Podcast appearances and mentions of stephen mcgregor

Lydia joins the clubhouse for her first regular episode as a host (it's calendar math)! The clubhouse discusses the release of Civilization VII and how it is taking up all of Stephen's time. Lydia brings to the table the question of how she can learn more games, and how tutorials don't work for her. Stephen regrets not being able to fully develop the world which is the setting for his five-minute student film.Civ VIICivilization VIISwitch 2Switch 2 mouse control - Kyle Orland, Ars Technica0:15:01Incremental Learning Lydia talks about her success learning knitting, and her rectangle projections The club talks about differences between recipes and game development tutorialsTasksxkcd0:54:10Making Science Fiction WorldsThis topic was inspired by Stephen's science fiction student film. You can watch that here:"All Good Things"Stephen McGregorYouTube"For All Mankind"WikipediaWidget SatchelWidget Satchel is a game that Mark, Stephen, and Ellen worked on. Mark developed a lot of background story, including this: "I do not wish that the troubles of the past be carried into the stars. I imagined better for us and expected better also. But we do not realise our whole future in sequence, small futures each after the other. We must go anyway, blind and smiling, emissaries of wonder, explorers. On this day, at this place, together, we launch an expedition for which we are unprepared. Yet we are now even, a collected peoples concerned of justice looking in order to see our whole future, ahead of us. Widget Satchel is on Itch and other platformsAlso check out this episode from when we released Widget Satchel"Space ferrets lift off!" Widget Satchel Special

#349Dialogue Through GoalsNice Thinking2024.05.29Stephen brings a half-baked thought into the clubhouse for this Nice Thinking episode: how can we improve dialogue systems? He's got some opinions, which Mark and Ellen immediately debunk, but it leads to some engaging conversation.Dialogue Through GoalsStephen McGregorGame DesignNarrative

#361"The lensing effect of the window."Roundtable2024.08.22It's hot in the clubhouse and hot in Ellen's greenhouse this week, so your hosts are eager to crunch through some discussion. Ellen introduces the concept of the MDA framework, and the differences between Theming and Aesthetics, and Stephen comes to a major conclusion about parrying.Theming vs. Aesthetics0:06:40Ellen Burns-JohnsonGame DesignThe MDA Framework - WikipediaEllen promised Dictionary.com definitions, so here you go:Aesthetics - Dictionary.comTheme - Dictionary.comWe talked about theming and aesthetics for a GameJam Game from a previous episodeThe Bike BoomAlien Isolation Themes explored n : Demystifying the Terror of Alien Isolation - Andy Robertson, WiredParries0:28:56Stephen McGregorGame DesignStephen's list of why parries are so popular: 1) A way to reward mastery or paying attention 2) Rewards participation 3) An appreciable way to consider mastering the game The different variations of Parrying 1) Just Dodges 2) Traditional Parrying (miss = block) 3) Dynamic Parrying release parrying 4) Alternate button (paper mario parrying) EVO Moment 37 - Wikipedia

#347"A slow meat computer"Roundtable2024.05.16In the episode, Mark, Ellen, and Stephen talk local events, including (don't worry everyone's fine) a fire in the clubhouse's building, construction, and the games they are playing, so if you are just here for the topics, go ahead and skip to minute 23. Ellen learns about King Making, Stephen humble brags about being good at Smash Brothers, and Dale plays kingmaker in naming the second topic!NewsMasu Fire - Paul Walsh, Star TribuneBus Rapid Transit (BRT) - Jared Brey, GoverningWhat We are PlayingDragon's Dogma 2 - WikipediaPrincess Peach Showtime NPR Review - Rakiesha Chase-Jackson, NPRKing Making0:23:00Stephen McGregorGame DesignStephen has been QA testing Harvest Kingdom - Ben Hunder, DiscordThe YouTube video that Stephen references - Distraction Makers, YouTubeKingmaking in Root (Leder Games) video - Cole Wehrle, GDCSmallworld - Board Game GeekThinky Bits (Off-Screen Gameplay)0:49:17Ellen Burns-JohnsonGame DesignGames discussedReturn of the Obra DinSpirit Island - Board Game GeekDeath Drives a Bus - itch.io

#353"The super-powerful beam or whatever."Roundtable2024.06.27This week, your nice hosts talk about code that isn't yours and ask about the natural conclusion of the narrative. Mark is handy, Ellen kinda wants to add a note, and Stephen is grounded.It looked so easy in the brochure, but the brochure lied - Antony Ingram, HagertyCode Libraries0:07:41Mark LaCroixProductionProgrammingToolsBest practices for writing code comments - Ellen Spertus, Stack Overflow BlogDeclare namespaces to organize types - Microsoft LearnYour nice hosts discussed licensing in a previous episode:"What's a little grand larceny?"Game OversStephen McGregorGame DesignNarrativeAlternatives to the Game Over screen - Game DeveloperWe didn't mention it in the episode for some reason, but our "Metroidvania-lite" game Widget Satchel had no deaths, game overs, or failure states.

In this episode Ellen usurps the normal process for a nice game jam prompt to explore her own idea on tabletop mechanics. Who would have thought the scoring system for this game would be 'Points for the Future War'?Stephen's One-Minute Movie - Stephen McGregor's Group, YouTubeDiscussion during developmentSubbuteoSoapboxderby.orgBullet Bill Soapbox Derby Car - Lou Whitmire, Mansfield News JouralPromptMake a tabletop game where the core mechanic is modulating the friction on the board.Game typeTabletop gamePlayer count3-5MaterialsBoard - 5x5 grid where tiles can be placed5 racer sledsRacer weightsTiles with different friction coefficients (terrain tiles)Mission from HQ CardsSpecial Objective CardsSetup1) Racer sleds and racer weights are randomly distributed to the racetrack row. 2) Each racer sled gets the name of a racer. Each racer name should be silly, like Jenny Too-fast or Billy Tumble. 3) Each player draws two Mission from HQ cards and picks one to be their secret objective.  RulesPlayers are given each a set amount of time-travel credits.On their turn, each player uses a time-travel credit to either replace or swap terrain tiles.When each all players have spent their time travel credits, the race is on! All racer sleds are released from their starting box, and the results of the race are observed. Each completed mission results in the number of 'Points for the Future' on the mission from HQ card awarded to that player. The number of points is based on the difficulty of the mission.After the weekend derby is complete (15 rounds), the player with the most point for the future war is declared the winner, but not for 20-30 years.

