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PODCAST

The Secret Lives of Games

The Secret Lives of Games

Candid conversations with game creators that dive deep into the art, craft, and process of making games.

leisure video games

All Episodes

01:38:32

27: Teamfight Tactics with Greg Borenstein

The Secret Lives of Games ·

2019/09/13

Riot Games’ Greg Borenstein joins us to chat about the design behind their red-hot autobattler Teamfight Tactics, as we discuss the benefits of embracing complexity, the rise of randomness, and what the game has in common with Sorry! You know, that Sorry! Things we discussed: Teamfight Tactics Mutazione Untitled Goose Game UFO 50 Riot Games controversy - timeline of events Riot Games controversy - one year later Dota Auto Chess Dota Underlords League of Legends Richard Garfield: Luck and Games

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01:48:53

26: The Nick and Andy Show

The Secret Lives of Games ·

2019/08/30

Our crew is stretched thin, but we soldier on with a wide-ranging, freeform 1-year anniversary episode! Nick and Andy chat about the recent glut of amazing game releases - and upcoming highlights (roguelights?) - while Andy reflects on the 10-year anniversary of his career-defining game Osmos, and we dive into a bounty of beautiful listener letters. Things we discussed: Mutazione Zach's game tease Noita Overland Osmos agar.io Telling Lies Eliza Control Dicey Dungeons RAD Plunge EarthNight Loren

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01:25:16

25: Slay the Spire with Anthony Giovannetti

The Secret Lives of Games ·

2019/08/18

Megacrit’s Anthony Giovannetti sits down with us to dive deep into the iterative design process of his hit roguelike deckbuilder, Slay the Spire. Things we discussed: Slay the Spire Stimhack Android: Netrunner Spelunky 2 delay Magic: the Gathering Dominion Dream Quest GDC talk - Slay the Spire: Metrics Drive Design and Balance FTL Desktop Dungeons The Binding of Isaac Brogue Why Revealing All is the Secret of Slay the Spire's Success How Slay the Spire's Original Interface Almost Killed the

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01:22:04

24: Going Rogue with Glenn Wichman (Rogue)

The Secret Lives of Games ·

2019/08/01

The co-creator of Rogue - yes, THAT Rogue - chats with us about the creation and legacy of his seminal 1980 game that birthed a genre! We discuss the origins of its key innovations of procedural generation and “consequence permanence,” its surprisingly Chesslike origins, and the secret metagame behind Quicken (shhh!). Rogue Hack Nethack Brogue Curses programming library Diablo ADOM Moria Angband Rogue's instruction manual Glenn’s unused Rogue manual art

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01:42:05

23: Reinventing Basketball (and Spelunky) with Andy...

The Secret Lives of Games ·

2019/07/18

Our full crew is reunited, and just in time for a very special guest! Spelunky HD programmer Andy Hull joins us to chat about his time as a toy designer, rebuilding Spelunky from the ground up, and nailing the jelly shader in his upcoming 2v2 basketball beat ‘em up, Dunk Lords. Things we discussed: Dunk Lords Mossranking Klik & Play Sushi Slicing Play Set Scoop & Stack Ice Cream Cone Play Set Bake & Decorate Cupcake Set What is Bothering Carl? Spelunky book Aquaria Braid Ridiculous Fishing

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01:28:51

22: Making the post-post-apocalypse RAD with Double...

The Secret Lives of Games ·

2019/07/04

Lee Petty of Double Fine (Psychonauts, Brütal Legend, Stacking) drops by to talk to us about their upcoming post-post-apocalyptic roguelike, RAD! We discuss the emergent origins of its procedural design, capturing ‘80s nuclear angst, and Tim Schafer’s love/hate relationship with farts. Things we discussed: leepetty.com Tharsis (iPad) Brutal Legend Broken Age Stacking Headlander RAD Amnesia Fortnight Psychonauts 2 Grim Fandango Remastered Brothers Quay Hitman Autonomous Chromehounds Risk of Rain

