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

Leadership (with Frani Esquenazi)

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/08/10

Your nice hosts get called to the boss' office to interview Frani Esquenazi, who is Stephen's actual boss at Future Club. Frani discusses servant leadership, getting your "C" legs, and not having all the answers.LeadershipIRLProductionServant Leadership - Mind ToolsServant Leadership is NOT What You Think - John S. Todorovic, LinkedInWomen in Games - DiscordFrani EsquenaziGuestCEO of Future Club.External linkLinkedInFuture Club website

Cheating, Part 2

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/08/04

In the second installment of your nice hosts' discussion about cheating in games, we talk about the nature of cheating in contemporary video games: what it looks like, what factors shape it, and how worried we gamedevs should be about it. Yeah, we had so much to say about cheating that we couldn't fit it into one episode. Can we fit it into two? Also, Mark skips the punctuation, Stephen is excited, and Ellen quits a game.Gex Is Coming to Modern Consoles - Alex Stedman, IGN 0:16:58Cheating, Part

Writing for Games (with Anna C Webster)

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/07/28

In this episode your nice hosts chat with Anna C. Webster lead writer on The Foglands, and her cat Montezuma. Anna talks about how writing for games is different than writing for other medias, including making decisions on what options the player can make (you can never let your player do anything because scope), and writing for players that role-play as the character vs. wearing the character's costume as yourself. And the importance of frequent Narrative Reviews and getting together with other

"Salt, in everything?" Player Motivations; Copying...

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/07/20

After a fairly self-indulgent meta, your nice hosts eventually get into the nitty-gritty of both Player Motivation and Copying Others. Listen after the outro to hear a plethora of fun horse names!Normal Gossip - Kelsey McKinney, DefectorTour de France: Unchained - Netflix0:26:57Player MotivationsGamer Motivation ProfileQuantic FoundryBoard Game Motivation ProfileQuantic FoundryWe've talked about types of players this episode as well."Killed the flightmaster, killed the griffin..."We also took

Postmortem: "An Outcry" (with Quinn K)

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/07/13

Quinn K joins the clubhouse to break down their IGF-nominated game "An Outcry." Your nice hosts learn about choosing your own limitations, the Haunted PS1 scene, and how much playtesting is still not enough playtesting.Postmortem: "An Outcry"An Outcry - Quinn K, itch.ioRPG Maker 2003Oulipo: freeing literature by tightening its rules - Andrew Gallix, The GuardianDogme 95 - Movements in FilmHuanted PS1 Demo Disc 2021 - itch.ioThe Shrike (ship) - Memory AlphaQuinn KGuestExternal

"Ask your friends." Finding Help; Companion Characters

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/07/08

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

The State of "Dogpile!"

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/06/29

(Some of) your nice hosts went to Origins Game Fair last week! Aside from taking in the show and learning more about the world of board games, they were there to attend 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 CongressThe State of

"What's a little grand larceny?" Licensing; Cheating,...

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/06/21

Your nice hosts return to form with a roundtable recorded together for the first time in a while! In this episode, Stephen sneaks a mini-topic in, Ellen asks some controversial questions and Mark helps us realize when we're breaking the law.As a side note, Glom is available right now! We've talked about it plenty on the show, but for more information or purchasing info you can go to nicegames.club/glom.Summer Games Done Quick 2023 - YouTube0:10:27LicensingA complete guide to font licensing for

Nice Thinking: "The Nice Board Game Industrial...

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/06/15

After Mark's time with COVID, the first day he was free to go outside, the area was covered with the smoke of distant wildfires. Another bout of smoke has rolled in to the Twin Cities just in time for the release of this episode.The club spends this Nice Thinking episode talking about the making of Glom, and discussing their feelings about pitching and publishing board games. They discover that Mark and Stephen dread pitching, but Ellen thinks it can be fun (it's her superpower).This section is

"You've probably seen them in Zelda." Lessons from...