#296"Metroid is very serious."Roundtable2023.03.16In this episode, Mark makes up a reason to take a road trip, Ellen outwits everyone, and Stephen was also there.Zachtronics Solitaire CollectionLACMAA Better Route PlannerSecrets & Easter Eggs0:24:43Ellen Burns-JohnsonGame DesignThe Super Mario 64 Coin that Took 18 Years To Collect - Patricia Hernandez, KotakuPC Cheat Codes - IGN Reddit on video game Secrets - RedditSecrets That Weren't Discovered in Games For Years - Jordan Baranowski, SVGPlayer Trust0:48:39Stephen McGregorGame DesignWe touched on this idea back in our roundtable on 'The Ethics of Engagement'"Shiny rocks get me every time."

#298"One size bigger and red."Roundtable2023.04.13Dale learned a lot while editing this episode.She learned the board game ‘Spirit Island' is about spirits that protect an island, and she is pretty sure that this is the same premise as hit TV show ‘LOST'.She learns that CSS is not a programming language or a mark-up languageAnd she learns that CSS stands for Cascading Style SheetsShe learns that AAA games are easy (not sure why she struggles with them)That there are either wrong choices in skill trees OR it never really matteredAnd that Stephen wants to fight everyone on DiscordGood luck anyone who isn't a McGregor!Stephen is playing Spirit Island - Board Game GeekRa Ra Boom Trailer (from Max who schedules our interviewsTwin Cities Playtest is the 3rd Wednesday of the Month - EventbriteTwin Cities Playtest is also on YouTube - IGDA Twin Cities, YouTubeCSS9:47Mark LaCroixProgrammingIn this discussion Ellen mentioned accessibility standards for web contentWCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) - WikipediaMark asked if there is an ISO Standard for this, and there is! ISO 40500:2012There is also one for UI: ISO 30071-1Mark mentions that you should look up the 'Blink' tag, but Dale already did it for you, here.Unity Style Sheet (USS) - UnityThere is a USS Unity in Star TrekAnd Stephen mentions the Div-Div Crow, based on this webcomic.Skill Trees46:38Stephen McGregorGame Design

#324Much Ado About Unity (with Freya Holmér)Special2023.09.22Earlier today, Unity issued an update to their controversial "runtime fee" policy introduced last week. What changed? What didn't? How could this have even happened? What does it mean going forward? Can we ever trust Unity again?We get into all of it, from the original announcement on September 12th, to the "open letter" update and "fireside chat" on September 22nd. Your nice hosts are joined by special guest and "Unity Insider" Freya Holmér, who offers some additional context and much-needed clarity about the events of the last 10 days.Unity Runtime Fee and Subsequent Policy CorrectionMark LaCroixStephen McGregorEllen Burns-JohnsonFreya HolmérIRLToolsThe original policy: "Unity plan pricing and packaging updates" - UnityThe current policy: "An open letter to our community" - UnityUnity's Marc Whitten - Answers Unity Price Policy -  Jason Weimann, YouTube'Flappy Bird' Guy Gets $12 Million Bill From Unity - Mark Roebuck, Hard Drive

#282"Today's the day that I screw things up."Roundtable2022.10.13Your nice hosts start off strong with an excellently performed intro, and it just gets better from there! The Game Agency - The Game AgencyPre-production0:06:24Stephen McGregorProductionIdle Games0:31:45Mark LaCroixGame DesignGamingStar Trek Lower Decks: The Badgey Directive Review: The Final Fun-tier? - Steven Shaw, Droid GamersHow to make an idle game: Everything you need to know about incremental mobile … - David Hartery, AdjustIdle Games: The Mechanics and Monetization of Self-Playing Games - Anthony Pecorella, YouTube“It Started as a Joke”: On the Design of Idle Games - Katta Spiel, Sultan A. Alharthi, Andrew Jian-Lan Cen, Jessica Hammer, Lennart E. Nacke, Z O. Toups and Tess Tanenbaum, CHI PLAY

This week, Stephen and Ellen catch up with Mark about his (and Dale's) trip to GenCon. There is a happy minor Glom update, and then it's down to business. What's grind? What purpose does it serve, and what are the mechanics of it? Your nice hosts attempt to come up with some definitions & guidelines—you decide whether they succeed. And feel free to share your opinions on Discord :)Gen Con Grind 06:08 Ellen Burns-JohnsonGame DesignA Necessary Evil: Grinding in Games - Brice Morrison, Game Developer Emphasizing Uniqueness 26:32 Stephen McGregorMarketing

After a fairly self-indulgent meta, your nice hosts eventually get into the nitty-gritty of both Player Motivation and Copying Others.Normal Gossip - Kelsey McKinney, DefectorTour de France: Unchained - Netflix Player Motivations 0:26:57 Mark LaCroixGame DesignGamingGamer Motivation Profile - Quantic FoundryBoard Game Motivation Profile - Quantic Foundry We've talked about types of players this episode as well. "Killed the flightmaster, killed the griffin..." We also took Quantic Foundry surveys in this episode. "Will you be the best with me?" Copying Others Stephen McGregorArtGame DesignNarrative4 Chords - The Axis Of Awesome, YouTube