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01:07:41

21: Keeping Spelunky Alive with MossRanking

The Secret Lives of Games ·

2019/06/21

MossRanking creator Mathieu “saturnin55” Legaré and advisor/speedrunner Kevin “meowmixmix” Hyer join us to talk about the history and design behind Spelunky’s incredible community hub. Things we discussed: MossRanking mewomixmix's GDQx2018 run Playing the Spelunky 2 demo at TwitchCon speedrun.com Bananasaurus Rex's infamous solo eggplant run Crypt of the Necrodancer Nick’s Daily Death

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01:33:36

20: Going Into the Void (Bastards) with Cara Ellison...

The Secret Lives of Games ·

2019/06/06

Sci-fi strategy-shooter Void Bastards is tearing up the charts, and we’ve got two of its creators on the show! We discuss worldbuilding via British bureaucracy, telling stories in a world of roguelite progression, and yelling at yourself in your own game...as a pirate. Things we discussed: Void Bastards Embed with Games: A Year on the Couch with Game Developers System Shock Dishonored 2 Captain Forever Card Hunter Brazil Red Dwarf The Stanley Parable Choose Your Own Anna Anthropy interview

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01:15:51

19: The Organized Chaos of Edmund McMillen

The Secret Lives of Games ·

2019/05/23

The creator of The Binding of Isaac and Super Meat Boy joins us for a career-spanning discussion of his design ethos, and the organized chaos that drove the creation of the most successful roguelite ever. Things we discussed: Super Meat Boy The Binding of Isaac The End is Nigh The Binding of Isaac: Four Souls Gish Aether Closure Dungeon Crawl Stone SoupDesktop Dungeons Fingered The Binding of Isaac: Antibirth Keyforge Overwatch Kingdom Death

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01:30:41

18: Exploring Brogue with Brian Walker

The Secret Lives of Games ·

2019/05/10

Brogue creator Brian “Pender” Walker joins us to chat about the elegant design behind his sublime roguelike dungeon-crawler, from the lessons he took from Rogue (and those he didn’t), to creating a rich world of interactions while keeping things simple. Things we discussed: Brogue Zach's instructional Brogue stream Brogue w/ Daily Challenge Brogue w/ Daily Challenge + Potion change Rogue Angband Nethack Derek Yu on Brogue Roguelike Celebration talk: Procedural level design in Brogue and beyond

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01:22:28

17: Climbing Gloves in the Jungle

The Secret Lives of Games ·

2019/04/26

The crew makes the most of being paired off: Andy and Zach talk climbing documentaries, persistence, and design back home, while Nick and Doug play and discuss some Spelunky co-op on the road in New Zealand. Plus a quick interview with Mini Metro’s Robert Curry, one of the biggest Spelunky fans we know! Things we discussed: Free Solo The Dawn Wall PRACTICE 2016 Talk - Mastering Movement Notes on the Synthesis of Form Grow21 Typeshift Mini Metro

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01:27:32

16: The Spelunky Book Club

The Secret Lives of Games ·

2019/04/11

We delve deep into the pages of Derek Yu’s excellent Spelunky book, from its thoughtful musings on creativity, to its inspiring lessons in game design. A must-read on how our favorite game came to be! Plus some record-breaking Spelunky news, the Weekly Challenge, and more. Things we discussed: Now Play This Low% Hell World Record d_tea's back-to-back World Records Co-op All Journal Entries run Spelunky book Boss Fight Books Humble Bundle TIG source Derek Yu's Twitter thread on difficulty

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01:19:49

15: GDC Special - Derek Yu and Slay the Spire

The Secret Lives of Games ·

2019/03/28

We return home from the Game Developers Conference with hands-on impressions of the new Spelunky 2 demo, while the muse himself Derek Yu gives us a Spelunky 2 development update. Plus Slay the Spire’s Casey Yano talks about the design of their hit roguelike deckbuilder! Things we talked about: GDC Day of the Devs Slay the Spire Dream Quest Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Cyber Shadow

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01:29:28

14: Diversifying Play with Greg Johnson (ToeJam &...

