Best Gamemaker Podcasts (2024)

1
Chinese Gaming Giants: Tencent vs. Netease | Pixels & Profits 1:00:55

40m ago1:00:55

1:00:55

We dive deep into the fierce competition between Tencent and NetEase—two titans shaping the global gaming landscape. Discover how these companies are navigating the challenges of the Chinese market and their strategies for international expansion. We also share our personal experiences about Tencent and provide insider insights you can't find anywh…

1
Luke Muscat, gamemaker (Fruit Ninja, Jetpack Joyride). 1:20:44

13d ago1:20:44

1:20:44

My guest today is Luke Muscat, the Australian video game designer behind some of the best-known smart phone games yet made. After graduating from Queensland University of Technology with a degree in IT and Games, he joined Halfbrick Studio, a game developer in Brisbane that specialised in games licensed from film and TV. There he designed a simple …

1
Holly Gramazio, curator, novelist (The Husbands). 1:18:30

27m ago1:18:30

1:18:30

My guest today is Holly Gramazio, a writer, curator, and game designer. Born in Australia, she earned her PhD in Creative Writing at the University of Adelaide, then moved to London where she founded the Somerset House-based games festival Now Play This, an annual celebration of experimental games. In 2019 she wrote the script for Dicey Dungeons, a…

1
Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure with David Hellman, Nico Recabarren, and Nick Suttner 1:15:55

1h ago1:15:55

1:15:55

This episode is supported by Xsolla Greg Rice chats with David Hellman, Nico Recabarren, and Nick Suttner of Furniture & Mattress, about their debut title as a studio, Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure. Together they discuss how the team got together; the ground rules they established for the puzzle designs; decisions around scope; and how they b…

1
Mastering F2P Cosmetics Monetization in Games 59:12

15m ago59:12

59:12

Anton Bernstein, CEO of Pocket Worlds, discusses the intricacies of cosmetics monetization in free-to-play games. Learn about player motivations, game design considerations, primary vs. secondary markets, and cultural differences in monetization strategies. Gain valuable insights on key metrics and best practices for successful cosmetic-based reven…

1
Listener Console Special #1 21:32

3d ago21:32

21:32

In this special episode, five My Perfect Console supporters share the games they would like to put on their ideal, fictional games machine, and the reasons behind their choices. If you would like to share your console with the My Perfect Console audience, head to www.patreon.com/myperfectconsole where you can become a supporter and receive a raft o…

1
Little Kitty, Big City with Matt Wood & Micah Breitweiser 1:37:07

4d ago1:37:07

1:37:07

This episode is supported by: Xsolla Adam Orth chats with Matt Wood and Micah Breitweiser from Double Dagger Studio about their first tile as a studio, Little Kitty, Big City. Together they discuss how Little Kitty, Big City began as a teaching opportunity for Matt's children; the iterative nature of development and having malleable design pillars;…

1
Tribute Episode: Brett Jones, artist (Goldeneye 007, Perfect Dark, Guardians of the Galaxy). 33:53

9d ago33:53

33:53

A special episode to celebrate the life and work of Brett Jones, an artist and animator for video games, film and television who passed away in July. Jones worked on the seminal N64 movie tie-in game, Goldeneye 007, which successfully brought the first person shooter genre to consoles. He made instrumental contributions to its sequel, Perfect Dark,…

1
Sustainable Game Development with Xalavier Nelson Jr. 1:14:31

17d ago1:14:31

1:14:31

Trent Kusters chats with Xalavier Nelson Jr., the studio head, writer, and creative director of titles such as El Paso Elsewhere, Space Warlord Orgran Trading Simulator, Clickolding, and the upcoming I Am Your Beast. Together they discuss Xalavier's ideas around sustainable game development such as the importance of prioritizing shipping projects o…

1
Steve Meretszky, author of interactive fiction (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy; A Mind Forever Voyaging). 1:18:00

