DLC Not Included

In our seventh episode, we step back and look at what it takes to maintain a successful game franchise, and why some franchises succeed while others fail. There are a number of elements involved, and mishandling any one of them can lead to disaster.

In our sixth episode, we examine the best practices for creating engaging and quality side quests, minigames, and puzzles to enrich your players' gaming experiences. We look at what works and what doesn't and cite examples on popular games that have successfully and unsuccessfully implemented these game elements.

In our fifth episode, we analyze the best methodologies for giving and receiving constructive criticism and critical feedback. These series of steps and considerations can be used for all manners of projects, not just game development. There is both an art and a science to critical feedback, for both players and critiques.

In our fourth episode, we take a deep look at the processes and pitfalls of writing a story for your video game. This is meant as an overview topic, one that encompasses many elements like world building, character design, and structure. If you hear any subtopics you'd like us to concentrate on, please let us know!

In our third episode, we focus on the industry itself and the challenges indie studios and indie developers face when trying to produce a game. A lot of it, as you will see, comes down to a lack of planning, not fully understanding their own vision, or over-extending themselves. This is by no means an exhaustive list. What other factors can stop a game from going gold?

In our second episode, we look at the fundamentals of good level design, taking a helicopter overview of the subject and touching upon the major points of organization, preparation, and creation. We discuss the best practices from paper to engine, calling attention to some of the pitfalls to avoid. As this is a broad topic, future podcasts may focus on more granular topics.

In our very first episode, we discuss the evolution of game technology. We felt this is a good place to start because (1) it's an interesting history lesson and (2) it showcases how the technology, both hardware and software, developed in tandem with each other out of necessity. Gaming is what it is today because of choices made by previous developers.