuss her co-edited essay collections Procedural Storytelling / Generation in Game Design, as well as her own approach and challenges to procedural narrative in Moon Hunters, and the upcoming Boyfriend Dungeon. Things we talked about: Kitfox Games Procedural Generation in Game Design Procedural Storytelling in Game Design Dwarf Fortress Spelunky Udjet Eye run Moon Hunters The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Age of Conan Boyfriend Dungeon The Shrouded Isle ESC
