PODCAST

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast!

Lydia, Stephen, and Mark

The podcast where nice gamedevs talk gaming and game development. Nice!

leisure video games

All Episodes

Cheating (omnibus edition)

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/12/28

This year, Ellen thought a lot about cheating in games. So your nice hosts kept doing episodes about it. Three in total over this last summer. So, to kick off this year's run of Nice Replays, we’ve stitched all three topics together into one SUPER MEGA NICE NEW YEAR’S OMNIBUS EPISODE!Cheating (omnibus edition)Part 1:"What's a little grand larceny?"Part 2:Cheating, Part 2Part 3:"Sad or fascinating?"

Nicest of 2023

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/12/21

The clubhouse continues the annual tradition of reviewing the past year. But first they need to talk about Doctor Who and new Minnesota state flag. Ellen makes her first programming joke, and Dale learns to add comments from the editing booth.Finally, everyone shares which games they have been playing the bees out of in 2023.But, wait... there's more: your nice hosts also talk about what they are anticipating for 2024. Doctor WhoDonna Noble is the best companion - WikipediaCucumber, a miniseries by

Creative Career Paths (with Will Bredbeck)

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/12/15

Will went to school for illustration. After many plot twists—including a bike accident, leading a team of animators, and climbing mountains in Alaska—he ended up working in games. Now, he's a design director and creative consultant, working on games that aim to make the world a better place. This week, Will joins us in the clubhouse to discuss how he's made decisions about his creative career and where those decisions have taken him. New gamedevs and creative folks, you might find inspiration in

Nice Games Jam: "The Loft"

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/12/08

This week, the clubhouse becomes the birdhouse; we're talking pigeons! Dale created a prompt inspired by Ellen's activities as a child and she bombards your nice hosts with a TON of pigeon facts! We somehow designed a game out of it!As a note, Ellen's was still recording remotely but the first 5 minutes she was recording on the wrong mic! We corrected it after those 5 minutes. Breeds of Pigeons across the Globe. - Layne Gardner, The American Pigeon Museum and LibraryRacing Pigeon Training 25

"Am I making a joke?" Debug Functionality; Polish

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/11/30

Your nice hosts start this episode with some personal updates, and (spoiler) it does not "go quick" as planned, then take on two really fascinating production topics. Ellen puts both drawings on the fridge, Mark recommends a modern Polish masterpiece, and Stephen is a changed man.BONUS: This week's outtakes were much too long to include at the end of the show, so we put them on Patreon! It's 10+ minutes of behind-the-scenes outtakes that go a littler further than usual in revealing how your nice

Scoping for Your Project (with John Donkin and Rob...

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/11/23

In this episode the brothers Rob and John Donkin of BadViking join the hosts in the clubhouse for a frank discussion on goals and expectations, scoping, and setting milestone timelines, and making feedback useful.Scoping for your ProjectProductionBad Viking talks about Strange Horticulture, their most recent gameBest Best review for Strange Horticulture - Alice Bell, Rock Paper ShotgunPC Gamer Review - Christopher Livingston, PC GamerJohn DonkinGuestJohn Donkin does Art and Design at Bad

Game-based Learning (with Jennifer Javornik)

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/11/16

Ellen spoke with this week's guest, Filament Games' chief partnerships officer Jennifer Javornik, at the 2023 Serious Play Conference in Toronto, Canada about game-based learning, but also about commercializing serious games, growing the game development industry in the midwest US, and a whole lot more.Game-based LearningEventsGame DesignProductionSerious Play ConferenceWisconsin Games AllianceFilament GamesJennifer JavornikGuestChief Partnerships Officer at Filament GamesExternal linkLinkedIn

Serious Play Conference Special

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/11/11

Earlier this autumn, Ellen visited Toronto to attend the Serious Play Conference. It's an event for people who design, develop, and study so-called "serious games" — that is, games used for education, training, therapy, and more. Ellen reports on her experiences in the city and at the conference, and shares some clips from conversations she had with some speakers at Serious Play. Also, Stephen and Mark talk about the weather.(Note: There were some audio issues with the recordings taken on-site at

Megagames (with Trenton Greyoak)

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/11/02

We welcome Trenton Greyoak into the clubhouse to talk about the vast topic of megagames! Trenton provides a huge amount of insight into the development and play of these games in this slightly more mega-sized than normal episode.MegagamesGame DesignGamingPhysical GamesMegagame - WikipediaModel United Nations - United NationsWatch the Skies! - South West MegagamesOrigins of Megagames - Jim Wallman, No Game SurvivesMegagame Makers - Megagame Makers UKSU&SD PLAY… A GODDAMN MEGAGAME - Shut Up & Sit

"Smarter, more evolved." Polymorphism; Save Scumming

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/10/27

In this week's episode, Mark teaches us to cast polymorph, a 4th level transmutation spell. Just kidding! But Mark does put his high INT score to work helping us understand polymorphism, a useful feature of object-oriented programming. Later on, Stephen talks about the pattern of "save scumming" and considers how it might influence how designers create games. Ellen noodles on things.Noodle demo game - Ellen Burns-Johnson, The Training Arcade0:04:48Polymorphism31:57:0Save ScummingShepard. Wrex.

