Best Gamemaker Podcasts (2024)

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

2h 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

15m 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

1h 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

13d 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

5d 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

12d 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

21d 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

14d 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…

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

23d 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

19d 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

24d 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

26d 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

1M 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

1M 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

1M 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

2M 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

1M 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

2M 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

2M 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

2M 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/By Knox Game Design

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

2M 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…

51
Making a Sci-Fi First-Person Driving Survival Game with Alex Dracott & Seth Rosen 2:17:44

2M 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…

1
Veronica Roth, novelist (The Divergent Trilogy, When Among Crows). 1:10:00

2M ago1:10:00

1:10:00

My guest today is the American novelist and short story writer, Veronica Roth. Born in New York and raised in Illinois, she studied creative writing at Northwestern University. While a student, she wrote Divergent, a dystopian science fiction novel set in a post-apocalyptic version of Chicago. The book sold to a publisher even before she graduated,…

1
Correspondence Special #2: The best game Keita Takahashi never made. 33:20

2M ago33:20

33:20

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 about the genius game that Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi never made, the latest on film director Steven Spielberg's adaptation of 'A Game of Birds and Wolves…

1
Teddy Dief, gamemaker (Hyper Light Drifter, We are OFK). 1:16:29

2M ago1:16:29

1:16:29

My guest today is the American videogame designer and writer, Teddy Dief. Born in Illinois, they graduated from Columbia University with a degree in music, computer science, and Japanese. Then while studying for an MFA in filmmaking and game design at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, they worked on Pirates of the Caribbean Online, and as a designer …

1
Penny's Big Breakaway with Hunter Bridges and Dave Padilla 2:03:19

2M ago2:03:19

2:03:19

Trent Kusters chats with Hunter Bridges and Dave Padilla from Evening Star. Together they discuss their studio's debut title, Penny's Big Breakaway. Additionally they discuss their journeys into development and how the openness of developers helped get them started; how working with SEGA helped them prepare for future projects; the importance of do…

1
The Frontier of AI NPCs with Convai's CEO | Purnendu Mukherjee 1:06:02

2M ago1:06:02

1:06:02

Purnendu Mukherjee, CEO of Convai, shares insights into innovative approaches to developing human-like AI characters that can intelligently interact with users, perform actions, and engage in natural and responsive conversations. This discussion sheds light on the future of interactive gaming, educational tools, and real-world applications of AI NP…

1
Keith Stuart, journalist & novelist (A Boy Made of Blocks, Love is a Curse). 1:20:18

3M ago1:20:18

1:20:18

My guest today is the English author and journalist, Keith Stuart. He grew up in a town near Stockport in Greater Manchester, then studied English and Drama at Warwick University. After graduating he joined Big Red Software, testing Game Genie codes for the Game Boy, and coming up with names for the vehicles and tracks in Big Red Racing. In 1995 he…

1
The Craft of Writing for Games with Insomniac Games Senior Narrative Director, Jon Paquette 1:15:38

2M ago1:15:38

1:15:38

Alexa Ray Corriea chats with Senior Narrative Director at Insomniac Games, Jon Paquette. Together they discuss the craft of writing and working together on a writing team; how writers and designers collaborate to craft gameplay systems that fit within a game's narrative; and what it takes to create a dual protagonist story like that of Marvel's Spi…

1
Masaya Matsuura, musician, gamemaker (PaRappa the Rapper). 1:19:20

3M ago1:19:20

1:19:20

My guest today is Masaya Matsuura, a Japanese musician and game designer widely considered to be the inventor of rhythm action video games. Born in Osaka City, music ran in the family; his father often performed with his guitar in clubs around Shinagawa Station in Tokyo. My guest was an unruly student until he discovered a love of keyboards and syn…

1
Knox Game Jam 2024 Recap – Knox Game Design, April 2024 21:25

3M ago21:25

21:25

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Knox Game Jam 2024 kickoff! Seven great games were created by the group for the game jam. Great job everyone! Minu by Dustin Claws and Conundrums by James and PandaPuffsForBreakfast You are somewhat of a know-it-all. Your good friend has reached out for help in a murder … Continue reading Knox Game Jam 2024 Re…

1
Outcast Composer Lennie Moore 1:30:00

3M ago1:30:00

1:30:00

Austin Wintory chats with Composer Lennie Moore. Together they discuss his work on the original Outcast and its sequel Outcast: A New Beginning which came recently, 25 years later; the ins and outs of the business of composing music for video games including tips for young composers entering the industry; and the profound effect Lennie had on Austi…

1
Sarah Keyworth, comedian. 1:18:11

3M ago1:18:11

1:18:11

My guest today is the English stand-up comedian Sarah Keyworth. Born in Nottingham in 1993 they studied drama at De Montfort University, where they became an active member of the university's comedy club. After graduating, my guest then worked for the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, while performing on the circuit. Their first show, Dark …

1
Artist Niklas Åkerblad talks Ultros, Hotline Miami 1:38:42

3M ago1:38:42

1:38:42

Trent Kusters chats with multidisciplinary artist Niklas Åkerblad. Together they discuss his career leading up to his newest title, Ultros, including his early love of games and illustration; the revolutionary game development scene in Sweden; the profound impact Hotline Miami had on his career; the complexity of games as expressive and technical c…

1
Embracer vs. Ubisoft: A Deep Dive into Two Struggling Gaming Giants (Pixels & Profits) 1:18:49

3M ago1:18:49

1:18:49

We compare two major gaming companies, Embracer and Ubisoft, on this episode of Pixels and Profits. ✅ Business performance ✅ Valuation ✅ Future outlook of both companies We analyze their strategies, financials, and potential for growth. Timeline Summary: 00:00 - Introduction to the topic and overview of Embracer's business 03:00 - Discussion of Emb…

1
John Johanas, creative director Tango Gameworks (The Evil Within, Hi-Fi Rush). 1:26:29

3M ago1:26:29

1:26:29

My guest today is John Johanas, creative director at the Tokyo-based studio Tango Gameworks. Born on Long Island, New York, he played in a Radiohead covers band while in High School. After graduating with a degree in East Asia studies from Brandeis University, he moved to Japan to work as an English teacher. He started translating Japanese books in…

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