Nick Bell

David talks to Nick Bell, an indie game developer and the creator of Temple of Snek. They talk about puzzle game design, game communities, the pros and cons of solo development, and much more.

David talks to Nick Bell, an indie game developer and the creator of Temple of Snek. They talk about puzzle game design, game communities, the pros and cons of solo development, and much more.

34 - Nick Bell: Temple of Snek

Roh and David share some news about the podcast and have a discussion about focus.

Roh and David share some news about the podcast and have a discussion about focus.

33 - Focus

Roh and David catch up on their indie game projects! They discuss some recent developments and challenges they’ve been facing, along with some surprising learnings.

Roh and David catch up on their indie game projects! They discuss some recent developments and challenges they’ve been facing, along with some surprising learnings.

32 - Catching Up

When starting a new project, how do you choose the right tool? We explore this question in-depth as we kick off our new miniseries on Making An Indie Game.

When starting a new project, how do you choose the right tool? We explore this question in-depth as we kick off our new miniseries on Making An Indie Game.

31 - Choosing a Tool

David helps Roh explore design considerations for making a roguelike, then Roh shares some challenges he is facing with his new indie project.

David helps Roh explore design considerations for making a roguelike, then Roh shares some challenges he is facing with his new indie project.

30 - Exploring Roguelike Design

David and Roh discuss some games they have both played before and during quarantine. Then they each take time to recommend 1 game for the other to play.

David and Roh discuss some games they have both played before and during quarantine. Then they each take time to recommend 1 game for the other to play.

29 - Games We Are Playing #2

In this special "quarantine" episode, David talks to his daughter Soren about Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

In this special "quarantine" episode, David talks to his daughter Soren about Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

28 - Animal Crossing: New Horizons

John Veneron

Special guest John Veneron joins us to share his producer perspective on making indie games! We discuss his work at the RIT MAGIC Center manging student teams, some common mistakes that first-time developers make, and how to have a healthy perspective on teamwork.

Special guest John Veneron joins us to share his producer perspective on making indie games! We discuss his work at the RIT MAGIC Center manging student teams, some common mistakes that first-time developers make, and how to have a healthy perspective on teamwork.

27 - John Veneron: Finish Your Game!

Kathryn DeFeo

Special guest Kathryn DeFeo joins us to offer her game artist expertise! We walk through the story of how she got into games, then move into questions about the career and art form. It's a fun episode full of practical advice and thought-provoking insights on how to break in and grow as a game artist!You can learn more about Kathryn on her website:http://www.juupiter.com

Special guest Kathryn DeFeo joins us to offer her game artist expertise! We walk through the story of how she got into games, then move into questions about the career and art form. It's a fun episode full of practical advice and thought-provoking insights on how to break in and grow as a game artist!You can learn more about Kathryn on her website:<a href="http://www.juupiter.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.juupiter.com</a>

26 - Kathryn DeFeo: Getting Started as a Game Artist

David and Roh give updates on their respective game projects! David gives an update on Tengam, which he is now producing as a part of the MAGIC Incubator Program, and Roh gives updates on a Solitaire project at work and a new indie game he is starting.

25 - What Are We Working On #2

It is a very nice podcast, they are interesting enough to keep me from unsubscribing, I just wish that would talk more about game design.

Not what I hoped for

Rob and David do a phenomenal job of diving deep in to topics surrounding games and game dev. Their discussions go really well and I think they play off one another in a great way. 

Can’t wait to see how this podcast will develop over time; especially with how good it is already. 

Keep it up guys!

Great podcast for devs and designers

Finding the Fun

Noah Ratcliff

Special guest Noah Ratcliff joins us to discuss rapid prototyping! Noah shares insights from his experience getting started with game dev, participating in game jams, forming Aesthetician Labs, and making weekly prototypes for a hyper casual mobile publisher. There's a ton of useful info for every kind of game dev!

20 - Noah Ratcliff: Rapid Prototyping

Roh and David discuss game reviews and critiques, their place in games culture, and how they could be made better.

