Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast!

Latest Episodes:

Putting on a GlitchCon! (with Alex Chang) Apr 17, 2017

Show notes

In this interview episode, we talk to Glitch's "Official Zookeeper" Alex Chang, who is the producer of this year's Glitch Connect digital games festival, coming up May 5-7th, 2017. He talks with us about what it's like to put on a show, and gives some great advice on how to put on your own.

We recorded this episode before the sessions for GlitchCon were announced. Check out the full listing here!

The final stop on the GlitchCon brewery tour is on April 19th at Modest Brewing Co. in Minneapolis.

Putting on a GlitchCon!

Events

"Mutual butt-kicking." Getting Out of a Rut; Bots! Bots! Bots!; Procedural Generation Apr 10, 2017

Show notes

This week's roundtable episode has it all: Confusion, technobabble, randomness... and shoot, a whole lot more besides!

We're still looking for feedback from our listeners! Be nice and visit our feedback form. It will only take a minute and it will help make the show better!

0:02:54

Getting Out of a Rut

Tim Schafer on Productivity Stephen's motivation week0:19:44

Bots! Bots! Bots!

Tech the Tech Tracery Tracery for Unity Kate Compton Mark Gritter on Twitter Play This Clever Adventure Game Entirely On TwitterJason SchreierKotakuMeetup Bot Makers - Minneapolis Quick, Draw!Cheap Bots, Done Quick0:35:40

Procedural Generation

Procedural world generation: The simulation, functional and planning approachesRune Skovbo Johansen oGame DeveloperSpelunk Generator LessonsDarius KazemiTiny SubversionsNo Man’s Sky – Procedural Contentgregkwaste3DGameDevBlogHow Planets are Made in Elite: Dangerous HorizonsJeff WilliamswccftechFallout 4: Here's All the Names That Codsworth Can SayEddie MakuchGameSpot

Co-Op Recap: Problematic Games (with Sara Ferret and Ajuawak Kapashesit) Apr 03, 2017

Show notes

On this Co-Op Recap episode, we welcome musician and 3D artist Sara Ferret along with game designer Ajuawak Kapashesit to talk about March's Glitch Co-Op Talk topic, Problematic Games.

Problematic Games

Gaming "7 Ridiculously Sexualized Moments in the Metal Gear Solid Games" - Dorkly, YouTube "Assassin’s Creed and the straight-white-male default" - Duane de Four, How Manly

"Pick up all the things." Prototyping; Point and Clicks; User Interfaces Mar 28, 2017

Show notes

In this super-sized episode, your nice hosts get into the gritty details of game design with a trio of terrific topics. Martha lays out the concept for her next game, Stephen complains about Smash Bros. (!), and Mark takes a lot of notes. Plus, maybe the best topic transitions to ever come out of the clubhouse!

We're still looking for feedback from our listeners! Be nice and visit our feedback form. It will only take a minute of your time and it will help us make the show better.

Nice Games Club Feedback Form

0:05:18

Prototyping

Don't skip the Game Design Workshop at GDC 2017GDCMark's Sonic the Hedgehog solitaire card game Holographic Mark Mk I0:26:28

Point and Clicks

Puzzle Dependency Graph PrimerJoshua WinbergGame DeveloperThe Day of The Tentacle: Dependency Graph AnalysisThe Website is Down Dev BlogDouble Fine AdventureDoubleFineProdYouTubeHumongous Entertainment Cosmic OsmoWikipedia30-plus years of HyperCard, the missing link to the WebMatthew LasarArs Technica0:42:26

User Interfaces

User interface design in video gamesAnthony StonehouseGame DeveloperThe User Interface Continuum: A Study of Player PreferenceKristine JorgensenGame DeveloperSplinter Cell: Conviction Developer DiaryIGNYouTubeMirror’s Edge – UX is not UIPapa_LampGur-uHue's color blind mode in action Color Jumpers color blind mode in actionBen BurnesYouTubeThe Division UI and Gameplay WalkthroughYouTubeGDC Breaking conventions with Zelda: Breath of the WildHidemaro FugibayashiGDC

Games Education (with Reese Valentine) Mar 20, 2017

Show notes

In this interview episode, we talk with Lord President of the Game Design Club at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Rachel Peterson Reese Valentine, to talk about how to go about getting an education in games. Your nice hosts also recount their own gamedev educational origin stories, and the episode closes out with a quick run though of all the advice!

Games Education

Art IRL Because Learning Matters (129) - Extra Credits, YouTube Minneapolis Colledge of Art and Design Pong Clone Tutorial

Rachel's quick-draw art

Quick-draw portrait of Mark Quick-draw portrait of Stephen White-board self-portrait

Educational Links

One Game a Month On Game Schools - How to Find a Good School - Extra Credits, YouTube Game Center - NYU University of Wisconsin -Stout Game Design Workshop - book GDC Vault Unite Conference - Unity Game Maker's Toolkit - YouTube

"We are artists and we should be artists." Demoing and Playtesting; Project Management; Messages and Meanings Mar 13, 2017

Show notes

A day late but worth the wait! In this high signal-to-noise roundtable episode, each member of the club picks a topic that they are particularly passionate about:

Stephen shares his wisdom and guidance about playtesting your work early and often, Martha helps you get your act together in a practical discussion about project management, and Mark tries to explain the obligation he feels as an artist, but picks a weird hill to die on as he wrongly insists that Portal 2 isn't really about anything.