27d ago1:18:00

1:18:00

My guest today is the American video game developer Steve Meretzky. Born and raised in Yonkers, New York, he attended MIT, where he earned a degree in construction management. In 1981, after two years spent working in the construction industry, a friend asked him if he would like to become a tester for Infocom, a publisher that specialised in inter…

1
Writers and Script Lock Podcast Hosts, Nick and Max Folkman 1:16:59

15d ago1:16:59

1:16:59

Alexa Ray Corriea chats with Max and Nick Folkman. Nick is a writer at Insomniac Games and Max a writer at Riot Games who together also host the Script Lock podcast where they chat to fellow game writers. Together they discuss their ideas around writing for games; what it takes to get into the games industry; how to write for live service games ver…

1
Exploring NES Memory – Knox Game Design, July 2024 14:35

26d ago14:35

14:35

Demonstration of how to use the FECUX emulator memory tools to determine the memory location of in-game variables, such as number of coins. How to set a breakpoint with the Hex Editor to find the 6502 assembly code that is executed when a memory location is changed. Analysis of assembly code for awarding an extra … Continue reading Exploring NES Me…

1
Rhianna Pratchett, writer for games (Heavenly Sword, Mirror's Edge, Tomb Raider). 1:18:25

1M ago1:18:25

1:18:25

My guest today is an English writer for video games, TV, film, comics, and books. Born into a literary household – her father was the celebrated fantasy novelist Terry Pratchett –– she studied journalism at the University of Arts in London. After graduating she joined the staff of PC Zone, where she worked her way up from editorial assistant to the…

1
Creating Diverse Characters in Video Games with Jaclyn Seto and Christal Rose Hazelton 1:17:35

22d ago1:17:35

1:17:35

Alexa Ray Corriea chats with writers Christal Rose Hazelton and Jaclyn Seto. Together they discuss the process and nuance of creating characters; the differences between creating for traditional narrative titles versus live service games; the importance of having a diverse group of voices in the writer's room; what it's like to work with a large de…

1
Brawl Stars Godzilla Event Product Roundtable Discussion | Liquid & Grit x Gamemakers 53:37

23d ago53:37

53:37

We partnered with Liquid & Grit to discuss the Brawl Stars Godzilla event, which had a massive impact on Brawl Stars' revenue and downloads. - Highest weekly revenue ever - 59% revenue increase and 107% downloads increase 3Wo3W We review the event and discuss the implications and lessons learned. Discussion Outline: 00:00 - Introduction of the roun…

1
Richard Sparks, librettist, writer (L.A. Opera, Not the Nine O'Clock News). 1:11:55

28d ago1:11:55

1:11:55

My guest today is the British scriptwriter and librettist for opera, Richard Sparks. In 1978 he wrote a sketch for Rowan Aktinson, the actor who later played Mr Bean, which Atkinson performed in the Secret Policeman’s Ball, a series of benefit shows organised by John Cleese to raise funds for Amnesty International. The success of the sketch led my …

1
Making Animal Well as a Solo Game Developer with Billy Basso 3:44:49

29d ago3:44:49

3:44:49

Trent Kusters chats with Billy Basso about his solo-developed debut title, Animal Well. Together they discuss how the ideas and development of Animal Well first began; how he was able to work as a solo developer and the tools he created to help him along the way; how he went about designs the game's countless puzzles and animals; when he recognized…

1
Kelsey Beachum, narrative designer (Outer Wilds). 1:21:37

2M ago1:21:37

1:21:37

My guest today is the American game writer and narrative designer Kelsey Beachum. After graduating from Michigan State University, she worked in publishing, first as editor of the Cryogenic Society of America, then in editorial operations for the satirical current affairs publication, The Onion. In 2012 stared work on a space-mystery game titled Ou…