2 - Game Reviews (Part 1)

Roh and David tackle the difficult issue of violence in videogames. What is it, is it a problem, and how can we approach it as game designers?

6 - Violence In Games

David and Roh offer their thoughts on some of the game industry controversies they missed in 2019. 2:16 - Did Game Freak lie about Dexit?22:02 - Should Blizzard have banned Blitzchung?30:00 - Is the Epic Store strategy too aggressive?

22 - BONUS: 2019 Controversies We Missed

Are you trying to break into the game industry? Have you ever been frustrated or confused by the hiring process? David and Roh share their experiences from the employer perspective to demystify the process and offer actionable advice for aspiring game devs.

9 - Getting Hired

In the final episode of Season 1, David and Roh look back on the show so far. What went right? What went wrong? What can improve? They also give thanks to the many people who made this podcast possible. Stay tuned for the new and improved Season 2 in January 2020!

21 - Season 1 Finale Postmortem

A new From Software game has sparked discussion on the role of difficulty in games. What is difficulty? How do difficulty options impact different kinds of players? What is a game designer's responsibility to providing difficulty options in their work?

8 - The Role of Difficulty in Games

David and Roh look back on previous topic discussions, offering new thoughts and answering listener questions along the way. Topics revisited are: Games as Art, Game Reviews, Violence in Games, and Difficulty in Games.

10 - Following Up and Listener Questions

Peter Lazarski

Special guest Peter Lazarski joins us to discuss streaming game dev! Why stream yourself making games? What's the best way to get started? How do you stay motivated? Pete answers these questions and more with stories from his own personal experience!

19 - Peter Lazarski: Getting Started with Streaming

Robert Mostyn

Roh and David sit down with Robert Mostyn, co-founder of Roc Game Dev and Digital Games Hub Coordinator at RIT, to talk about growing the Rochester game dev community.

5 - Robert Mostyn: Growing Roc Game Dev

David Kilmer

Roh interviews co-host David Kilmer about his road to game development. They talk about playing Pong and Odyssey, early game dev experiments, breaking into a programming career, Reproduction Man, and his modern discovery of game design.You can buy Reproduction Man on itch.io for $1.50 or on Steam for $1.99https://dkilmer.itch.io/reproduction-manhttps://store.steampowered.com/app/511920/Reproduction_Man/And check out the Tengam demo for free on itch.iohttps://dkilmer.itch.io/tengam

Roh interviews co-host David Kilmer about his road to game development. They talk about playing Pong and Odyssey, early game dev experiments, breaking into a programming career, Reproduction Man, and his modern discovery of game design.You can buy Reproduction Man on <a href="http://itch.io" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">itch.io</a> for $1.50 or on Steam for $1.99https://<a href="http://dkilmer.itch.io/reproduction-manhttps://store.steampowered.com/app/511920/Reproduction_Man/And" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">dkilmer.itch.io/reproduction-manhttps://store.steampowered.com/app/511920/Reproduction_Man/And</a> check out the Tengam demo for free on itch.iohttps://<a href="http://dkilmer.itch.io/tengam" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">dkilmer.itch.io/tengam</a>

15 - David Kilmer: We're All Imposters

Roh and David talk about some game designers we admire and what they appreciate about them.

7 - Game Designers We Admire

David and Roh discuss some games they have played recently, sharing design thoughts on specific game elements and moments that stood out to them. The games mentioned in this episode are: Super Mario Odyssey, Baba Is You, Stardew Valley, and Minit.

11 - Games We Are Playing #1

Where do new ideas come from? How do we decide which ideas are worth exploring further? David and Roh walk through their personal thoughts and processes, then invite the Roc Game Dev community to weigh in.

23 - Coming Up With Ideas

What is this?
1 quote, 3 ideas & 1 question from a carefully curated podcast episode.
Every Monday & Wednesday.

Want a 3rd insight and episode every week? Email me at curation@owltail.com.

OwlTail

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