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/06/11

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

Unreal Engine for Indies (with Zack Gilbertson)

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/06/01

This week, Ellen and Stephen learn guest Zack Gilbertson's whole deal. Afterwards, Zack walks your nice hosts though an overview of what it's like for an indie developer to work with Unreal Engine, a popular-but-slightly-less-popular-than-Unity game engine.Unreal EngineGame DesignProductionProgrammingToolsUnreal Engine - Epic GamesLighting in Unreal Engine 5 for Beginners - William Faucher, YouTubeIntroduction to Blueprints - Unreal Engine Documentation, Epic GamesAlina Matson joined us in a

Nice Games Jam: "Chaos Canyon"

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/05/25

Max Kunze, Nice Games Club Guest Booker, takes over for Mark while he's still sick this week on another Nice Games Jam! Mark actually created the prompt for this episode, and your nice hosts find a way to inject many explosions into this board game made from it that you can try out yourself using the rules below!The playtest session we alluded to in the episode is on Patreon! If you want to hear how we playtested it over Miro, check it out there!PromptCreate a game where risk is extremely attractive

Wandering into Game Development (with Jamaal...

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/05/18

On this episode, we talk with two of Ellen's coworkers and the Games Agency, Jamaal Sawyer-Dymski & Greg Borreson. They talk about their career paths, from their time as young nerds, to working in very different areas of computer sciences and programming, to the fact that saying "Enhance" doesn't actually help with anything CSI style, to working with your nice host, Ellen.Ellen has some audio problems (they get better), Stephen gets called out, and Mark calls it in from home (because Dale exposed

"Play thrice, and make thrice." Stephen's "Rule of...

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/05/15

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, YouTubeA street sweeper in Bloomington, Minnesota. Image from https://www.bloomingtonmn.gov/0:17:30Stephen's "Rule of Threes"0:48:16The Psychology of

The Taxonomy of Horse Games (with Alice Ruppert)

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/05/04

This week, your nice hosts clop along sprawling acres of horse games and horses in games. They are led to water by the foremost expert on the topic, Alice Ruppert, creative director of the recent Horse Tales - Emerald Valley Ranch and writer of the horse-gaming blog The Mane Quest.The Taxonomy of Horse GamesGame DesignGamingProductionThe Mane QuestHorse Tales - Emerald Valley RanchAlice RuppertGuestAlice is a game designer, producer, and writer based in Zurich, Switzerland.External linkPersonal

"I love it when you kinda agree." Endings; Lusory...

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/04/27

Your nice hosts explore the finality and the lusory this week with these two topics. In the process, Stephen struggles with a simple concept, Mark gets to 82% completion and Ellen figures out a way to blow up a transition.Glom is available for preorder! Find links here.0:13:40Endings0:38:51Lusory AttitudeLusory AttitudeWikipediaLusory DefinitionMerriam-WebsterWe bring up our Curling episode during this topic."No referees?!"

Nice Games Jam: "Pothole Run"

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/04/21

According to Minnesota Public Radio, it's hot girl sinkhole spring. In other words, we have an insane number of potholes right now in the Twin Cities, and since we can't do anything other than wait for the hardworking folks of road repair to fix them, we made a game about the whole situation. Andy and Beth Korth join for this special Nice Games Jam!GLOM preorder through Miniature MarketGLOM preorder through GameNerdz✨hot girl sinkhole spring✨ - Minnesota Public RadioUptown washout leaves 8-foot-deep

"One size bigger and red." CSS; Skill Trees

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/04/13

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

Tiny Horrors (with Rosalie Vile)

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/04/06

Ellen and Stephen get spooked discussing small and/or novel horror games and experiences with Online Simulator developer Rosalie Vile. Ellen works backwards from the punchline, Stephen doesn't know about 80%, and Mark is still in California (thanks, calendar math).Tiny HorrorsGame DesignNarrativeOnline Simulator - Rosalie Vile, itch.ioSunday - EZBake Games, itch.ioSkinamarinkA Normal Lost Phone - Dear VillagersThis House Has People in It - Adult Swim, YouTubeHaunted PS1 Demo Disc 2021 - The Haunted

GDC 2023 Special

Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast! ·

2023/04/01

We hear from "California Business Mark" who spent the week on-location at GDC 2023. Mark summarizes some of the best talks and events he attended at the conference, featuring Kirby, the Playdate console, secrets in Tunic, Max, and more! Support Final Strike - Lane Davis, GamefoundCurrent COVID guidelines from the CDC - Centers for Disease ControlSuper Nintendo World - Universal Studios(News) GDC 2023Timecode8:54.00GDC 2023Here are the time codes for individual topics:10:23 Publishing agreements

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Nice Games Club - a gamedev podcast!

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