The Secret Lives of Games ·

2019/03/14

ToeJam & Earl creator Greg Johnson gets funky with us, as we deconstruct his latest entry in the series - Back in the Groove - and discuss his approach to playfulness and accessibility in roguelikes, the lack of cultural diversity in games, and much more. Things we talked about: New Spelunky WR run Dwarf Fortress remaster ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove HumaNature Studios Doki Doki Universe Brogue A Few Provocative Thoughts by Greg Johnson ToeJam & Earl launch party

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01:20:10

13: Procedural Storytelling with Tanya X Short

The Secret Lives of Games ·

2019/02/28

Tanya X. Short of Kitfox Games drops by to discuss her co-edited essay collections Procedural Storytelling / Generation in Game Design, as well as her own approach and challenges to procedural narrative in Moon Hunters, and the upcoming Boyfriend Dungeon. Things we talked about: Kitfox Games Procedural Generation in Game Design Procedural Storytelling in Game Design Dwarf Fortress Spelunky Udjet Eye run Moon Hunters The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Age of Conan Boyfriend Dungeon The Shrouded Isle

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01:31:52

12: Into the Breach with Justin Ma

The Secret Lives of Games ·

2019/02/14

Justin Ma of Subset Games joins us to discuss the design of his excellent sci-fi strategy game Into the Breach, from its Spelunky-inspired high/low-level design, to how they cracked its time-driven gameplay, to why throwing away 80% of their work...worked. Things we talked about: FTL Into the Breach Input / Output Randomness 'Into the Breach' Didn't Click Until I Played it Like an EMT Into the Breach - Fantastic Arcade 2017 Developer Commentary Stephen's Sausage Roll Return of the Obra Dinn

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01:37:09

11: Taking Back Roguelikes with Raigan Burns

The Secret Lives of Games ·

2019/01/31

Raigan Burns of Metanet Software (N, N+, N++) stops by for a spirited debate on the term “roguelike,” as we discuss the tenets of the genre, why (and if) they’re important, and how Spelunky fits into it all. Things we talked about: N++ GMTK: Roguelikes, Persistency, and Progression Wandering Towards Interactive Narrative Notes on the Synthesis of Form DoomRL probability 0 Downwell

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02:03:17

10: Keyforge with Richard Garfield

The Secret Lives of Games ·

2019/01/17

The creator of Magic: the Gathering, Netrunner, King of Tokyo, and so much of the modern gaming culture we love joins us to talk about finding cohesion in the beautiful randomness of his latest design: the world’s first Unique Deck Game, Keyforge. Things we mentioned in the interview: Keyforge! The Art of Warcast: A Keyforge Special Richard Garfield - Game Boy Geek interview Richard Garfield on Luck vs. Skill Characteristics of Games Rest of the show: Blindfolded Final Fantasy IX menu Everspace

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01:10:27

09: Games of the Year 2018

The Secret Lives of Games ·

2018/12/31

We sit down to talk about our favorite games that we played in 2018 - from videogames, to board games, to escape rooms, to Malaysian schoolyard games. Join us for the most diverse GOTY list you’ll hear! We’ll see you - and Spelunky 2 - in 2019! ... Our GOTY picks (SPOILERS) Zach: Dr. Meep Mega Man 11 Noita Pokémon Go Hollow Knight Andy: Wind the Film Into the Breach Azul Cinco Paus Magic: the Gathering Arena Doug: Holedown Arkham Horror: The Card Game - The Path to Carcosa Classroom Murder

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01:33:50

08: Designing Tharsis with Zach Gage

The Secret Lives of Games ·

2018/12/20

We chat to our own Zach Gage about his 2016 spacefaring strategy game Tharsis, from its roguelike and tabletop influences, to promoting player narrative, to the psychology of randomness. Plus first impressions of Twinfold and Below! Some things we mentioned: The Systems Design of TharsisLet's Get Physical: Lessons From the Real WorldHow to win Tharsis Twinfold Below

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267 results

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