In this week's roundtable, Ellen needs help with ALL the things. Stephen and Mark offer advice on where to find people who can help, and discuss some of the hidden challenges of expanding one's team. Later, Stephen challenges everyone to think about how games can do a better job of implementing companion characters. Also, some host backstory tidbits, weird horse names, and (of course) a bit about Glom.Rival Stars: Horse Racing (the game that Ellen's playing) - PikPok, Google Play Store“What's your favorite commentary-friendly name?” - RedditAhead Of The Kentucky Derby, 5 Absurd Rules For Naming Racehorses (2015) - Julie Alderman, NPR Finding Help 0:11:46 Ellen Burns-JohnsonProductionHiring Game Designers - Game Developer Companion Characters 0:46:22 Stephen McGregorGame DesignGaming[The] 10 Best Companions In Gaming History - Jom Elauria, ScreenRant

(Some of) your nice hosts went to Origins Game Fair last week to check out the launch of their card game Glom. But before they went, they talked about the state of the next card game they're working on (and working on pitching to publishers), Dogpile!The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth - Smithsonian InstitutionW. E. B. Du Bois: A Resource Guide - Angela McMillian, Library of Congress The State of "Dogpile!" Mark LaCroixStephen McGregorEllen Burns-JohnsonIRLTabletopSell sheet for "Dogpile!"Rules document for "Dogpile!"Sell Sheets for Game Designers 101 - Luke Laurie, League of GamemakersCooper Black - Wikipedia Listen to us come up with the game in: Dogpile! We developed it further in: Dogpile! (part 2)‘Heroin for middle-class nerds': how Warhammer conquered gaming - Alex Hern, The Guardian

Your nice hosts recorded separately again this week, as Mark has been isolating at home. Stephen rants about examines fall damage mechanics in Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and other games. Is fall damage overrated? Well, Stephen has OPINIONS. Mark talks about all of the things he's been doing to occupy his mind while he's been stuck in his apartment by himself—including some deep thinking about Tears of the Kingdom. Ellen rides her bike.Slayers X is OUT NOW! - SteamGumshoe Gooper plushie - MakeshipWhat Is Paxlovid Rebound, and How Common Is It? - Fionna M. D. Samuels, Scientific AmericanGenerational cusper - Wikipedia We've talked about the show Taskmaster many times before on the podcast... "Godot! God-ot? Godot." ...many times... "The drama of the reveal." Lessons from Tears of the Kingdom 0:26:40 Mark LaCroixGame DesignNintendo's classic Ultra Hand toy lives on in Tears of the Kingdom - Michael McWhertor, PolygonBolson, a character in Breath of the Wild - Fandom Fall Damage 56:40 Stephen McGregorGame DesignHow to Fall - Dougald MacDonald, Climbing.com

In this episode, Stephen points out the number three! It's everywhere! Also, what is it about animation that captures our minds and imaginations so effectively? Your hosts explore the topic and share some ideas. Ellen gets hung up on math, and Mark tries to keep everyone calm. Good Question: How Do Street Sweepers Work? - WCCO - CBS Minnesota, YouTube A street sweeper in Bloomington, Minnesota. Image from https://www.bloomingtonmn.gov/ Stephen's "Rule of Threes" 0:17:30 Stephen McGregorGame Design The Psychology of Animation 0:48:16 Ellen Burns-JohnsonArtGame DesignUI / UXVisual attention and motion design - Mark Hazlewood, Inside Design from InVision5 examples of web animation done right - Joe Jordan, Inside Design from InVisionAnimation for Attention and Comprehension - Aurora Harley, Nielsen Norman GroupMotion onset really does capture attention - Kendra C. Smith & Richard A. Abrams, Attention, Perception, & PsychophysicsThe necessity of interactive animation for games - Christiaan Moleman, Game DeveloperStudy explores how visual effects in videogames help players to make sense of g… - Ingrid Fadelli, Tech XploreThe CEO of Corn (aka "Corn Kid") - Recess Therapy, YouTube

Dale learned a lot while editing this episode.She learned the board game ‘Spirit Island' is about spirits that protect an island, and she is pretty sure that this is the same premise as hit TV show ‘LOST'.She learns that CSS is not a programming language or a mark-up languageAnd she learns that CSS stands for Cascading Style SheetsShe learns that AAA games are easy (not sure why she struggles with them)That there are either wrong choices in skill trees OR it never really matteredAnd that Stephen wants to fight everyone on DiscordGood luck anyone who isn't a McGregor!Stephen is playing Spirit Island - Board Game GeekRa Ra Boom Trailer (from Max who schedules our interviewsTwin Cities Playtest is the 3rd Wednesday of the Month - EventbriteTwin Cities Playtest is also on YouTube - IGDA Twin Cities, YouTube CSS 9:47 Mark LaCroixProgrammingIn this discussion Ellen mentioned accessibility standards for web contentWCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) - WikipediaMark asked if there is an ISO Standard for this, and there is! ISO 40500:2012There is also one for UI: ISO 30071-1Mark mentions that you should look up the 'Blink' tag, but Dale already did it for you, here.Unity Style Sheet (USS) - UnityThere is a USS Unity in Star TrekAnd Stephen mentions the Div-Div Crow, based on this webcomic. Skill Trees 46:38 Stephen McGregorGame Design

In this episode, Mark makes up a reason to take a road trip, Ellen outwits everyone, and Stephen was also there.Zachtronics Solitaire CollectionLACMAA Better Route Planner Secrets & Easter Eggs 0:24:43 Ellen Burns-JohnsonGame DesignThe Super Mario 64 Coin that Took 18 Years To Collect - Patricia Hernandez, KotakuPC Cheat Codes - IGNReddit on video game Secrets - RedditSecrets That Weren't Discovered in Games For Years - Jordan Baranowski, SVG Player Trust 0:48:39 Stephen McGregorGame Design We touched on this idea back in our roundtable on 'The Ethics of Engagement' "Shiny rocks get me every time."

