- Branding & Iconography
- The Ethics of Engagement
#284
It's spooky season! Stephen is SO over it, but he can't escape all the scary stuff happening in this week's episode.
2022.10.28
Roundtable
- Pre-production
- Idle Games
#282
Your nice hosts start off strong with an excellently performed intro, and it just gets better from there!
2022.10.13
- Keeping a Game Design Journal
- Bringing Other Media into Games
#280
In this slightly-longer-than-normal episode, we start with a pandemic check-in. (Bivalent boosters are available! Go get 'em!) Ellen leads us on a journaling journey, sharing the embarrassing evidence of past attempts.
2022.09.30
- Verisimilitude
- Indie Game Credits
#278
Your nice hosts' pronunciation is on point this week as they say a really hard word a large number of times!
2022.09.14
- Broken games
- Support Systems
#276
In this episode the your nice hosts discuss broken games, solved games, and purposely broken games. Ellen realizes that even if it is broken, doesn't mean you need to fix it.
2022.09.01
- GameMaker for Unity Devs
- Inspiration from Behavioral Economics
#274
Your nice hosts accidentally stumble into the thesis of the show as this episode explores these two topics!
2022.08.17
- Maintaining an Open-Source Project
- Should we design for Killers?
#270
In this larger than normal episode, your nice hosts bring a lot to the top of the show with a bunch of exciting news. And there's still two topics to discuss after that!
2022.07.20
- Curling
- Off-Ramps
#268
2022.07.07
- Parasocial Relationships
- Narrative Pacing
#266
2022.06.23
- Diagramming Gameplay Loops
- Art Direction
#262
In this episode, Stephen, Mark, and Ellen talk about gameplay loops. Then, they talk about art direction. Then they talk about loops. And then art direction. And then, more loops. Just kidding!
2022.05.26
- Building Assets and Plugins
- Ink Engine
#253
This week your nice hosts are joined again by Alina Matson in a fun roundtable episode! Join us as we continue through Ellen's Metroid Dread journey, Stephen's newest discovery, and Mark's potential bonus side hustle.
2022.03.24
- Milestone Builds
- Wikis and Guides
#251
It's a day of celebration in the clubhouse as Ellen finally starts Metroid Dread. Meanwhile, Mark delivers, and Stephen looks it up (but isn't happy about it).
2022.03.10
- Games You Get for Free
- Joy vs. Fun
#249
This week, your Nice Hosts talk about "games you get for free" on various gaming platforms. Also, the trio explores the relationship between "fun" and "joy"—and where does "engaging" fit in?
2022.02.26
- Player Count
- Hidden Information
#245
Three nice hosts, plus two topics, plus three meta topics equals a good time! Listen to Stephen's secret to popcorn success, Mark bringing up the Observer effect multiple times and Ellen's branding plans for her latest game.
2021.12.03
- Learning to Use Tools
- Co-Op Games
#244
As the podcast approaches its fifth anniversary, your hosts get a little (more) frivolous.
2021.11.25