How Indie Games Get Made

Two brothers. A lifelong dream of making video games for a living. This is the story of brothers Khalil and Ahmed Abdullah and how they weathered the uncertainties of game development, adapted to the changing dynamics of the industry and took a major leap of faith to complete Swimsanity, a passion project they started more than 10 years ago.

How Indie Games Get Made is a narrative nonfiction podcast that tells the stories of how people make games with limited resources. Many thanks to listeners of BosBattle, the previous podcast that occupied this feed, for sticking around.

This podcast was made with support from BostonFIG and IndieCade, two organizations that support and promote indie game development. If you're interested in helping make this podcast a sustainable endeavor, please consider becoming a patron on our Patreon page: patreon.com/indiegamescast. 

Narration by Dylan Martin and Stephanie MacDonald. 

Written by Dylan Martin. Edited by Derrick Valen. 

Executive produced by Caro Murphy of BostonFIG. 

Music by Joshua Mosley from Swimsanity was used by permission from  Khalil and Ahmed Abdullah. Additional music by Derrick Valen.

Convention sound noise used under a Creative Commons license from daytripper: freesound.org/people/daytripper/sounds/395818/

A failed startup. An internet reality show. A major art project coming to an end. These were among the circumstances that led professional cartoonist Abby Howard and entrepreneur Tony Arias to embark on making a video game for their first time. This is the story of Black Tabby Games and the creation of Scarlet Hollow.

How Indie Games Get Made is a narrative nonfiction podcast that demystifies how independent developers make video games with limited resources. Many thanks to listeners of BosBattle, the previous podcast that occupied this feed, for sticking around.

To support the podcast and get access to bonus content, among other incentives, become a patron and visit the podcast's Patreon at patreon.com/indiegamescast.

A full transcript of the episode will soon be available at indiegamescast.com.

Narration by Dylan Martin and Stephanie MacDonald. 

Written and edited by Dylan Martin.

Music by Brandon Boone and sound effects by Phil Michalski from Scarlet Hollow were used by permission from Abby Howard and Tony Arias.

Copyright-free Twitch music is courtesy of StreamBeats by Harris Heller. Strip Search theme song is used with permission from Penny Arcade.

Record scratch noise used under a Creative Commons license from luffy: freesound.org/people/luffy/sounds/3536/. Convention sound noise used under a Creative Commons license from daytripper: freesound.org/people/daytripper/sounds/395818/

This is an episode from BosBattle, the predecessor to How Indie Games Get Made.

After a long hiatus, BosBattle is back for one final episode. But please stay subscribed! We are working on a new narrative nonfiction show about how indie games get made, and this feed will become the home of the new podcast when it launches. Read more about our plans for the new podcast and why there was a long hiatus at http://bosbattle.com.

If you know a good story about someone who made or is making a game, please send story ideas for the new podcast to [email protected]. We are focusing on individuals and teams of 10 or fewer to start out.

For updates on the new podcast, subscribe to our newsletter: http://bit.ly/bosbattle.

In this episode, The Deep End Games co-founders Bill and Amanda Gardner discuss why they decided to form an indie game studio, where they got the idea for their 2017 narrative thriller game Perception, how a love of horror movies influenced the game's premise and how they coped with development crunch.

Music by Jesse Gertz: http://jessegertz.com/.

Recorded at PRX's Podcast Garage in Allston (before the pandemic): https://www.podcastgarage.org/.

This is an episode from BosBattle, the predecessor to How Indie Games Get Made.

MIT professor T.L. Taylor discusses her new book, "Watch Me Play: Twitch and the Rise of Game Live Streaming," what she has learned from studying esports, streaming and video games cultures for a living, how playing EverQuest led her to pursue video game academia and what role platforms should play in fostering inclusion and diversity in streaming.

Subscribe to BosBattle's newsletter: http://bit.ly/bosbattle.

Music by Jesse Gertz: http://jessegertz.com/.

Mastering by Kegan Zema: https://www.keganzema.com/.

Recorded at PRX's Podcast Garage in Allston: https://www.podcastgarage.org/.

This is an episode from BosBattle, the predecessor to How Indie Games Get Made.

Proletariat Inc. co-founder and CEO Seth Sivak discusses why his Boston indie studio decided to enter the saturated battle royale space with Spellbreak, how getting laid off at Zynga led him to form Proletariat, and what he learned from the studio's first two games that focused on mobile and streaming.

Subscribe to BosBattle's newsletter: http://bit.ly/bosbattle.

Music by Jesse Gertz: http://jessegertz.com/.

Mastering by Kegan Zema: https://www.keganzema.com/.

Recorded at PRX's Podcast Garage in Allston: https://www.podcastgarage.org/.

This is an episode from BosBattle, the predecessor to How Indie Games Get Made.

Boston Festival of Indie Games organizers Caroline Murphy and Oleg Brodskiy discuss literal trash cosplay, small electrical fires and other early BostonFIG memories, as well as BostonFIG's new education initiatives and diversity in Boston's indie game scene.

Subscribe to BosBattle's newsletter: http://bit.ly/bosbattle.

Music by Jesse Gertz: http://jessegertz.com/.

Mastering by Kegan Zema: https://www.keganzema.com/.

Recorded at PRX's Podcast Garage in Allston: https://www.podcastgarage.org/.

This is an episode from BosBattle, the predecessor to How Indie Games Get Made.

Ex-Irrational Games employees Gwen Frey and Forrest Dowling talk about how BioShock influenced The Flame in the Flood, how they started The Molasses Flood and the triumphs and challenges of running an indie game studio.

Subscribe to BosBattle's newsletter: http://bit.ly/bosbattle.

Music by Jesse Gertz: http://jessegertz.com/.

Mastering by Kegan Zema: https://www.keganzema.com/.

Recorded at PRX's Podcast Garage in Allston: https://www.podcastgarage.org/.

This is an episode from BosBattle, the predecessor to How Indie Games Get Made.

Earplay's Jon Myers discusses what led him to the emerging field of interactive audio storytelling, how he ended up working with the team behind the popular Mr. Robot TV show and the unique design challenges associated with audio. Prior to starting Earplay, Myers worked as a writer and narrative designer for Disruptor Beam, Owlchemy Labs and Zynga Boston.

Subscribe to BosBattle's newsletter: http://bit.ly/bosbattle.

Music by Jesse Gertz: http://jessegertz.com/.

Mastering by Kegan Zema: https://www.keganzema.com/.

Recorded at PRX's Podcast Garage in Allston: https://www.podcastgarage.org/.