indie dev

CGD Podcast Episode 21: The “Classics” Problem

What does it mean when something is a “classic”? I think there’s actually a huge problem here that needs to be explored. New work is created using new cultural and scientific understandings, and it’s universally better in almost every case. We need to understand and appreciate this fact, and stop glorifying things just because they’re …

CGD Podcast Episode 21: The “Classics” Problem Read More »

CGD Podcast Episode 20: Options in Games

In this episode – our 20th! –  I talk about the idea of “optional game rules” and why they are to be avoided. I also go into detail on some experiences designing abilities for Auro. Enjoy!   http://media.blubrry.com/clockworkgamedesign/keithburgun.net/cgdpodcast/episode20.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS

CGD Podcast Episode 16: A Conversation About Rogue-likes with Black Shell Games

I had a conversation with the main developers at Black Shell Games – Daniel Doan, Raghav Mathur, and Thomas Espinoza – on the topic of Rogue-likes, a design pattern that has appealed to both of us. In the episode, we cover topics like the relationship between Rogue-likes and gambling, grinding, difficulty, replay value, and other …

CGD Podcast Episode 16: A Conversation About Rogue-likes with Black Shell Games Read More »

Contests Explained

I have described the four essential “forms” of interactive entertainment, based on four distinct values that these four types of play produce. You can get a more in-depth introduction on these forms by reading this, but I’ll quickly break it down here. First, you start off with a “bare interactive system” – this is an …

Contests Explained Read More »