Horror Games 201 (with multiple guests)

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/10/19

Nice Games Club continues to celebrate the Spooky Season with the second-ever “Nice Games Panel”. Our panelists include creators known for their work on horror games: James Pratt, TorpalDork, and Max Kunze. We discuss the using humor and using nostalgia in horror games and if clowns have ever not been scary.Horror Games 201Game DesignJames PrattGuestJames Pratt is a game developer out of Canada, and Co-founder of MANGLEDmaw games. His work includes 'Amanda the Adventurer' and other games.External

"The opposing metric of jank." Composition over...

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/10/12

In this episode, the team gets back to all the regular reasons to complain about Unity. Stephen makes a pun, and Ellen searches for elegance through the power of internet research.Noodle - The Training ArcadeMark and his bike took a train to Chicago.0:07:41Composition over InheritanceComposition over inheritanceWikipedia0:33:00EleganceElegant ProgramPC Mag10 Things Elegant Woman Wear - How to dress classy and elegantAustralian Finishing SchoolTerms of Art #30: Elegance (and Aesthetic

Horror Games 101 (with multiple guests)

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/10/07

It's the first-ever "Nice Games Panel," in which we invite multiple guests on the show to discuss something interesting! Our panelists today include multiple creators who are known for their work on horror games: Schera Wyss, Conner Rush, Henry Hoare, Samuel Guglielmo, and Nick F. We discuss the fundamental nature of horror as a genre (or maybe a theme or an "orientation"), and what devs should consider if they're looking to make horror games that haunt players long after the end credits roll.Photo

"Sweet, sweet Toronto sounds." Completionism;...

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/09/28

Mark is back from Toronto, and guest host Holly Harrison is back in the clubhouse! Holly completes a topic, Stephen likes that part, and Ellen reads half a book.Talking Heads Take Over TIFF As ‘Stop Making Sense’ Reunion Has Crowds Dancing … - Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline'Lost Ladies' Review: Kiran Rao’s Delightful Hindi Comedy Swings and Wins - Proma Khosla, IndieWire'Robot Dreams' Review: A Beautiful Tale of Friendship and Love in the Hand-Draw… - Tomris Laffly, The

Much Ado About Unity (with Freya Holmér)

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/09/23

Earlier 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

Working on a Bigger Team (with Julia Keren-Detar)

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/09/14

We continue the recent production talks this week as we welcome Julia Keren-Detar into the clubhouse! The discussion topic is "working on a bigger team" but we also somehow talk about rain water barrels at some point? It's relevant, I swear.Mushroom 11 - Untame, SteamWorking on a Bigger TeamProductionWork: A deep history, from the stone age to the age of robots - James Suzman, Penguin Random HouseAn example of what Ellen brings up during the episode, probably.Julia Keren-DetarGuestJulia Keren-Detar

Nice Games Jam: "Cat Time"

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/09/07

It's been a while but your nice hosts come up with a game in roughly an hour, this one for the cat owners out there! After a fairly long meta, we get into the mind of a cat and design a competitive game for them to play.Toronto International Film FestivalRenew an adult passport - USA.govBloor–Yonge station - WikipediaPromptCreate a game my mother can (and wants to) play with her cats, with the supply list below. Bonus points if this can be played a single cat or multiple cats at the same time, for

"Stephen, explain this." Grind; Emphasizing Uniqueness

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/09/02

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 Con06:08GrindA Necessary Evil: Grinding in GamesBrice MorrisonGame Developer26:32Emphasizing Uniqueness

Getting Things Going (with Rick Stemm)

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/08/24

In this episode your nice hosts welcome Rick Stemm of PikPok to the clubhouse to talk about what happens after a game gets greenlit.Turns out the answer involves building your team and trust. Rick touts the idea of a sh*tty first draft - faster and worse. Coaching feedback givers for what you are looking for, and the importance of building a trust in a team. Rick spouts useful idioms and your host claim points for each time Rick says ‘cohesive’ or ‘holistic.’Who scored the most points? Turns out

"Sad or fascinating?" Cheating, Part 3; Putting the...

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/08/17

We return to the topic of cheating for the third (and final, maybe?) time this week! In this episode, Ellen brings cheating to a close, Mark makes up a band he'd totally listen to, and Stephen comes up with an engaging dish washing game.Cubistry - Match 2 LLC, Google Play Store0:12:26Cheating, Part 3We first visited cheating in this episode."What's a little grand larceny?"Cheating Part II in this episode.Cheating, Part 2Anti-cheat in video games: The A to ZReinhard BlaukovitschIrdetoMedal of

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Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast!

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