Hey, Good Game

From Red Dead to WordGlyph: The Actor Who Built a Word Game With Toothpicks and Code

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Kevin Glikmann, actor and creator of WordGlyph, joins us to share his wild creative journey—from voicing unforgettable characters in Red Dead Redemption to hand-building one of the most unusual word games on the internet.

We talk about the inventing spirit that started with childhood roller coaster blueprints, the challenge of onboarding players in a genre-breaking game, and how Kevin used AI to accelerate coding without losing control. He also shares scrappy marketing tactics, ASMR game videos, and why rejection just means you’re onto something original.

Check out Kevin's Resources:
https://wordglyph.xyz/

https://kevinglikmann.com


Game Mentions
Chess - Kevin's favorite game to play
WordGlyph

Red Dead Redemption

Scrabble

Upwords

Chopper (Apple II)


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  • (01:20) - – Playing Bullet Chess and Getting Stuck
  • (03:15) - – Inventing at Age 9: A Roller Coaster Pitch to Disneyland
  • (05:00) - – Creative Parents and Early Exposure to Production
  • (06:30) - – From Airplane Spoofs to Apple II Coding
  • (08:00) - – Taking Apart the Rubik’s Cube to Make It Harder
  • (09:30) - – Balancing Left-Brain Code with Right-Brain Performance
  • (11:00) - – Vulnerability in Acting vs. Game Design
  • (14:00) - – Why Seth Breyers Didn’t Return in Red Dead 2
  • (16:30) - – Favorite Roles and Joy of Physical Acting
  • (18:40) - – Why Game Creation Is So Much Harder Than Voice Acting
  • (20:00) - – Kevin’s Failed Game Inventions (Scrap Ball, Word Race)
  • (22:30) - – From Toy Agents to Hasbro Rejections
  • (24:00) - – Where Word Glyph Began: Breaking Letters Into Segments
  • (25:30) - – Toothpicks, Flash Prototypes, and the Original Word Glyph
  • (27:30) - – The Wordle Wake-Up Call
  • (28:45) - – Building Word Glyph with JavaScript and AI
  • (31:30) - – The Frustration of Not Knowing Your Own Code
  • (34:00) - – Marketing Scrappiness: Reddit, Y Combinator, TikTok
  • (37:17) - – Creating Linguistic and Math Angles with AI-Generated Articles
  • (40:02) - – Discovering ASMR as a Game Marketing Tactic
  • (42:17) - – Why Influencers Cost $15K+ (and What to Do Instead)
  • (44:02) - – The Power of DIY Press, Product Hunt, and Discord
  • (48:02) - – Onboarding Through Experience, Not Instructions
  • (51:02) - – Game Design Tip: Help Players Win Early
  • (52:17) - – How Kevin Uses Community Boards for Learning & Retention
  • (53:32) - – Why Bad Moves in Ads Might Work
  • (55:02) - – What Kevin Would (and Wouldn’t) Do Differently

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    Check out our brainy games:

    Sumplete - https://sumplete.com
    Squeezy - https://imsqueezy.com/
    Kakuro Conquest - https://kakuroconquest.com
    Mathler - https://mathler.com
    Crosswordle - https://crosswordle.com
    Sudoku Conquest - https://sudokuconquest.com
    Hitori Conquest - https://hitoriconquest.com
    Wordga - https://wordga.com

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    Hey, Good GameBy Nate Kadlac, Aaron Kardell, Joseph Rueter