We're trying to make the show even better and we need your input! Be nice and visit our feedback form to tell us what you think!

0:03:27

Demoing and Playtesting

0:33:26

Project Management

trello Agile DevelopmentWikipediaWaterfall DevelopmentWikipediaKanban DevelopmentWikipediaThe Blue Yarn - 99% InvisibleThe Blue Yarn99% InvisibleNUMMI (2015)NUMMIThis American Life

David Megarry's Three Questions all project managers should ask:
“Do you have all the resources you need?"
"Do you have any roadblocks or impediments?"
"Are you on schedule?”

“A project manager (PM) is more of a problem solver than anything else. If you don’t have the resources, the PM finds them. If there are roadblocks, the PM helps to find a way to get around them. If not on schedule, the PM alters it or adds more resources or changes scope. Above all, the PM communicates with management as to the state of the project so they can make proper decisions and not be blindsided or surprised.” -David Megarry

0:52:56

Messages and Meanings

SummerlandMichael ChabonNovelA Closer Look at How Three Assassin's Creed Games Have Handled SlaveryEvan NarcisseKotakuFor Honor's accidental alt-right connectionAllegra FrankPolygon

**GDC 2017 Special (Part 2)** Mar 10, 2017
Show notes

It's the finale of our double-sized GDC 2017 special, recorded on the final day of the Game Developers Conference.
Martha and Mark were joined once again in San Fransisco by "Special Reporter" Dylan Skerbitz to talk about the back half of the conference, while Stephen joins in remotely from Glitch HQ to talk all about the Nintendo Switch!
0:02:40
GDC 2017 Sessions
Sid Meier tells Civilization’s origin story, cites children’s history booksSam MachkovechArs Technica

Martha meets her Hero, Sid Meier
Double Fine's Digital ArchaeologyBrendan SinclairGamesIndustry.bizLadykiller in a Bind ReviewAllegra FrankPolygonDouble TapSte Curran0:19:48
Nintendo Switch Launch
Unreal Engine 4.15 supports Nintendo Switch, HDR, and AFR for Nvidia SLIMark WaltonArs TechnicaYou can expect a Super Smash Bros. game for Nintendo SwitchCNET0:34:46
Flash Games Postmortem
How Flash Games and Newgrounds Foretold Today’s Indie Experimentalism Kate GreyVice0:36:32
Experimental Games Workshop
'Multibowl' Is the First Real Video Game MixtapeZack KotzerVice0:38:22
Micro-Postmortems
Christine Love's Micropostmortems summaryChristine LoveTwitter

GDC 2017 Special (Part 1) Mar 06, 2017

Show notes

Martha and Mark were in San Fransisco for the Game Developers Conference, and there was so much to say we had to split it into two episodes!

While Stephen was holding down the fort back home, we were joined in San Fransisco by Nice Games Club's in-house "special reporter" Dylan Skerbitz.

0:00:58

Train Jam

Train Jam Train Jam participants heading to GDC 2017 anxious about ‘Muslim ban’Charlie HallPolygon0:13:13

Train Jam Interviews

Arvind Raja Yadav made Zombies on Demand
More from Arvind: Pyrodactyl Games

Andrew Shouldice made Uncomfortably
More from Andrew: Secret Legend

Kate Gray made Post Birb
More from Kate: https://kategray.me/

Kate Compton made Travels in Od
More from Kate: galaxykate.com

Alex Carlson made Ultimate Train Fighter 2600
More from Alex: acwd.me

Creatrix Tiara made What The $!#&@! Do They Need Now?
More from Tiara: creatrixtiara.com

Matt Findlater made Flashlight Flashbang
More from Matt: @justattackgames

Stefan Lopuszanski made Time Twins
More from Stefan: stexe.com

0:24:21

Day of the Devs at Alamo Drafthouse

Day of the Devs at GDC 2017 Ooblets Rime Mineko's Night Market Knights and Bikes Pyre Tacoma0:35:06

GDC 2017 Sessions

khronos.org Web VR Turbo Button's "TButt" FrameworkGitHubGames that should be Games againRami Ismail0:52:35

Adventures in Conference Scheduling

0:55:35

Star Trek: Bridge Crew

GDC 2017 Preview Feb 27, 2017

Show notes

Two-thirds of the Nice Games Club are in San Fransisco this week for the Game Developers Conference, and we're recording some segments for a special episode while we're here. Let Mark tell you all about it...

Co-op Recap: Transmedia (with Felix Foster and Lane Davis) Feb 27, 2017

Show notes

On this Co-Op Recap episode, we welcome developer Lane Davis and writer Felix Foster, who were the co-facilitators of the Glitch Co-Op Talk about Transmedia and Intellectual Property.

Also, friend of the show Adia Alderson returns to fill in for Martha, who we all missed very dearly, but you wouldn't know it by how lively our conversation was. We really get into it!