Data. Scary? Maybe. Not scary? Also maybe. Love it or hate it, data is a defining part of our life in the modern world so why not make it work for you? For example, by choosing what game to make next with data driven methods…

This week, Sam and Ian discuss just that! They run through the tools and top tips to help you make a game with the best chance of success possible, and cheaply.

Mixed genre. Hybrid genre. Multi-genre. There are lots of names for what this week's topic is, and it only gets more complex when you start mixing actual game titles on top of that like Metroidvanias and Roguelikes/Roguelites. 

These hybrid games don’t get much attention in the mobile gaming market, but they might be key for the future of the industry. More importantly, they are an amazing way for indie developers to stand out compared to the big dogs at the top of the app store charts.

And that’s exactly what Sam and Ian cover this time around.

The Apple vs Epic (vs Google) clash has sent ripples throughout the entire industry, and it just isn't stopping. From Apple accusing Epic of marketing the court case, to Epic accusing Apple of cherry picking data to suit their defence. There's no two ways about it, Epic vs Apple is one of the most discussed topics in the industry of late...

Which is why we're also discussing it! This week, we get into what the whole Epic vs Apple thing is, who is in the right, whether you can trust this antitrust, and the philosophy of this whole problem in the first place. It's an intense one.

What motivates gamers to actually play your game? Are gamers motivated differently and what models are there to measure that? How does gamer motivation change how you design and monetise your game?

Player motivation is one of the most important lesser-known parts of game design, and this week Sam and Ian give you the full run-down so you can be in the know!

This week Sam & Ian discuss 5 more psychology tips & tricks to entice users to play your game!

In a world where user acquisition is more important than ever, you NEED to know what makes someone play your game 🚀

The history of game monetisation is a long one, starting way back in the arcades. Monetisation today seems to be in a crazy, chaotic place but history shows that it's actually just going in a huge circle - back to that arcade monetisation strategy.

In this week's episode of Giving The Game Away? Sam and Ian go through about 60 years of monetisation progress. And what do they find? That there hasn't been as much progress as you might think...

Idle games. Shockingly addictive number increasing simulators where most of the gameplay is, unsurprisingly, idle. But these idle games are incredible for engagement, retention, and monetisation, and we think their future is the exact opposite of idle.

This week, Sam and Ian give you the full rundown on idle games - the past, the present, the business, and the future.

In this week's episode of 'Giving The Game Away?', Sam and Ian chat the future of consoles & what to expect.

In this week's episode of 'Giving The Game Away?', Sam and Ian chat the future of advertising & the effects that Apple's latest IOS14 IDFA policy changes will have.