The year 2022 in review! Yes, it's now halfway through February, but being a few weeks late is part of the annual "Nicest Of" tradition. Your hosts (plus guest Holly Harrison) revisit their notable games and goals from 2022, and make some plans for 2023.Holly is here in the clubhouse for this recording!Things that happened in 2022: We sold GLOM! It's coming out in 2023.Mark announced a game (Dreamsettler) and released Noble Engine for the PlaydateStephen became a co-owner of Future ClubEllen got a new job as a game designer with The Game AgencyHolly moved into a new place—one without unwanted insects and thieving neighbors Nicest of 2022 0:04:56 Mark LaCroixStephen McGregorEllen Burns-JohnsonHolly HarrisonGamingEllen's Nicest:Metroid: DreadFlappy DragonBanner Saga 1Endling: Extinction is ForeverMark's Nicest:Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of HopeStrayLast Call BBSStephen's Nicest:Kirby and the Forgotten LandSplatoon 3RumbleverseSpirit IslandHolly's Nicest:OobletsSplatoon 3Bear and BreakfastCult of the LambSlime Rancher II Most Anticipated of 2023 0:49:28 Mark LaCroixStephen McGregorEllen Burns-JohnsonHolly HarrisonGamingEllen's picks:Mars First LogisticsBanner Saga II and IIIOri and the Will of the WispsSlime Rancher IICyberpunk 2077Mark's picks:Horizon: Call of the Mountain on Playstation VR 2Assassin's Creed: MirageSeason: A Letter to the FutureDreamsettlerStephen's picks:Dragon's Dogma IIStreet Fighter 6Holly's picks:Mineko's Night MarketThirsty SuitorsHades IISea of StarsPicked by everyone:The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Your hosts recall what they did over their winter break this year (aka hiatus). Ellen played video games and games with her dogs, Stephen watched and reviewed some movies (please tell him what to watch next!), and Mark mostly watched Doctor Who.Big news for the show: We now have ad-free episodes on Patreon! What We Did On Our Winter Break (2022) Mark LaCroixStephen McGregorEllen Burns-JohnsonIRLMetaEllen played video gamesBanner SagaDeath Drives a BusAgent AStanley Parable Ultra Deluxe EditionYou Suck at ParkingStephen watched movies(Scoring is out of four stars.)Dual (⭐⭐⭐)Sharp Stick (⭐⭐⭐)All My Friends Hate Me (⭐⭐⭐)7 Days (⭐⭐)The Drop (⭐⭐)Darby and the Dead (⭐⭐⭐)Sex Appeal (⭐⭐⭐)We Broke Up (⭐⭐⭐⭐)Mark, Mary and Some Other People (⭐⭐)Single all the Way (⭐⭐⭐)Sex Guaranteed (⭐) - “Did not like it”Mark re-watched Doctor WhoThe Writer's Tale: The Final Chapter - Russell T Davies & Benjamin Cook

#244 "Maximum Whooo!"Roundtable 2021.11.25 As the podcast approaches its fifth anniversary, your hosts get a little (more) frivolous. Mark shares some industry news about hardware releases. Ellen prompts everyone to share their experiences of learning development tools and examine their process of learning through the lens of Maximum Whooo. Stephen explores the difference between cooperative and collaborative gameplay, and invents something called a Feedborm. Dang!Steamworks Virtual Conference: Steam Deck - SteamSteam Deck launch delayed by two months - Jay Peters, The VergeIndie handheld Playdate delayed to 2022 - Michael McWhertor, PolygonHow Long to Beat: Metroid Dread - HowLongToBeat Learning to Use Tools 14:05 Ellen Burns-JohnsonMisc.ToolsArticulate Storyline 360, an e-learning development toolGodot, an open-source 2D & 3D game engineGodot: Getting Started >> Step by step - Juan Linietsky, Ariel Manzur and the Godot community, GodotTuckman's stages of group development - WikipediaCoDecks: Playful PlanningSonder (a story) - Ludum Dare 48Proactive and Retroactive Interference (re: learning interference) - Dr. Saul McLeod, Simply Psychology Co-Op Games 53:10.0 Stephen McGregorGame DesignOvercooked Co-Op Review: Five-star co-op gaming - Jason Love, Co-OptimusThere's a Difference Between Cooperation and Collaboration - Ron Ashkenas, Harvard Business Review

#268 "No referees?!"Roundtable 2022.07.07 How much of the culture around a game is rooted in its design? That's one of the questions that comes up as Mark takes us on a tour of curling—an Olympic sport that's described as "chess on ice." We examine its origins, the Spirit of Curling, and some specific rules that may have a big impact on how players behave towards one another. Later, Stephen considers some questions about off-ramps, the parts of a game that guide players as they end a play session. Should we as designers encourage players to take breaks? Gato Roboto by doinksoft (from Devolver Digital) - Steam Curling 0:10:15 Mark LaCroixGame DesignAbout Curling - World Curling FederationWhy is this Olympic Sport called Chess on Ice? - by user "Pete", Chess.comCurling might be an antidote to our troubled times - Kristen Gelineau, The Detroit NewsGlossary of curling - WikipediaDeflategate - Wikipedia Off-Ramps 0:50:00 Stephen McGregorGame DesignGamingHow Gaming Breaks Can Make You a Better Player... and Why They're Important - Michael Harman, Make Use Of

The clubhouse comes together this week to realize the danger and fear surrounding Save Data. Mark talks about the advantages of Json and xml, then immediately tells why he choose neither of them for his project. Stephen summarizes why meetings are great and why everyone is sometimes a tech artist (Make it more... Dynamic?), and the team discusses how to best communicate between people who have different skills sets.Stephen's Brother Streaming his work - @DarkaysTG, YouTubeMark's Music Choice: The Beths "Expert in a Dying Field" - The Beths, YouTubeNice Games Club on MastadonGet your partner their own NGC shirt here Save Data 0:08:46 Mark LaCroixProgramming Interdisciplinary Communication 48:44 Stephen McGregorProduction