1
Harold Halibut with Slow Bros' Onat Hekimoglu & Ole Tillmann 1:32:12

1M ago1:32:12

1:32:12

Trent Kusters chats with Onat Hekimoglu and Ole Tillmann from Slow Bros. Together they discuss the 14 year journey of their debut title, Harold Halibut; the history of the Slow Bros and how they went from college friends to a full-time game studio; the homemade photogrammetry technology they created to craft the stop-motion inspired look; and what …

1
Episode Re-release: Hades with Supergiant Games' Amir Rao and Greg Kasavin 1:16:16

1M ago1:16:16

1:16:16

We're on a break from new content this week, but check out one of our past episodes with Supergiant Games' Amir Rao and Greg Kasavin! Originally released in Dec 20, 2020, Amir and Greg sit down with Ted Price to discuss creating Hades, and how launching in early access helped during development, the difficult task of tuning the complex game systems…

1
Mike Drucker, comedy writer, the Tonight Show. 1:13:48

2M ago1:13:48

1:13:48

My guest today is Mike Drucker, an American comedy writer and producer. After graduating with a master’s degree in literature from New York University, he worked as a localisation editor for Nintendo, writing English language jokes for games such as Kid Icarus: Uprising. After a year working as Head Video Writer for the website IGN, he joined Late …

1
Jumping – Knox Game Design, June 2024 34:22

2M ago34:22

34:22

Comparison of jumping statistics from various characters in classic platformer games. Analysis of states in jump cycles. Demo of implementation of jump for a 2D platformer game. Links and Notes Demo Code – https://github.com/levidsmith/KnoxGameDesign/tree/master/jumping FCEUX – https://fceux.com/web/home.html Podcast theme music – Ride by Pocketmas…

1
Michael Sherman, director of e-sports, Riot Games. 1:14:13

2M ago1:14:13

1:14:13

My guest today is Michael Sherman, director of esports for Riot Games. While attending the University of Texas at Dallas for Computer Science, he worked as an Automotive Safety Software Engineer for Texas Instruments, inventing a wireless car-seat that would sound an alarm if a child was left in the car. In 2013 he moved into the emerging world of …

1
The Story of 'Potions: A Curious Tale' with Renee Gittins 1:16:16

2M ago1:16:16

1:16:16

Adam Orth chats with Stumbling Cat CEO and Creative Director, Renee Gittins. Together they discuss her journey to game development from starting in biotech engineering to working in VR; how work began on Potions: A Curious Tale as a side project; creating games that appeal to younger audiences rather than target them; her work with the IGDA and the…

1
Correspondence Special #3: What was the best year for video games? 34:41

2M ago34:41

34:41

In this special correspondence edition, host Simon Parkin reads out listeners' correspondence, answers questions, and offers at least one clue about a forthcoming special guest. Hear Simon discuss which was the best year for video games, which video game characters would make the best stand-up comics, and what Hollywood will do for #content when th…

1
Writing for RPGs with Narrative Designer Whitney Beltrán 1:02:02

2M ago1:02:02

1:02:02

Alexa Ray Corriea chats with writer and narrative designer Whitney Beltrán. Together they discuss her background in environmental law and mythological studies that led to her work writing for RPGs; what it means to write inside the Dungeons & Dragons universe; focusing on what players feel after they put the controller down; the emergence of India …

1
Eric Barone, creator of Stardew Valley. 1:15:06

2M ago1:15:06

1:15:06

My guest today is the American game designer and musician Eric Barone. Born in Los Angeles, he spent his childhood in the suburbs of Seattle. In 2011 he graduated from the University of Washington Tacoma with a degree in computer science, but was unable to find employment. He started developing a video game to hone his programming skills. Supported…

1
Game Preservation with Digital Eclipse's Mike Mika 1:22:10

2M ago1:22:10

1:22:10

Adam Orth chats with legendary game developer Mike Mika of Digital Eclipse. Together they discuss his long career developing titles across multiple console generations; finding his creative spark at a young age and developing his first game on a store kiosk Commodore 64; the profound influence Atari had on his life; and how game preservation is an …