Lots of technical talk in this episode as your nice hosts wade into these two large topics! Flappy Dragon - Google Play Store Cameras 0:09:27 Stephen McGregorGame DesignProgrammingLinear Interpolation - WikipediaSuper Mario World Camera Logic Review - Shaun Inman, YouTubeCamera Movements for 2D Platformers: How Do I Know Which One to Choose - Sam Hu, Sam J H HuPro Camera 2D - Luís Pedro Fonseca, Unity Asset Store Bug Tracking and Triage 0:31:52 Ellen Burns-JohnsonProductionProgrammingParkinson's Law - WikipediaResponsible Bug Reporting and Triage - SmartbearAuction-based serious game for bug tracking - """Çağdaş Üsfekes,Eray Tüzün,Murat Yılmaz,Yagup Macit,Paul Clarke""", The Institution of Engineering and TechnologyBug Triaging Principles - BugsnagGame Development Essentials: Bugtracking (or how we ended up writing our own bu… - Andre Weissflog, The Brain DumpProduction Testing and Bug Tracking - Jamie Fristrom, Game DeveloperWhat makes a good bug report? - Nick Barrett, GamesIndustry.bizAzure DevOps - MIcrosoft Ellen mentioned Agile Development in this episode. Agile Development We also talked about Bugs in one of our first episodes. "Bananas, from here to eternity."

It's everyone's favorite rhythm fighting game that doesn't exist yet, ‘Rhythm Rumble', back for more discussion in this week's NiceThinking Episode. Ellen learns a new word, Mark rants about Unity's PlayerPrefs, and Stephen admits that he still hasn't learned to take good notes. They all agree that you have to spend more time researching than you want to, and that Dale is awesome.PlayerPrefs in UnityUnity Manual on Player PrefsBodge (definition) - Dictionary.comEllen has been playing games!Agent InterceptBanner SagaFlappy Dragon on mobileFlappy BirdJetpack JoyrideMark has been playing a gameMario and Rabbids Rhythm Rumble Stephen McGregorGame Design Stephen leaving an old employeer for a new job also leaves him room for improvement on a rhythm fighting game. The main problems with the old prototype: not rhythmic enough and too simple. The beats the player had to match were up to the sixteenth note (quarter beat) which left players not understanding which beat they were playing to, and an impression of the game feeling sluggish Some thoughts from the discussion -Use beat patterns rather than make people keep the beat -Being able to store (and playback) beats to conjure special moves -Give the instruments personality to the fighting moves they can make -Make the game into a metaphor, give it personality - these beats might control instruments, which control rock-em-sock-em robots, rather than making the avatars hit each other with a very expensive bass clarinet. They mention Sukuri's youtube video about the influence '90's fighting games had on the design of SmashBrothers Super Smash Bros. [Game Concepts] - MasahiroSakurai on Creating Games, YouTube

Your nice hosts start of strong with an excellently performed intro, and it just gets better from there! The Game Agency - The Game Agency Pre-production 0:06:24 Stephen McGregorProduction Idle Games 0:31:45 Mark LaCroixGame DesignGamingStar Trek Lower Decks: The Badgey Directive Review: The Final Fun-tier? - Steven Shaw, Droid GamersHow to make an idle game: Everything you need to know about incremental mobile … - David Hartery, AdjustIdle Games: The Mechanics and Monetization of Self-Playing Games - Anthony Pecorella, YouTube“It Started as a Joke”: On the Design of Idle Games - Katta Spiel, Sultan A. Alharthi, Andrew Jian-Lan Cen, Jessica Hammer, Lennart E. Nacke, Z O. Toups and Tess Tanenbaum, CHI PLAY

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. Stephen challenges us to think through examples of adaptation, or maybe translation, or transcreation...well, we mostly figure it out by the end. Mark is extra-sharp with the one-liners.When, why, and how to get a new Covid-19 booster shot - Keren Landman, Umair Irfan, VoxHylics  - WikipediaGato Roboto - Developer's website Keeping a Game Design Journal 0:16:16 Ellen Burns-JohnsonGame Design"Mark's Home Office" 11/11/2021 - Nice Games Club, PatreonBeanstacker: Reading tracker app - Google Play StoreContraindication (definition) - WikipediaThe Complete Guide to Video Game Genres: From Scrollers, Shooters, to Sports - GameDesigning.orgList of video game genres - WikipediaOctalysis - Yu-kai Chou, Octalysis GroupChronicle of the Movies: A Year-by-Year History from the Jazz Singer to Today - Leonard Multon, Biblio.comGames I've played (Ellen's journal v1, with new entries!) - Google sheet - Ellen Burns-JohnsonGameplay journal (Ellen's journal v2 input form) - Google form - Ellen Burns-JohnsonGameplay journal (Ellen's journal v2, responses) - Google sheet - Ellen Burns-Johnson Bringing Other Media into Games 0:54:36 Stephen McGregorArtGame DesignFan Shows Us What A Frasier Game Would Look Like… Hectic - Sean Murray, TheGamer.comSingle-Camera vs. Multi-Camera TV Sitcom Scripts: What's the Difference? - Ken Miyamoto, Screen CraftThe Project Gutenberg eBook of "Goody Two-Shoes" - Anonymous, Project Gutenberg

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. They discuss who's job it is to make a game fun, and how you can always make a game not fun. This episode features the origin story of Stephen Business, and if you are still reading, spoiler alert: Mark's topic is a stealth sequel to his topic about Curling.Stephen reports that the paperwork has been submitted and he is officially a co-owner of Future Club!Ellen now co-owns a still difficult to obtain Steam Deck.Noble Robot now offers coworking at thier Minneapolis office.Stephen and Ellen went to see a show at the Minnesota Fringe Festival - and Ellen LOVED it!Fringe Festival History - Wikipedia"Developers" - Michael Rogers, Minnesota Fringe Festival Broken games 0:24:00 Mark LaCroixGame DesignNo More Jokeys Channel on YouTube - No More Jockeys, YouTubeMonopoly Hotels - Daisy Barringer, Trillist"Is Connect Four a Solved Game? and what does that even mean" - Gamesver Mark mentioned a previous episode topic about Curling "No referees?!" Support Systems 53:57 Stephen McGregorIRLTypes of Support Systems -Emotional Support -Financial Support -Someplace to live Investment and Risk"We quit our jobs, remortgaged our houses" - Alex Gilyadov, Games Radar

Your nice hosts accidentally stumble into the thesis of the show as this episode explores these two topics! Also found in the show: Stephen's composed song, Mark tries to avoid Entity Component Models and Ellen thinks about snakes for 20 minutes (but holds it together somehow).Beefsteak Tomato - WikipediaWoman in Motion - ParamountWoman in Motion on Peacock - PeacockWoman in Motion on Tubi - TubiNoble Robot - Noble Robot GameMaker for Unity Devs 0:06:01 Stephen McGregorProgrammingToolsStephen was wrong, here's a marketplace for GameMaker plugins - YoYo GamesWhat is the difference between statically typed and dynamically typed languages? - Stack OverflowRust - Rust TeamMain Theme for Rooty Tooty Fresh n Shooty (Stephen's Work Project) - Stephen McGregor Inspiration from Behavioral Economics 0:40:58 Ellen Burns-JohnsonGame DesignGaming5 Examples of Behavioral Economics in Your Everyday Life - Rebecca Koch, The Chicago School of Professional PsychologyChoice architecture - WikipediaWhat determines human decisions? - Daniel Kahneman, UBSRichard Thaler - WikipediaNudge (book) - WikipediaPredictably Irrational - Dan ArielyFreakonomics - Freakonomics Radio NetworkProspect theory - Behavioral Economics

How much of the culture around a game is rooted in its design? That's one of the questions that comes up as Mark takes us on a tour of curling—an Olympic sport that's described as "chess on ice." We examine its origins, the Spirit of Curling, and some specific rules that may have a big impact on how players behave towards one another. Later, Stephen considers some questions about off-ramps, the parts of a game that guide players as they end a play session. Should we as designers encourage players to take breaks? Gato Roboto by doinksoft (from Devolver Digital) - Steam Curling 0:10:15 Mark LaCroixGame DesignAbout Curling - World Curling FederationWhy is this Olympic Sport called Chess on Ice? - by user "Pete", Chess.comCurling might be an antidote to our troubled times - Kristen Gelineau, The Detroit NewsGlossary of curling - WikipediaDeflategate - Wikipedia Off-Ramps 0:50:00 Stephen McGregorGame DesignGamingHow Gaming Breaks Can Make You a Better Player... and Why They're Important - Michael Harman, Make Use Of

How much of the culture around a game is rooted in its design? That's one of the questions that comes up as Mark takes us on a tour of curling—an Olympic sport that's described as "chess on ice." We examine its origins, the Spirit of Curling, and some specific rules that may have a big impact on how players behave towards one another. Later, Stephen considers some questions about off-ramps, the parts of a game that guide players as they end a play session. Should we as designers encourage players to take breaks? Gato Roboto by doinksoft (from Devolver Digital) - Steam Curling 0:10:15 Mark LaCroixGame DesignAbout Curling - World Curling FederationWhy is this Olympic Sport called Chess on Ice? - by user "Pete", Chess.comCurling might be an antidote to our troubled times - Kristen Gelineau, The Detroit NewsGlossary of curling - WikipediaDeflategate - Wikipedia Off-Ramps 0:50:00 Stephen McGregorGame DesignGamingHow Gaming Breaks Can Make You a Better Player... and Why They're Important - Michael Harman, Make Use Of

Your nice hosts bring deep topics to the clubhouse this week! Listen in as Stephen forgets the name of the Uncharted lead character (but remembers the voice actor), Ellen brings up Mass Effect many, many times and Mark describes more interesting tidbits about Widget Satchel's development.Serious Play ConferenceLumbearJack - YouTubeSlayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengance of the Slayer - SteamMax's award! - TwitterReed the Robotanist - Steam Here's a CableACE award. Parasocial Relationships 0:09:25 Ellen Burns-JohnsonIRLNarrativeParasocial Interaction - Wikipedia“The Player's Parasocial Interaction with Digital Entities”  - Katrine Kavli, IT University in Copenhagen“Is It Weird for Adults to Have Imaginary Friends?” - Stephen Dubner and Angela Duckworth, No Stupid Questions“Tragic but true: how podcasters replaced our real friends” - Rachel Aroesti, The Guardian Narrative Pacing 0:45:21 Stephen McGregorGame DesignNarrative"Kurt Vonnegut on the 8 'shapes' of stories" - Stephen Johnson, Big Think

Your nice hosts bring deep topics to the clubhouse this week! Listen in as Stephen forgets the name of the Uncharted lead character (but remembers the voice actor), Ellen brings up Mass Effect many, many times and Mark describes more interesting tidbits about Widget Satchel's development.Serious Play ConferenceLumbearJack - YouTubeSlayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengance of the Slayer - SteamMax's award! - TwitterReed the Robotanist - Steam Here's a CableACE award. Parasocial Relationships 0:09:25 Ellen Burns-JohnsonIRLNarrativeParasocial Interaction - Wikipedia“The Player's Parasocial Interaction with Digital Entities”  - Katrine Kavli, IT University in Copenhagen“Is It Weird for Adults to Have Imaginary Friends?” - Stephen Dubner and Angela Duckworth, No Stupid Questions“Tragic but true: how podcasters replaced our real friends” - Rachel Aroesti, The Guardian Narrative Pacing 0:45:21 Stephen McGregorGame DesignNarrative"Kurt Vonnegut on the 8 'shapes' of stories" - Stephen Johnson, Big Think

Settle in, because we could only trim the 5+ hours of interviews we recorded last month at GDC down to 2 hours. Of course, if you want to hear all of it, there's always the Patreon...

Settle in, because we could only trim the 5+ hours of interviews we recorded last month at GDC down to 2 hours. Of course, if you want to hear all of it, there's always the Patreon...