1
Nina Freeman, gamemaker (Cibele, Tacoma, Last Call). 1:12:51

2M ago1:12:51

1:12:51

Nina Freeman is an American independent video game writer and designer. While a student at Pace University in New York, she was drawn to the work of Frank O’Hara and other poets of the New York School, who documented their lives through witty, confessional verse. She began to explore ways in which she could employ a similar tone, not in poetry, but…

1
Abubakar Salim, actor (Napoleon, House of the Dragon). 1:13:06

3M ago1:13:06

1:13:06

My guest today is the British actor Abubakar Salim. Born in Hertfordshire to a family of first-generation Kenyan immigrants, he joined the National Youth Theatre at the age of sixteen, then won a scholarship to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He made his professional stage debut in 2010 playing Osric in Prince of Denmark at t…

1
From Actor to Game Developer with Abubaker Salim 58:18

2M ago58:18

58:18

Alexa Ray Corriea chats with actor turned game developer Abubakar Salim. Together they discuss his career including how he got his first gig in games with Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed: Origins; wanting to make his own game and starting his own studio; the lessons he learned from working with Ridley and Luke Scott that he applied to game development; …

1
Rise and Fall of Embracer Group | Implications for the Future of Games M&A 54:43

2M ago54:43

54:43

0:00 Intro1:42 Background on FunPlus2:35 Embracer Group - Historical context and current status, including breakup6:06 Why did Embracer break up? What form of game industry consolidation makes sense?7:40 When do company synergies make sense for game studio consolidation?9:40 Comparison of Zynga vs. Embracer M&A strategy, Zynga’s historical M&A cont…

1
Video Game and Comics Writer Evan Narcisse 1:09:49

3M ago1:09:49

1:09:49

Alexa Ray Corriea chats with writer Evan Narcisse. Together they discuss his work across video games and comic books; how starting as an outsourcer helped him get his start in the industry; how outsourcing let him observe game development practices across many different studios; how his game Dot's Home explores historical practices that made home o…

1
Chet Faliszek, gamemaker (Half-Life 2 series, Left 4 Dead series, The Anacrusis). 1:22:20

3M ago1:22:20

1:22:20

My guest today is the American writer and game designer Chet Faliszek. In the nineties he and his friend Erik Wolpaw founded the website Old Man Murray. The satirical online publication poked fun at video gaming’s sacred cows and established a tone that is still prevalent across the internet today. After catching the attention of Half-Life creator …

1
Flood Fill Recursion – Knox Game Design, May 2024 26:01

3M ago26:01

26:01

Overview of recursion and an explanation of a simple flood fill algorithm. Example demo in MonoGame with C# code. Links and Notes Demo Code – https://github.com/levidsmith/KnoxGameDesign/tree/master/floodfill MonoGame – https://monogame.net/ Podcast theme music – Ride by PocketmasterBy Knox Game Design

1
MPC Game Club: Stephen's Sausage Roll (feat. Glenn Moore). 37:25

3M ago37:25

37:25

Friend of the podcast Glenn Moore joins Simon for a special bonus episode to discuss April's book-club-game, Stephen's Sausage Roll edition. This previously supporter-only episode gives a taste of the bonus monthly episode My Perfect Console supporters receive through Patreon. Throughout April 2024, Glenn and Simon, together with many of the My Per…

1
Making a Sci-Fi First-Person Driving Survival Game with Alex Dracott & Seth Rosen 2:17:44

3M ago2:17:44

2:17:44

Trent Kusters chats with Ironwood Studios' Alex Dracott and Seth Rosen about their hit sci-fi first-person driving survival game, Pacific Drive. Together they discuss their journey including their work on AAA games; what led to them creating their own studio and the hurdles they had to jump through to get started; the origin of Pacific Drive and wh…

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