Dog lovers are in for a treat this week as we discuss ideas for games to play with your dog! Mark and Ellen enthusiastically bring many ideas to the clubhouse, while Stephen has a unique perspective on the topic. Also: Ellen beats Metroid Dread! (There are spoilers for the game in the episode.) Turns out Stephen was wrong, there are credits in the most recent build of Fingeance! Peter Yang was on previously to discuss his work on pitching tabletop games. Pitching Tabletop GamesIndie Boards and Cards Games With Your Dogs 0:10:25 Ellen Burns-JohnsonGame DesignPhysical GamesTreibball (push ball) - giant football for dogs! - Naturally Happy Dogs, YouTubeGetting started and teaching 'outside' - FluentPet, YouTube Here's a picture of Ellen's dogs!

Dog lovers are in for a treat this week as we discuss ideas for games to play with your dog! Mark and Ellen enthusiastically bring many ideas to the clubhouse, while Stephen has a unique perspective on the topic. Also: Ellen beats Metroid Dread! (There are spoilers for the game in the episode.) Turns out Stephen was wrong, there are credits in the most recent build of Fingeance! Peter Yang was on previously to discuss his work on pitching tabletop games. Pitching Tabletop GamesIndie Boards and Cards Games With Your Dogs 0:10:25 Ellen Burns-JohnsonGame DesignPhysical GamesTreibball (push ball) - giant football for dogs! - Naturally Happy Dogs, YouTubeGetting started and teaching 'outside' - FluentPet, YouTube Here's a picture of Ellen's dogs!

Your nice hosts, plus Dale, traveled to California for free bagels (and other reasons) in this first part of our yearly GDC special. GDC 2022 Special (Part 1) Mark LaCroixStephen McGregorDale LaCroixEllen Burns-JohnsonEventsGames Industry GatheringYerba Buena GardensIGF Accepts Over 400 Entries for GDC 2022 - Independent Games Festival'Unpacking' and 'Inscryption' Lead in IGF 2022 Nominations - Independent Games FestivalInscryption wins the IGF Grand Prize and GDC Game Of The Year Award 2022 - Jai Singh Bains, Rock Paper Shotgun

Your nice hosts, plus Dale, traveled to California for free bagels (and other reasons) in this first part of our yearly GDC special. GDC 2022 Special (Part 1) Mark LaCroixStephen McGregorDale LaCroixEllen Burns-JohnsonEventsGames Industry GatheringYerba Buena GardensIGF Accepts Over 400 Entries for GDC 2022 - Independent Games Festival'Unpacking' and 'Inscryption' Lead in IGF 2022 Nominations - Independent Games FestivalInscryption wins the IGF Grand Prize and GDC Game Of The Year Award 2022 - Jai Singh Bains, Rock Paper Shotgun

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. Alina was previously on the show to talk about visual coding! Visual Coding Building Assets and Plugins 0:05:33 Mark LaCroixProgrammingTools Charles was last on the show on this episode about Level Editors. Level EditorsCharles destroys his brother on the airRewired Unity Plugin - Guavaman, Unity Asset StorePlaymaker Add-ons - Hutong GamesManaged Plug-ins - Unity Ink Engine 0:37:26 Stephen McGregorNarrativeProgrammingToolsInk Engine - Inkle StudiosInk Unity Integration - Inkle Studios

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. Alina was previously on the show to talk about visual coding! Visual Coding Building Assets and Plugins 0:05:33 Mark LaCroixProgrammingTools Charles was last on the show on this episode about Level Editors. Level EditorsCharles destroys his brother on the airRewired Unity Plugin - Guavaman, Unity Asset StorePlaymaker Add-ons - Hutong GamesManaged Plug-ins - Unity Ink Engine 0:37:26 Stephen McGregorNarrativeProgrammingToolsInk Engine - Inkle StudiosInk Unity Integration - Inkle Studios

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? Ellen won't tell us the grade, and Stephen is told he has to yell at Mark.Amber Waves of Games"America the Beautiful" sung by Ray Charles - YouTubeYou made it! Thanks for another unforgettable year of Global Game Jam! Games You Get for Free 15:00 Stephen McGregorGamingXbox Game Pass Ultimate tip: How to get 3 years of access to hundreds of games … - PC WorldKo-FiThe Jolly Jawbreaker Joy vs. Fun 44:00 Ellen Burns-JohnsonGame DesignThe Giver: Language and Communication - Study guide, Shmoop

Hiatus flew by this year for your nice hosts, but they're back in the newly-renovated clubhouse with their annual recounting of what they got up to while away. Ellen keeps a promise, Stephen returns a gift, and Mark sees thru' these architects eyes. Our renovated clubhouse table. These foam acoustic panels came vacuum-sealed, so they needed to be soaked in water to inflate them. Of course, once-inflated, the water-logged panels needed to be dried out, which meant an hour in the dryer. It was pretty hard to drill these holes to mount our mic stands, and about as hard to measure them out because our clubhouse table has no straight edges or corners.

#240 Sledgehammer BrideNice Thinking 2021.10.28 It's Stephen's turn at Nice Thinking, our new episode format where we brainstorm around a single concept someone brings into the clubhouse. Get ready for your first contact with the Sledgehammer Bride!Glom will be part of Wordplay 2021, November 13-14 - Hand Eye Society Sledgehammer Bride Stephen McGregorGame DesignNarrativeA Brief History of Beat 'em Up Video Games - Hero ConceptProspective Teachers Misperceive Black Children as Angry  - Bryan Goodman, American Psychological AssociationThe Brute Caricature - History on the NetExamining Game Pace: How Single-Player Levels Tick - Mark DaviesShank 2 - Klei Entertainment, SteamHow the Original Hyrule Warriors Broke The Mold for Musou Games Forever - Dale Bashir, IGN

#220 “My face is over here.” Special In-Person SpecialSpecial 2021.06.10 Your vaccinated hosts return to the clubhouse to record their first in-person episode in over a year. This one's for us, but you might like it, too. There was a lot of hugs before the recording. Charity EP Jam (the new album drops June 11th!) - Chel WongIndie bundle for Palestinian Aid - Alanna Linayre, itch.io Mark's "Widget Satchel II" was featured in Panic's E3-style announcement video. Special In-Person Special Mark LaCroixStephen McGregorEllen Burns-JohnsonIRLMetaMisc.South Korea's COVID Success Stems From an Earlier Infectious Disease Failure -  Jiyeon Kim and Neil Richards, Slate

#216 "They wouldn't fully respawn." Fingeance PostmortemSpecial 2021.05.06 Oh dang, Fingeance is out! In this episode, Stephen talks about finally releasing his long-in-development game that's been a big part of Nice Games Club history, too!Hear about the game's unique development history, why now was the right time to put it out into the world, and learn a bit about how you might want to to approach your own long-gestating projects.Fingeance on itch.io (download for free)!Escape Industries on Twitter Fingeance Portmortem Stephen McGregorGame DesignProduction Back in 2018, we peeked inside Fingeance for a video episode of the show: Code Comment: "Fingeance" In 2019, we did a postmortem-ish episode for Widget Satchel: "Space ferrets lift off!" Widget Satchel Special

It's that season—there's snow on the ground, and it's time for the annual "year in review" episode. Your nice hosts are getting ready to take a break from recording for a few weeks while serving up some of our favorite episodes from the past year. But before we start hibernating, there's a lot to discuss! What did we accomplish this year, and how do we feel about it? What are our goals for next year? Are we taking on any fun projects during our hiatus? And what are we looking forward to playing next year (besides all the Kirby games, of course)?Nice Games Club is five years old! That's a solid handful of years. Happy birthday show, and thanks to you all for listening! The feeling is real, even if this video isn't. Local Releases (2021) 0:13:45 Mark LaCroixStephen McGregorEllen Burns-JohnsonIRLFingeance by Escape Industries - itch.ioTotally Reliable Delivery Service (console release this year) - YouTubeAnodyne 2: Return to Dust (on Nintendo Switch this year) - Nintendo.comClosed Hands by Passenger Games Ltd. Nicest (2021) 0:43:17 Mark LaCroixStephen McGregorEllen Burns-JohnsonGamingHades by Supergiant GamesFirewatch by Campo SantoWhere Should We Begin? A Game of Stories from Esther PerelMetroid: Fusion (Ellen played it on emulator) - Nintendo.comPokémon Quest - Pokemon.comBowser's Fury - Nintendo.comRatchet & Clank: Rift Apart - Playstation.comMetroid: Dread - Nintendo.comHumankindDeathloopRogue CompanyHaven - YouTubeValheimIt Takes Two - Steam Most Anticipated (for 2022) 1:10:25 Mark LaCroixStephen McGregorEllen Burns-JohnsonGamingEndling: Extinction is Forever (from Handy Games)Weird West (by Wolfeye Studios, published by Devolver) - Game InformerTiny Tina's Wonderlands - Game InformerSCHiM - EwoudSolo-developed ‘Mars First Logistics' is a physics-based sandbox on Mars - Alan Wen, NME.comCyberpunk cat adventure Stray will let you do highly accurate cat stuff - Michael McWhertor, PolygonLittle Kitty, Big City - Double Dagger StudioThe Playdate handheld system!!!Kirby™ and the Forgotten Land - Nintendo.comMultiversus (from Warner Bros)Dragon's Dogma 2 will run on the same engine as Resident Evil Village, leaker s… - Connor Sheridan, GamesRadar Gamedev Resolutions / What We're Working On (for 2022) 1:26:51 Mark LaCroixStephen McGregorEllen Burns-JohnsonIRL

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.Forever - Endless Runner Engine - DreamteckFlavacol - Popcorn SupplyThe definition of Chrimbo - Lexicon Player Count 0:08:33 Mark LaCroixGame DesignHardwareDevelopers explain why 4 is the magic multiplayer number - Cass Marshall, PolygonMultitap - WikipediaMAG Review - DAN RYCKERT, Game InformerParenting young kids is exhausting. Should we rethink the nuclear family? - Sophie Brickman Hidden Information 0:36:33 Stephen McGregorGame DesignGaming

As the podcast approaches its fifth anniversary, your hosts get a little (more) frivolous. Mark shares some industry news about hardware releases. Ellen prompts everyone to share their experiences of learning development tools and examine their process of learning through the lens of Maximum Whooo. Stephen explores the difference between cooperative and collaborative gameplay, and invents something called a Feedborm. Dang!Steamworks Virtual Conference: Steam Deck - SteamSteam Deck launch delayed by two months - Jay Peters, The VergeIndie handheld Playdate delayed to 2022 - Michael McWhertor, PolygonHow Long to Beat: Metroid Dread - HowLongToBeat Learning to Use Tools 14:05 Ellen Burns-JohnsonMisc.ToolsArticulate Storyline 360, an e-learning development toolGodot, an open-source 2D & 3D game engineGodot: Getting Started >> Step by step - Juan Linietsky, Ariel Manzur and the Godot community, GodotTuckman's stages of group development - WikipediaCoDecks: Playful PlanningSonder (a story) - Ludum Dare 48Proactive and Retroactive Interference (re: learning interference) - Dr. Saul McLeod, Simply Psychology Co-Op Games 53:10.0 Stephen McGregorGame DesignOvercooked Co-Op Review: Five-star co-op gaming - Jason Love, Co-OptimusThere's a Difference Between Cooperation and Collaboration - Ron Ashkenas, Harvard Business Review

Mark goes over the theory and practice of debugging (in Unity, at least). Ellen gets the gist of it. Stephen considers when a game can benefit from having a silent protagonist, or at least a main character that doesn't say anything. Stay tuned after the outro music for bonus sound effects!Wordplay 2021: Celebrating Writing in Contemporary Games - Hand Eye Society Debugging 0:02:06 Mark LaCroixProgrammingWorking in the Inspector: Toggling Debug Mode - Unity Silent Protagonists 0:43:58 Stephen McGregorGame DesignNarrativeConcept: Silent Protagonist - Giant BombSilent protagonist - WikipediaHeroic Mime - TV Tropes